Hey Princess

Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us - Christensen (Quotes)

"When we read children's books, we aren't just reading cute little stories, we are discovering the tools with which a young society is manipulated"

          This quote sets the stage for the rest of the article.  It is clear that the author's focus is on the importance of societal dependence on media, and how it influences the people living in society.  When a child reads a book, they don't realize that they are exposed to the codes of power that are held in the society, instead they think they are reading a "cute book".  This form of educating people about their place in society clearly works perfectly, because it is only when a teacher brings up this process, that the students start to realize it.  In other words, we are easily taught the rules and codes of power, without doubting it, until someone shows us differently.  If no one brought up the process, would students pick up on the racism, sexism, or other forms of discrimination?  How would society be different if everyone ignored the stereotypes in pop culture? 

"Both of these tales leave young women with two myths: Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved thorough consumption" 

          Here, it is clear to note that it is not only one form of discrimination in the media, but rather a number of different aspects that are considered discriminatory.  In the Cinderella stories, it is not only the racial factor, but the blatant sexism that causes young readers to get the wrong message.  The children in the classroom noticed the "big picture", which was that Cinderella was always portrayed as white, and they recommended that there be princesses of different cultures.  They did not think about the other aspects of the story that are still discriminatory, like sexism and that a woman needs a man and marriage to be complete.  It is important to acknowledge all aspects of these media representations, noticing that there are more societal issues than what is noticed at first glance. 

"Our society's culture industry colonizes their minds and teaches them how to act, live, and dream."

          This is the most important quote from the article.  It sums up the entire article in one sentence, pointing out that society targets everyone, as early as childhood, to teach them the rules and codes of power. We are told how to act, live, and dream, based on the media that surrounds us.  Some parents may think of television as a way to calm a young (and hyper) child down, so the parent can get a little bit of down time, but it is so much more than that!  "Innocent" cartoons that so many people have grown up on have issues of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination.  

        I found these videos on youtube that show specific examples of racism in cartoons and movies. The first one is a 10 min video (I know, its a little long) titled "Disney Racist Examples" that presents examples of racism and racial stereotypes in Disney movies.  It is filmed more like a documentary, with interjections of interviews with people of different cultures comment about how their race or ethnicity is portrayed in the media.  As you could imagine, many of the youtube comments are negatively responding to the video, but in a way that seems like they were not willing to realize the discrimination in these films they love.  The second video, entitled "Top 10 Racist Cartoon Moments" is a shorter video (3 min) that simply shows select racist scenes, without explanation.  It is a good eye-opener, and it might be surprising for people to see how racist certain parts of classic cartoons are.  It will at least open the door for discussion about discrimination in the media.  

First Video - Disney Racist Examples

Second Video - Top Ten Racist Cartoon Moments