A school teacher in the U.K. has released a lesson plan that calls out Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" for promoting domestic violence. The said lesson plan was meant to be taught to school kids from the ages of 11 years old to 16 years old for the topic "Racism/Sexism in Disney."
According to Telegraph, the teacher uploaded the material online for students and other teachers to download. It has already received 11,000 views, as of press time. The public reaction to the lesson plan has caused a controversy in the U.K. that even politicians aired out their sentiments.
In the document, the teacher splices the 1991 Disney animated classic. It stated that while Beast did not attack Belle in "Beauty and the Beast," he sowed threats of violence against her. The teacher also said that the movie's message is that "it is the woman's fault if her man abuses her."
Tory MP Phil Davies, however, said the lesson plan is riddled with "politically correct claptrap." He cited that parents won't likely want these kids be brainwashed by the lesson plan and urged the government to take action. An education advocate, Chris McGovern of Campaign for Real Education, also said that the "Beauty and the Beast" lesson plan is "an ignorant, insidious and covert attack on family values and on the ancient wisdom of fairy tales."
Pupils taught Disney fairy tales promote sexism and domestic violence in lesson planhttps://t.co/fxepM3Ladb
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 20, 2016
The U.K.'s Department of Education, however, stated that they lead it up to the schools and its teachers to decide on the materials they present to students. Sometimes, this necessitates a consultation with parents but ultimately it's the teachers who will decide based on a wealth of materials and resources.
Meanwhile, Disney also responded to the "Beauty and the Beast" controversy with a statement saying that the film has always been a relatable story for all ages. "Beauty and the Beast" live-action star Emma Watson said in a previous interview that they changed Belle's back story for the upcoming film to reflect a feminist character.
In this new version, the princess has a career as an inventor. It was put into the story upon the insistence of the actress, who is a staunch advocate of women's rights and gender equality, to rewrite Belle, L.A. Mag noted.
