Racial Slur in the Movie "Mary Poppins"

If you intend to show your child "Mary Poppins", the movie of your childhood, it is necessary to know that it is no longer suitable for all ages!

"Mary Poppins," filmed in 1964, the popular musical starring screen legends Julie Andrews as Mary and Dick Van Dyck as Bert the chimney sweep, has been re-rated as PG, a movie that can be watched by children only with parental supervision, that is, it is not suitable for all ages as it has been since its existence.

Because of this decision, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) received 56 out of a total of 224 for this film alone!

Why?

It's all the fault of Admiral Boom, played by Reginald Owen, who utters the word "Hottentots" twice. It is a Dutch term with racial connotations used in the 17th century by white Europeans to describe the Koikoi, the nomadic indigenous people of South Africa.

In one scene, Boone is hanging from the roof and asks if any of the Banks kids are going to "fight" them. He later mentions the Hottentots to describe chimney sweeps with soot-stained faces, claiming that they "attack" people.

According to the BBFC report, "two uses of the discriminatory term 'Hottentots' have not been criticized or condemned, increasing the risk that very young viewers may repeat it without realizing the potential offence."

Appeals against this decision sought to keep the film's rating unchanged because, although the term is offensive, it is considered outdated and appears in other films.

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