Happy happy happy (non PC) Song for you

 Depressed? 

Turn up speakers and sing:

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- I always thought that the mixture of cartoon characters and live action started in Mary Poppins, but apparently it was in this film, back in 1947.

the film is almost banned due to the racist stereotypes, but you can find it here.

Ironically, the tales told by Uncle Remus were based on African folk tales.

Brer Rabbit was a "trickster" character, an archetype found in many folk tales in West Africa

Some scholars suggest that the tales were popular because it shows how a powerless person can get back on the ones who harmed him, or as Wikipedia notes:

Some scholars have suggested that in his American incarnation, Br'er Rabbit represented the enslaved Africans who used their wits to overcome adversity and to exact revenge on their adversaries,

Tricksters can be evil, but most are a mixture of good and evil.

The reason the god Loki is in some ways more popular than Thor (who had trickster elements in Norse mythology but became a good guy in the comics) is that Loki is an evil lying SOB but sometimes he is the only one who can save the earth.

DiviantArt webpage discusses the modern tricksters....quoting contributor WaConnor as saying that in the past, tricksters sowed chaos to help society advance, but nowadays, they are the ones who rebel against society to regain individual freedom. 

Tricksters are often heroes who use their wit to win: as in Ulysses and the Trojan horse, or in today's pop culture, Captain Kirk, who resemble Ulysses in his romances and wit and ability to get out of hopeless situations by original thinking:

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In the past, children were taught folk tales, including tales in the Bible or the myths of Greek literature. Are they still taught in school? Percy Jackson has introcduced many kids to Greek and Roman mythology, but so far no one outside of staid Christian publishing has bothered to romanticize the stories of Sampson or David vs Goliath, or retold some of the stories that Jesus told to the delight of his listeners. (Render to Caesar is not just good political advice, but it was also an example of using wit to not be trapped by a question where yes and no would have gotten him into trouble).

Such stories seem to be fantasy, but often carry lessons to remind people of reality.

 For example, am I the only one to think that the story of tar baby is a warning to politicians who want to get countries involved in war, thinking it will be an easy win? 

and of course, the modern day equivalet of the trickster is Trumpie boy, who has been attacked by all and sundry plots, yet his enemies find he is tarbaby and only get themselves in trouble as their lies and plans finally are being noticed.

 the next plan is for the J6 committee to force Trumpieboy to testify: and he will, but only if it is televised. 

 Hmmm... a guy who starred in a reality TV show for a couple years testifying before dull self-righteous politicians. What could go wrong?

Uhhh oh...