Unlearning the Myths That Blind Us - CHRISTENSEN

OVERVIEW:

I agree with a lot with what the article was entailing. Racism, sexism, etc. is shown within Disney movies, cartoon, commercial, etc. It is an unsaid message to young children. The clear messenge of white dominant power began more apparent to me as I recalled Disney movies I used to watch.  Also women’s image in cartoons, T.V show, magazines, etc. These have created the image of the perfect body. Because of such a image of   the “beautiful” girl, young girls feel pressure into fitting the same image. This has lead to extreme measures from girls who go on crash diets or develop eating disorders. 

QUOTES:

1.      “I start by showing students old cartoons because the stereotypes are so blatant.”

While I was reading this article I began to recall Disney movies that I used to watch, and still do. Not once did I ever think of them as being racist, sexist or anything like that. I just always watched the movie for the underlining life lesson. But, when I began to think back to these movies I could see that racism, sexiest, etc. was clearly demonstrated. Most of the main characters are white, girls are shown as having the perfect hour glass shape, and men a shown as always being dominant to women.   

2.     “Many who watched cartoons before we start our study say they can no longer enjoy them. Now instead of seeing a bunch of ducks in clothes, they see racism, sexism, and violence that swim under the surface of the stories.”

People said that they saw such things on TV and would shut it off. I believe that taking this to such an extreme is a little ridiculous to be honest. Although that racism, sexism, etc. is present the overall message is more powerful for young children. I could feel like way for the simple fact that I am a white girl and these issues are not as clear to me, at first, than it is to someone of color. I don’t believe shutting off such cartoons is solving the problem. Although times are changing and people believe that racism is no longer present in the U.S, it still is. Its shown everywhere, even if it’s not on purpose or not suppose to be seen as racist.

3.     “The Barbie syndrome starts as we begin a lifelong search for the perfect body.”

I do strongly see the issue with women’s role in cartoon, TV show, magazines, etc. Most of the girl characters are either drawn with the perfect hour glass shape or have it. It puts a lot of pressure on young girls to look like that, to be skinny with curves. This often discourages girls, and makes them believe their bodies aren’t good enough leading to crash diets and eating disorders. Coming from a girl perspective, I believe that this is one of the more powerful unsaid messages than most.