the problem with calling khalil “aladdin”

adreus:

So at clairvoyantxatu​’s suggestion, here’s something more detailed and less spiteful about why the joke isn’t funny.

Here’s a secret you might not know about Aladdin: some scholars of The Arabian Nights don’t even think it’s a middle eastern story. It first appeared in a French “translation” of the work, and Aladdin was Chinese. White man creates “Arabic” story about “Chinese” boy. I’m not saying this is problematic and to condemn it or anything—I like to claim Aladdin as the Disney film closest to me, because the only other option I have is The Jungle Book, and it’s a good movie—it’s just something to think about.

Anyway, the Disney version of Aladdin is set in Agrabah, a fictional Arabian sultanate associated somehow with the Jordan River.

Now here’s something you might not realize about Khalil: he’s not Arab. He’s not an ambiguously middle eastern/brown-skinned boy.

He’s from LDS’s Anatolia branch, and Anatolia, if you google it, is modern day Turkey. His clothing may remind you of Disney’s Aladdin, but even if it had a hand in popularizing them for Millennials, Aladdin didn’t invent a vest or a fez or his pants, and it didn’t invent genies or lamps, either. They’re different cultures, different locations, speak different tongues. 

The jump is quick and easy to make. It’s understandable. But it’s a matter of being sensitive. Please think about your comparisons: a joke might be fun the first time around, but by consistently calling Khalil “Aladdin” and opting to make it permanent through a ship name, you’re basically saying there’s no difference between a Turkish character and an Arab one.

I’m not here for that. I’d like to think the designers of the show aren’t either, but I have no way of knowing for sure. Either way, we should be sensitive.

Now how come I’m not anywhere near as bothered by Olga and the Frozen reference?

Because all we know about her is she’s Nordic. And so are Anna and Elsa.