Why are Indian actors being cast in Aladdin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is it. I am done.

Aladdin is a famous tale from the Middle East. Casting an Indian kid in the biggest Western backed retelling of this classic Muslim tale is a slap in the face of the thousands of Muslims worldwide. It was such a pivotal moment in pop culture history, to have this movie be made now with the geopolitical context of today. An Arab-American actor in the lead was not bring authenticity and understanding to this classic tale of a poor muslim boy who encounters a Jinn but also send a powerful message in cultural diplomacy by having a positive image of a Muslim in pop-culture.

I am appalled and deeply saddened. We are not even allowed to tell our own tales!

Aladdin was actually originally a CHINESE tale.

So stop with they fakery. Always looking for ways to be offended and victimized...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is it. I am done.

Aladdin is a famous tale from the Middle East. Casting an Indian kid in the biggest Western backed retelling of this classic Muslim tale is a slap in the face of the thousands of Muslims worldwide. It was such a pivotal moment in pop culture history, to have this movie be made now with the geopolitical context of today. An Arab-American actor in the lead was not bring authenticity and understanding to this classic tale of a poor muslim boy who encounters a Jinn but also send a powerful message in cultural diplomacy by having a positive image of a Muslim in pop-culture.

I am appalled and deeply saddened. We are not even allowed to tell our own tales!

Nothing is stopping you from directing and producing your own movie.

Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since you are calling it a MUSLIM tale and talking about MUSLIMS worldwide - are you forgetting that India has a larger Muslim population than any Arab country??

Yeah but many Arabs, especially Gulf Arabs, look down on other Muslim people as being inferior Muslim people, and not the preferred chosen ones, like them. There's a tremendous amount of racism and bigotry in Middle Eastern countries towards Muslim immigrants and migrants from elsewhere, but especially the Indian subcontinent.

Wow. That's such bullshit. I'm glad Aziz eats bacon.

Aziz Ansari is an atheist, not Muslim. I mean I guess one might always be connected culturally, but he doesn't consider himself Muslim.

So Muslims want a practicing Muslim from the Middle East to play Aladdin? Nothing else is good enough?

This is getting more and more ludicrous. What about casting an American to play a Brit (or vice-versa)? Is that ok if they're the same race? What about using a Chinese actor to portray someone Japanese (or vice-versa)? Unacceptable? How about having Yul Brynner - a Russian man - play the King of Siam? Who cares????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm a mix of two of the above, and it's so easy for me to tell the difference - in physical features and also dress/attire/mannerisms/etc.

But I also know that for many of my white friends, they honestly can't tell the difference between someone who's South Asian, Arab/ME, Mediterranean-ish (like Greek/Italian), and Hispanic. It's fascinating to see them squirm trying to guess.

It's probably fun for them to see you squirm when they ask you the difference between white people of various nationalities (say, Israeli, British, Russian, Spanish, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why then are Indian actors being considered?

Because white Hollywood can't tell the difference. Hollywood is notoriously color-blind that they can't tell the difference between anything other than European stock.

Would you know the difference between a Scottish person and a Welsh pe Son? A Finnish person sonand a Danish person? German and Dutch?

Didn't think so.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arabs look down on Indians. That's who they keep as indentured servants whom they abuse. Extremely racist.

As far a being Muslim, South Asian Muslims are at the bottom of the totem pole. They are also the servants. This is why Pakistanis try to downplay their Indian ancestry. Practically every one you meet will tell you how they descend from Mohammed.

So I'm not surprised at this "outrage".

So, wait - it's not just white people who are "racist"? Muslims are too? Good to know.

[Anonymous]

At least it's not white people like it usually is because they get to be everybody their Chinese people there black people they are everybody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is it. I am done.

Aladdin is a famous tale from the Middle East. Casting an Indian kid in the biggest Western backed retelling of this classic Muslim tale is a slap in the face of the thousands of Muslims worldwide. It was such a pivotal moment in pop culture history, to have this movie be made now with the geopolitical context of today. An Arab-American actor in the lead was not bring authenticity and understanding to this classic tale of a poor muslim boy who encounters a Jinn but also send a powerful message in cultural diplomacy by having a positive image of a Muslim in pop-culture.

