The age rating for 1964’s “Mary Poppins” has been increased in the U.K. due to “discriminatory language.” Here we go, again … These ratings boards are going to be very busy these next few years by trying to reclassify all of the old movies up to today’s standards. Where does it stop?
On Friday, the British Board of Film Classification upped the Disney movie’s cinema rating from U, meaning it contained “no material likely to offend or harm,” to PG for “discriminatory language.”
This has to do with ‘Poppins’ using the discriminatory term ‘hottentots’ twice in the film. The word is a “racially insensitive” term for an indigenous group in South Africa. The word is used in the film by Admiral Boom (Reginald Owen), including when referring to the chimney sweeps whose faces are covered in black powdery substance.
Here’s BBFC spokesperson trying to explain their train of thought in applying the PG rating …
We understand from our racism and discrimination research, and recent classification guidelines research, that a key concern for people, parents in particular, is the potential to expose children to discriminatory language or behavior which they may find distressing or repeat without realizing the potential offense. Some language or behaviors are therefore not permitted at U or PG in any circumstance, or are wholly dependent on context.
So, it’s not “Mary Poppins” encouraging kids to down a “spoonful of sugar”, but, rather, a joke about a fairly unknown tribe that got the rating upped. Wouldn’t you need to have a masters degree in colonialism to understand the joke anyways.
“The Wizard of Oz” might be the next target of the Brits. The same word (“Hottentot”) is used by the cowardly lion in the song “If I Were King of the Forest.” A lyric in the song goes “Courage. What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in ape-ricot? Whatta they got that I ain't got?”
Ironically, what the BBFC have now done is made the word “hottentot” trend on social media, which could have been avoided had they just let this one go and continued to not have a single person pay attention to its existence. Now you have an inordinate amount of articles about this word and the rating change.