Political commentator roasted for saying Black 'Little Mermaid' doesn't match up with 'science'
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Conservative political commentator Matt Walsh has been absolutely panned after saying that The Little Mermaid doesn’t make sense ‘scientifically’.
The American right-wing political commentator recently gave his two cents - that no one asked for - about the upcoming Disney live-action version of The Little Mermaid.
According to Walsh, it doesn’t make sense for Halle Bailey, an African-American actor, to play Ariel, as sea creatures should have ‘pale, translucent skin'.
It also doesn’t make sense for a half-woman half-fish creature to sing underwater, but here we are Matt.
While speaking on The Daily Wire’s The Matt Walsh Show, he said: “With The Little Mermaid, can we also mention that, from a scientific perspective, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to have someone with darker skin who lives deep in the ocean.
Daily Wire host says it is unscientific to cast a Black person as a mermaid: “From a scientific perspective, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have someone with darker skin who lives deep in the ocean”https://t.co/0tnbMQbC2t pic.twitter.com/VxALDQTjOi
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) September 14, 2022
“If anything, not only should The Little Mermaid be pale, she should, actually, be translucent. If you look at deep-sea creatures, they’re translucent. They have no kind of pigmentation whatsoever.”
He added: “They look like skeletons floating around in the ocean.
“That’s what The Little Mermaid should look like. She should be totally pale and skeletal where you can see her skull through her face. And that would actually be a version of The Little Mermaid I would watch.”
Sorry, next time we’ll see if Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas is available for the role.
Walsh’s remarks sparked a furious debate online, with many criticising the commentator for his ignorance.
One person wrote: “Some of you didn’t even pass high school biology so idk why you’re suddenly worried about things being scientifically inaccurate but alright.”
some of you didn’t even pass high school biology so idk why you’re suddenly worried about things being scientifically inaccurate but alright https://t.co/fVkFVUEMXO
— suri (@suricidal) September 15, 2022
Another commented: “Racists arguing that a completely fictional Disney character couldn't be black because ‘science’. I'm not sure who I hate more, pedants or racists." They then added: “It's racist.”
A third person shared: “It is unscientific to cast a white person as Jesus.”
Can you imagine going through the joy and pain of having a child, feeding him, staying up at night and comforting him, teaching him how to read and try new foods...
— Ramit Sethi (@ramit) September 15, 2022
...and then you discover he turned out like this? https://t.co/pISDAa84kl
While another said: “From a scientific perspective, it makes a lot of sense for a person to have dark skin if they're gonna live in that much water and still look good when they come out of the ocean... because black doesn't crack. :)”
But despite Walsh’s statements, young Black girls reacting to the Disney trailer have gone viral, with many marvelling over the R'n'B singer portraying the princess.
One video shows a girl named Maya beaming while watching the teaser.
Towards the end of the trailer, the stunned girl yells out ‘Mummy’ to which she responds, ‘I know right’.
Representation matters, people.
