Latest Political Correctness Target: A Disney Classic About Talking Animals
In their crusade for political correctness, liberals have started attacking Disney’s “The Lion King” for using the phrase “Hakuna Matata.”
Over 150,000 people have signed a petition created by Zimbabwean activist Shelton Mpala who claimed that Disney robbed the Swahili people of the phrase “Hakuna Matata.”
“Hakuna Matata has been used by most Kiswahili-speaking countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” Mpala prefaced.
The creator of the petition went on to claim that Disney trademarked the now-popular phrase.
“Disney can’t be allowed to trademark something that it didn’t invent,” Mpala said.
Mpala also claimed that Disney’s usage and alleged trademark of the term is an “assault on the Swahili people.”
“The term ‘Hakuna Matata’ is not a Disney creation hence not an infringement on intellectual or creative property, but an assault on the Swahili people and Africa as a whole,” Mpala wrote.
This isn’t the first time the left has tried to attack a classic Disney movie over petty politically correct concerns.
Liberals attacked Disney’s “Snow White” because Prince Charming didn’t ask for consent before he saved Snow White’s life with a kiss.
Liberals also attacked a musical performance of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” over similar “consent” concerns.
However, the outrage over the “Hakuna Matata” phrase might be even more ridiculous than other crusades for political correctness because the outrage stems from a misunderstanding.
In 1994, Disney trademarked the term “Hakuna Matata” only in relation to “The Lion King” material, a Disney spokesperson told CNBC.
The spokesperson specified that the trademark doesn’t stop people from using the phrase and it only applies to t-shirts.
For example, someone is free to make a “Hakuna Matata” t-shirt as long as it doesn’t include material from the famous Disney franchise.
In other words, liberals are outraged over a trademark filed over 20 years ago which only serves to combat bootleg “The Lion King” t-shirts.
This entire outrage is completely meaningless and misguided. The Disney classic didn’t “assault” Africa at all. In fact, I’d wager that the movie made people more interested in Africa.
Liberals can’t help themselves — they just have to ruin everything with their PC agenda.
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