Letter: What children can learn from Disney

Sir: 'The wonderful world of Disney subversion' (27 July) disingenuously says, 'Disney's film has been accused . . . of racism (because the villain's mane is black)'. Your Los Angeles correspondent explains in the same issue that the cartoon's anti-social hyenas speak black American jargon.

In countries (including the UK) where equating 'young urban black' with 'delinquent/criminal' is too often a reflex, such an association is unhelpful to your self-respect and your neighbour's attitude if you are a young urban black.

The issue is not whether labels such as 'racist' or 'tasteless' can be made to stick, but one of responsibility: entertainment, like art, deals in near-subliminal connections, and Disney is a global cultural influence.

Yours faithfully,

GILES HEDLEY

Leighton Buzzard,

Bedfordshire

27 July