Little White Bull is a song which (I've just learned) comes from the 1959 film 'Tommy the Toreador'. The song is about, guess what, a little white bull. On account of being white, he is not allowed to fight in the bullring, and is called a coward by the other bulls: only black bulls fight. He complains to his mother and asks if he'll ever turn black, to which she tells him that he's special and to stop asking why he isn't black. One day he charges into town, and the people find him charming. He continues charging into the bullring, and goes toward the toreador. The crowd laugh delightedly, and the toreador announces that this little bull is brave and will be the best in Spain.
I've not seen the film, so I don't know the context of this song. I imagine that it's message is that the one who is bullied for being different can be special and accepted by the right group. The message I gained from this song can be summed up in one word: racism.
Let me explain. The black bulls are the only ones who fight: white bulls would never do such a thing. Black bulls bully and insult weaker bulls. On seeing a white bull, the townspeople instantly love him and adopt him as their own: would they do this to a black bull? When the toreador sees the white bull, he immediately praises him and announces that he will be the best in the country, without seeing much of his ability. Job performance is therefore based in this song on race, not on ability. Negative message #1: White = superior.
The white bull's mother scolds him for asking why he's not black. Is she trying to hide the paternity of her child? Is she ashamed of having fathered a child with somebody outside of her race, as is implied? Should each race mate with just their own kind? Negative message #2: It's shameful to mate outside of your own race. Children shouldn't ask after their missing father.
Positive message: The one who you expect the least from can be the best.
Negative messages: Race is the only thing that matters in terms of being liked and for job performance, black characters are bullies, white characters are never violent, mixed-race relationships are wrong, and never ask who your father is.
I've not seen the film, so I don't know the context of this song. I imagine that it's message is that the one who is bullied for being different can be special and accepted by the right group. The message I gained from this song can be summed up in one word: racism.
Let me explain. The black bulls are the only ones who fight: white bulls would never do such a thing. Black bulls bully and insult weaker bulls. On seeing a white bull, the townspeople instantly love him and adopt him as their own: would they do this to a black bull? When the toreador sees the white bull, he immediately praises him and announces that he will be the best in the country, without seeing much of his ability. Job performance is therefore based in this song on race, not on ability. Negative message #1: White = superior.
The white bull's mother scolds him for asking why he's not black. Is she trying to hide the paternity of her child? Is she ashamed of having fathered a child with somebody outside of her race, as is implied? Should each race mate with just their own kind? Negative message #2: It's shameful to mate outside of your own race. Children shouldn't ask after their missing father.
Positive message: The one who you expect the least from can be the best.
Negative messages: Race is the only thing that matters in terms of being liked and for job performance, black characters are bullies, white characters are never violent, mixed-race relationships are wrong, and never ask who your father is.
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