Oh My Word‪!‬ Oh My Word!

THE LIE OF TRUE LOVE

In chasing the lie of “true love”, we’ve left actual values behind.



Disney’s lost a lot of money. Critics, commentators, and consumers point to the woke-ification of content, including the recent fiasco of their race-swapped Snow White, who doesn’t seem to like the character, and her seven persons of non-dwarfism. The general reaction to their long string of remakes-no-one-asked-for has been a continual lowering of interest and approval. On Disney’s hundredth anniversary, Daily Wire launched Bentkey, a kid-friendly entertainment platform, which included a teaser for a live action Snow White remake. It’s plausible their version of the princess, however it’ll be told, will align with stories more familiar to Disney of old.



While the old Disney was cleaner and less overtly political, was it truly better? What exactly were old Disney stories about?



Focus on the fairy tales, the ones with charming princes and picturesque princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Little Mermaid, et al, shined and primed for happily ever after. Although there’s enough to philosophize over in terms of heroes and curses and saviors and good versus evil, consider these fairy tales’ origins. The princesses Disney built their magic kingdom upon aren’t only pulled from the Grimm brothers, as many are centuries old with variations across cultures. Unlike what Disney’s careful scrubbing would have you believe, most of these stories are not just about romance.



Old Disney may have done a good job cleaning up stories and creating a magical brand with happy promises of ever after, but they also left out a lot along the way. Ironically, previous criticisms of Disney included accusations of “princessifying” young girls and luring them with unrealistic expectations of heroic princes and perfect endings.



Consider The Little Mermaid, written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837. Disney animated a story about a glimpse, a voice in a storm, and the transcendence of “true love” over ocean and land. Andersen, however, wrote a religious story about a glimpse, an obsession, and a mermaid desirous to be human and obtain an everlasting soul. That mermaid did not wed her prince.



Early versions of Beauty and the Beast highlight love but not the panacea of “true love” powerful enough to break curses. Central themes include goodness, kindness, and looking beyond an ugly exterior. The German Snow White wasn’t either awakened by magical “true love’s kiss” but a stumbling servant who inadvertently dislodged the piece of apple choking her. Moreover, the happy ending is overshadowed by far more powerful warnings against vanity and envy. Sleeping Beauty has differing origins from her awakening while birthing twins she was impregnated with when her rescuer raped her in her sleep to an ogress mother-in-law who wanted to eat her kids. Hardly the material happily ever after is made of.



There’s not much controversy over Disney deleting inappropriate scenes, removing the ugly and morbid to better serve a wholesome family setting. There’s no question that some parts are better left out in telling these stories to children. Yet, in doing so, what message was singled out for the foundation of the magic kingdom?



True love is timeless. True love is all you need. True love conquers all…except the divorce rate.



Remember the climactic battle at the end of Wonder Woman, when she finally, finally overcomes the villain, finding strength in the most eternal and positive belief in mankind…goodness…sacrifice? Nope, love! And Superman is mocked for his boy scout adherence to truth, justice, and the American Way. His credo may be idealistic, but it certainly provides a better compass for humanity.



Over the last several decades, the bulk of stories across formats have incessantly hammered the supposedly uni...

BONUS! Episode of Oh My Word! Podcast, also a farewell-wrap up episode.

Who know what will be, but the podcast is going on long-term hiatus. All episodes will still be available across listening platforms.

Oh My Word! began three years ago in a "basement" hideaway for pearl clutchers, and over two hundred episodes later has been honored to host all sorts of wonderful guests from across the book world.

Thank you to our guests for joining us, thank you to our listeners, thank you to all who encouraged, recommended, or had any part in making this podcast the pearl that it is!

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BONUS! Episode featuring author and publisher Katie Otey!

Katie shares about how her love of books and humor eventually led to becoming an author and publisher of all sorts of books!

Find out more about Katie Otey at https://www.phoenixmediaandbooks.com.

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BONUS! Episode featuring author Heidi McCahan!

Heidi shares her path to publication, particularly writing under Harlequin's Love Inspired imprint, writing inspirational romance, writing a mini series, internal conflict, and more, PLUS, a birthday surprise!

Find out more about Heidi McCahan at https://heidimccahan.com

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BONUS EPISODE! Host and author E. L. Tenenbaum goes behind the scenes of her book Shadow & Crown to talk about the story behind the story, structure, character development, and more!

Shadow & Crown is the first book in the Royal & Piper trilogy, based on the legend of the Pied Piper.

https://www.eltenenbaum.com/portfolio/shadow-crown

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BONUS! Episode featuring short story "No One to See" by E. L. Tenenbaum!

For those who do good, even if they don't look the part. For those who do good, even if there is no one there to see.

Read the story in full at www.ELTenenbaum.com/episode-extra-32-no-one-to-see-e-l-tenenbaum

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