Of Beauty, Beasts, and Clowns

If most of us agree Disney movies are an accurate reflection of society, I have to wonder what their latest animated feature, “The Beauty and the Beast,” tells us about ourselves.

The movie garnered almost universal acclaim, even being honored with a "Best Picture" nomination at this year's Academy Awards. Much of the praise was deserved; the animation was wonderful, the music hummable and the story likable- to a degree. My only gripe was with the ending which betrayed the message of the rest of the movie.

The moral of the "Beauty and the Beast" was beauty comes from within, outward appearances don't account for what is truly beautiful. The movie mostly succeeded in delivering its message in a poignant way. (Personal aside: I saw the movie after enduring a relationship which blossomed over the phone but disintegrated when we met and actually saw one and other. Just one more time, life imitates art.) Why then did the Beast have to be transformed into a “handsome” prince at the end? Didn’t that distort the message into something like “What’s inside is important but it doesn’t hurt to be good looking too?” (Although my niece was one of many to point out the Beast was far cuter than the vain prince at the end.)

We in the retail business can probably relate. We all know often times the way. the product looks is more important than the content itself. Which also brings to mind the recent series of "news" stories which plotted the numerous clown sightings throughout the northern suburbs. The way the sightings were reported bordered on paranoia which played on the fears of parents concerned for their children's safety {this occurred around the time of the disappearance of Corrine Erstad) and members of the professional clown union. No fake clown was arrested, none was charged with any crime other than dressing silly enough to gain attention and impersonating "real"
clowns giving that group a bad name. To add to the surreal nature of the story, at the same time "Shakes the Clown" played at the Uptown theatre, (as reported in this newsletter).

The hysteria raised the question -does any kid find clowns to be the least bit amusing? Most I know are suspicious of not being able to see behind the mask. It’s not until we are mature and wise do we realize the value of not being able to see what is really there. We all saw the Rodney King video tape. We were told what we saw wasn’t what really happened. The chaos that followed was caused by those who lacked the depth to see beneath the surface. Beauty being only skin deep.

The writer of an unpublished novel once wrote, "Sometimes a vision problem can’t be solved with a new pair of glasses. Sometimes it’s a matter of knowing how and when to look at things.” That same writer might now think differently. Maybe it is time for us to get a collective eye exam with a new prescription. The focus grows fuzzier and fuzzier. We are in the midst of a Presidential campaign (the ultimate beauty pageant) and we seem to think with the Disney philosophy, maybe if we close our eyes, things will work out. Maybe our choices can transform into something aesthetically pleasing. In the end, that seems good enough for us.