POOR DONALD DUCK’

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32777, 30 November 1971, Page 6

POOR DONALD DUCK’

(By

STEPHEN CROALL.

N-Z.P.A.-Reuter correspondent.)

STOCKHOLM, November 29.

Donald Duck is a vic|tim of cruel circumstance and stuck in a capitalist strait-jacket.

This is the conclusion of a group of 15-year-old Swedish children who have just subjected Walt Disney’s famous comic strips to a close analysis as part of a school study project. Such studies—analysis of pictures, their purpose and their effect—were introduced into the State curriculum two years ago by the Prime Minister (Mr Olaf Palme), then the country’s Minister of Education.

INFLUENCE ON VALUES The 15-year-olds at Edsberghdate comprehensive school, in Stockholm, mainly girls, began their project last year. They chose the popular Disney character because “he is the number one media figure for children-and therefore his values influence theirs,” said the class teacher, Mrs Britta Norvi. She said that 280,000 Donald Duck comics were sold in Sweden every two weeks. The annual world circulation of all Walt Disney comics was 250 million. The pupils did all the research themselves and came to their own conclusions. “They, went into this without knowing what they would find,” said the teacher. COMPLAINT TO DISNEY What the children found resulted in a two-week exhibition at their school, which was shown on television. They now intend to write a letter of complaint to Walt Disney Productions in the United States, because they think the publishers do not realise the effect of their eomics.

“Almost every story revolves around money. It is made to appear by far the most important thing in life,” said Carolina Adersson, one of the pupils. “Uncle Scrooge, who has all the money, controls

everyone’s lives. Everyone obeys him. He bribes and blackmails people, but he always has the law on his side,” she added. Another member of the class, Stefan Bergstroem, said that Donald Duck was a “middle-class Mr Smith, whom everyone exploited. He is a prisoner. He is oppressed by Uncle Scrooge, but he does not dare stand up to him because he is going to inherit all his money.” 'TYPICAL CAPITALIST” He said that Uncle Scrooge —who is called Joakim Von Anka in the Swedish comic version—was a typical capitalist, with mining interests in what resembled developing countries. A third pupil, Claes-Goeran Danielsson, said that the comic series projected materialistic and bigoted values.

“It is a bit frightening when you think how many children read it.” Prominent in the exhibition was a strip from a recent comic showing Aunt Clara Duck with a shotgun glaring at two American Indians scampering across her broccoli patch.

She shouts: “There is a moment in everyone’s life when one must stand up and defend what one has,” before rushing over the patch shooting at the Indians. “What is she defending? Her broccoli. ‘ But she runs across it herself, shooting a gun,” he said. “Her broccoli is' worth more to her than two Indian lives.” “PRIMITIVE SAVAGES”

The group also was upset by what it described as the constant portrayal of black people as primitive savages, with thick White lips and grass skirts. "Lots of Scandinavian children have never seen a real black man. But they read this and see Donald Duck being hurt by two blacks. They love Donald because they feel sorry for him, so how do they feel about blacks?” asked ClaesGoeran.