am i being oversensitive?

i know it seems like i've been talking a lot of about hawaii lately, and it might be because i'm homesick (and strangely touchy), but i just couldn't not write about this.

a few months ago, i posted the trailer of what was then a movie tentatively called, "princess ka'iulani."  the movie depicts the life of one of hawaii's beloved figures, a young, beautiful, incredibly intelligent woman who lived through the overthrow of her house and her country before dying at the age of 23. 

my initial thoughts on the movie were that, though i didn't wholly appreciate the addition of a romance to a history in which that romance didn't exist, i understood the need to make it appeal to people who don't have a vested interest in hawaii.

however, what i can in no way, shape or form understand is the need to officially title the movie, "barbarian princess," in order to make that same audience better connect to the film.

does this look like a barbarian princess to anyone?

from what i've read, the producers didn't mean to be insulting (and are perhaps even a little surpised that the title is being taken as an insult?).  they simply wanted to point out the irony of the name, "barbarian princess," since that's what american tabloids were calling ka'iulani while she traveled to washington d.c. to lobby congress, and she was anything but.  one news story evens quotes someone as saying something as insensitive as, "it's only a title."

okay.

how about this: the next time some film comes out about slavery, a film like "roots," we name it something like "them niggers."  i mean, yes, of course african americans are nothing near what the connotation of that name implies, but after all, it's just a title.  and this way everyone will see the irony of it, right?  is that okay? 

no, it's definitely not okay.  because it's insulting, insensitive, racist, ignorant, and just plain stupid.

same goes here.

it just seems like common sense that this title would upset a lot of people.  and it does.  i'm obviously one of them.

it's nice to know how far we haven't come as a respectful society.

for more on the movie (which debuted this past weekened on ka'iulani's birthday and at the hawaii international film festival) and it's controversial name, see here.