The question, as the film reaps well-earned praise, is whether it contributes to a way out.Yes thanks for clearing up the prompt. Zootropolis exposes this American paradox. Donald Trump is both a symptom of and contributor to that poisonous discourse. Fed by the War on Terror and by media outlets largely based on polarising opinion rather than engaging in discussion, the language of fear and hatred surges in intensity. It is precisely because of the advances in some areas that the regression in the political arena is so stark. The end of the Cold War did not bring peace, with “victory” soon dissolving into renewed race tensions, from the 1992 Los Angeles unrest to the OJ Simpson trial.īut 2016 is not just more of the same. Any ordinary American was a potential communist, providing the perfect excuse to hold back civil rights and to blacklist progressives. US progress in the 20th century was accompanied by the Red Scare. Women are portrayed as hysterical hostages to their biology, or become sexualised props in the battle between politicians. Hispanic Americans are caught up in the furore over “immigrants” flooding the US because there is no wall with Mexico. Overt racism is frowned upon, but police shoot unarmed black men and income inequality maintains fear and division. So even as some American Muslim communities are hailed as examples of harmony by the government, politicians such as Trump still find space to blackmark all Muslims as troublesome. US culture celebrates diversity of lifestyle and background within a shared American experience.īut at the same time, the country is riven with the discourse of hatred. A woman is running for the highest office in the land. So do Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and people from other ethnic backgrounds. An African American is president, and many others hold high office. Last year, the Supreme Court made the historic decision to legalise same-sex marriage. The US is not just a country of social progress or of social animosity – it is both. The timing of Zootropolis’ release illuminates the American paradox. No one is immune to the whipped-up threat to community. The resolution doesn’t negate the suspicion and fear. The crisis in Zootropolis passes, the furry and fanged find peace again, the villains get their just deserts. Of course, Zootropolis does not end there, with traumatised children and worried parents exiting the cinema. It doesn’t even have to be someone with bad intentions – even innocent and well-meaning citizens, citizens such as Judy Hopps, can cause serious damage by carelessly recycling the language of the “primitive”. We’re reminded that it is not just a Trump-ist politician or an evil genius who can incite conflict, splitting neighbours and partners. Panicked reporters ask if this means savagery will break out across Zootropolis – and Judy’s friendship with Nick Wilde breaks down as she stumbles further into the politics of “us v them”. In one of the film’s turning points, Officer Judy Hopps, now a hero, extemporises at a press conference that predators might be acting from “biology”, as they revert to primeval instincts. Indeed, the film is far more effective because its message is not just for The Donald and his supporters – it is a challenge to the American public as a whole. This is not a direct response to the politics of Donald Trump, as Zootropolis was in production long before the businessman announced his presidential candidacy. Sloth-paced administration is the least of this town’s problems. Soon, there are demands for all predators to be rounded up. TV channels break news of the latest attacks by predator on prey and prey on predator. A mother pulls her child closer when a lion sits down next to them on the subway. Workers cast worried glances at each other. All it takes is a malicious catalyst to destroy the delicate truce between the “prey”, who make up 90% of the Zootropolis population, and the “predators”.Īnd right on cue a power-hungry politician turns a series of disappearances into a climate of division and fear. This is far from a settled ascendancy, though. It’s not a sugary-sweet melting pot – Nick Wilde the fox is still a con-man, and rabbit police officer Judy Hopps must overcome discrimination – but Zootropolis is proof of America’s ascendancy over a “natural” state of conflict and aggression. All species, from the smallest to the largest, herbivore and carnivore, domesticated and formerly wild, live in harmony. Zootropolis is a mega-city where citizens live an animal American dream.
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