Thursday, September 10, 2015


"Dwarf" is a bad word

A theatre has come under fire after scrapping the word 'dwarf' from its Snow White pantomime - claiming the term is too offensive.

De Monfort Hall in Leicester has instead renamed their Christmas production 'Snow White and her Seven Friends', claiming the audience would 'not feel comfortable' with the term 'dwarf.'

It means the characters of Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sneezy and Sleepy are now going to be played by child actors in the children's classic.

Harry Potter and Star Wars actor Warwick Davies has since branded the decision 'patronising'.  The 45-year-old, who set up an agency representing short actors in the UK, believes the move is financially motivated - as dwarf actors can be expensive.

He said: 'Personally, I find it quite patronising when people are offended on our behalf.  'I'm sure there are those out there who don't like the term, but as a short actor I want to be given the choice about whether I appear in panto or not.  'I don't want someone making that decision for me.

'It loses something if you don't have Snow White's dwarves. I've been in a lot of pantos and I don't think it's offensive at all.

'The excuse of 'people' being uncomfortable is a poor one - I doubt they've questioned the audience about whether or not they think the word dwarf is offensive.

SOURCE


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Human of a Non-specific Gender Indentification and the 7 Shorter than Statistically Average Beings." There I fixed it.

Anonymous said...

"and her seven friends" is so clumsy, and could even imply a sexual or dubious relationship. If it has to be changed, then, as the dwarfs were miners (ie. undergound workers, whether or not some were actual minors), why not something like "Snow White and the Seven Miners". But maybe "Snow White" could be construed as racist!!!!

Anonymous said...

Unintended consequences anyone? Put the short actors out of work because someone, somewhere, might get their feelings hurt.

Bird of Paradise said...

Hmm lets see SNOWHITE AND THE SEVEN LITTLE DUMINITIVE MEN

Alpha Skua said...

Megililo Loveless the villian from THE WILD WILD WEST play by midget actor Micheal Dunn

Anonymous said...

The odds are it has more to do with the availability of small stature actors or the cost of same than the stated cause.

MDH

Anonymous said...

Leftists getting their knickers twisted on behalf of others without consultation as usual. I have to laugh at how such false offendedness has backfired on the Dems with Black Lives Matter.

Seasick Seagull said...

Whiny liberals are never happy always something to whine about