As I read through "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us" by Linda Christensen, it was really hard for me to pick a side. I have a sick obsession with Disney. It's actually a problem, I probably have more Disney stuffed animals than your average five year old..oops. As much as I love Disney now, I also loved it when I was little too. I grew up watching Disney shows and movies. I knew that the stories weren't real, they were just something called "fairy tales". But it never occurred to me that there would be some kind of "secret education" behind it all. I also know that when I was little, I was focusing on the princesses finding their prince charmings, not trying to figure out about some "secret education" that might be behind the scenes.
After I read Christensen's piece and formed my own opinion, I decided to take a look at other people's views. I wasn't sure whether I agreed or not with what she was saying, but thankfully I wasn't the only one who felt this way. After I read other people's blogs and comments, I realized that other people felt the same way I did. Alicia's blog stood out to me, especially because she took information from Nicole's blog so I could reflect off both of their opinions. Alicia pulled out a quote from Nicole's blog which I also liked. The quote is "After taking this class you are forced to see things that shape society and you as a individual, when in reality you’re not really an individual at all... All in all though, you determine what you want yourself to see, if you want to remain ignorant or accept awareness of these things." Like Alicia did, I highly agree with this quote. Nicole is right, we are forced to see things in society that maybe we didn't notice much before we took this class. I like the part where she says "When in reality you're not really an individual at all". Nicole is right in this statement because most people do what is considered "the norm". Not many people will be a leader and do or portray something different in this society, mostly because I think they are scared of how society might view them. Going back to Alicia's blog, she says that "they are looking into it way too much". I completely agree with Alicia, especially because children do not even notice things like this until their much older and go through life. I'm sure Alicia's daughter isn't watching Cinderella thinking "Why isn't she a black princess?" Kids watch these shows and movies for entertainment, not to try to figure out the secrets behind the scenes.
I still can't really decide if i agree or disagree with this article, but I think I am leaning more towards disagree. I would love to know other people's opinions. Did any Disney shows or movies affect your views on society today? If so, what movie/shows and why? On a positive note, in 2009 I think society does see this issue because they release the film "Princess and The Frog", which has an African American princess and she is portrayed as the main character.
Hi Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you; Disney movies will always be the #1 cartoon on my list. Children are innocent and watch them for enjoyment and to extend their creativity. Its the adults that are analyzing them. Disney movies DO NOT affect my views of society. Sometimes people look for flaws in things people enjoy in order to find an explanation as to why people think a certain way. However, people that are living today choose how they act and treat people. They are taught right from wrong and about social equality. Then they have the choice to act accordingly. Though it is true that media can influence people in negative way, Disney movies do not unless people choose to look at them from a biased point of view.
I totally agree with you Alyssa, I think this article is crazy! Children are not analyzing the cartoons or disney movies, they are watching them for fun and enjoyment. So are these high school students who say "their not going to let their children watch disney movies" ever going to take a family trip to Disney World? If we, as adults look back and critique many shows from the past or present we can point out the bad influence there leaving on society too.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are saying about not being able to agree or disagree. I loved DIsney moves growing up, and I liked to dress up but I never thought I need to find my "prince charming". I never pretended or dreamed about my wedding day until I was engaged. I also never thought that mean people were ugly, or that I had to be pretty to get a man, however I did think that minorities were very very rare in the US because I lived in a very white area and minorities were not in Disney moves much. I think parents and their influence and what they teach their children is more important than what they watch but parents need to take the time to sit down and talk about what messages these movies may be giving their children.
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