994

There is a stranger internal logic to a lot of the early disney movies, especially Cinderella, where it is required by the story that she is secretly already of a higher class. Her wealthy parents died and her stepmother stole the estate, and forced her to work. If, of course, she were simply born as a member of the working class and employed as a maid, then it would have been perfect correct to tell her that she can't go to the ball. It would have been correct to make her do the chores. The story is always resolved when through the magic of true love and the magic of magic, the princess once again is returned to her rightful place within the ruling class.

We can of course imagine another version of these stories, where princesses like Jasmine, Cinderella, or even Snow White, when they live among the working class feel the injustice not that they personally are brought low, but that everyone is. They would feel solidarity for everyone not born rich, rather than disdain that they had to be counted among them. And in the immortal words of Eugene Debs they would say "when I rise it will be with the ranks, and not from the ranks". And then I guess they would stab the prince in the face or something, I don't know, I haven't really thought it all out.

Something tells me the billionaires that run Disney wouldn't like my pitch though.