I am appalled and deeply saddened. We are not even allowed to tell our own tales!

Aladdin was actually originally a CHINESE tale.

So stop with they fakery. Always looking for ways to be offended and victimized...

+1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why then are Indian actors being considered?

Because white Hollywood can't tell the difference. Hollywood is notoriously color-blind that they can't tell the difference between anything other than European stock.

Would you know the difference between a Scottish person and a Welsh pe Son? A Finnish person sonand a Danish person? German and Dutch?

Didn't think so.

+1

Different poster here, but both of you would be wrong. Those people you listed look distinctly different from others and I'm not even from those groups.

[Anonymous]

What else is new?
This is what white people do, heck they even insert white people into periods where there were historically not white people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why then are Indian actors being considered?

Because white Hollywood can't tell the difference. Hollywood is notoriously color-blind that they can't tell the difference between anything other than European stock.

Would you know the difference between a Scottish person and a Welsh pe Son? A Finnish person sonand a Danish person? German and Dutch?

Didn't think so.

+1

Different poster here, but both of you would be wrong. Those people you listed look distinctly different from others and I'm not even from those groups.

From a genetic test I've had, Scottish and Welsh genes were lumped in together. German and Dutch genes were the same. But Finnish genes were connected with Northern Russia, while Danish genes were lumped in with the rest of Scandinavia. The point being, you wouldn't tell the difference between a German and Dutch person by looking at them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm a mix of two of the above, and it's so easy for me to tell the difference - in physical features and also dress/attire/mannerisms/etc.

But I also know that for many of my white friends, they honestly can't tell the difference between someone who's South Asian, Arab/ME, Mediterranean-ish (like Greek/Italian), and Hispanic. It's fascinating to see them squirm trying to guess.

It's probably fun for them to see you squirm when they ask you the difference between white people of various nationalities (say, Israeli, British, Russian, Spanish, etc.).

No, because brown people tend to have more tact and don't assume these things about people we don't know (ie, "that Middle Eastern guy" who is actually Indian, or "I think he's Indian" and then later find out he's Italian). I've never in my life tried to discuss people by assumed nationalities, without some obvious factor first - like a language they're speaking. And I can tell the difference between Hebrew, German, Spanish languages being spoken - but to a lot of people, Hindi, Arabic, Farsi, etc -- they all sound pretty much the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:South Asians, Persians and Arabs are distinctly different people with different cultures religions and physical features.

Indians do NOT look Arab. Arabs would be very insulted by that.

I hope Arabs are also offended and insulted every time an Indian person gets killed in this country because the white person that kills them thinks their Arab. And every time an Indian is verbally harassed for being a 'terrorist'.

That has happened A LOT since 9/11.

Please be more vocal with your outrage about how insulted you are by the mix up every time that happens. Please demand they don't ignorantly confuse an Indian for an Arab when they go on a killing spree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I'm a mix of two of the above, and it's so easy for me to tell the difference - in physical features and also dress/attire/mannerisms/etc.

But I also know that for many of my white friends, they honestly can't tell the difference between someone who's South Asian, Arab/ME, Mediterranean-ish (like Greek/Italian), and Hispanic. It's fascinating to see them squirm trying to guess.

It's probably fun for them to see you squirm when they ask you the difference between white people of various nationalities (say, Israeli, British, Russian, Spanish, etc.).

No, because brown people tend to have more tact and don't assume these things about people we don't know (ie, "that Middle Eastern guy" who is actually Indian, or "I think he's Indian" and then later find out he's Italian). I've never in my life tried to discuss people by assumed nationalities, without some obvious factor first - like a language they're speaking. And I can tell the difference between Hebrew, German, Spanish languages being spoken - but to a lot of people, Hindi, Arabic, Farsi, etc -- they all sound pretty much the same.

I grew up Italian in a mostly Lebanese neighborhood. My mother, who's quite dark, was often asked by the Lebanese women if she's from Lebanon. Just an anecdote. Maybe they were confused by blonde-headed me.

[Anonymous]

Antonio Banderas has played an Arab, a Mexican, a Chilean, a Spaniard and an American. Do people have a problem with that?