Talking Point #4

Underlearning the Myths That Blind Us

By: Linda Christensen

Premises:

• Culture
• Society
• Media
• "Secret Education"
• Sex
• Race
• Class
• Myths
• Stereotypes
• Disney's movies

Argument:

Christense argues that the media, especially children's movies, old cartoons and books, shapes a child's self image. The stereotypes that are found in the media gives children the wrong message of the society in which they are living in.

Evidences:

1. When Christense talks about how she proved to her students about the stereotyping in children's cartoons by letting her students watch several cartoon episode. After the students finished watching each episode many stereotypes were easily seen and the class came into a conclusion.

"People of color and poor people are either absent or servants to the rich, white, pretty people" (pg. 130)

"Men must be virtle and wiled power or be old and the objects of good natured humor" (pg. 131)

"...overweight people were portrayed as buffons..." (pg. 131)

"...absence of mothers, the wickedness of stepparents" (pg. 131)

These are several stereotypes that Christensen and her class found when they were watching several cartoon. The first stereotypes simply tells a child that poor people and people of color are inferior to rich, white and pretty people in this society. The second stereotype introduces sexism to the children by telling a child that a man is masculine and they have all of the power in this world. The third quote is a stereotype in which overweight people in movies are always seen as the joker of the story. The absence of mothers in many of the movies gives a child mix messages about mothers' being there for their children. The wickedness of stepparents gives a child a negative message that all stepparents are mean.

2. "Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption..."(pg. 133).

Linda's quote refers to the Cinderella's story, where Cinderella has to compete for her man against her stepsisters and all the other ladies from the town. Christensen uses this quote to relate to the Cinderella story because she feels that a transformation does not mean that you have to go on a shopping spree and get the latest styles to look beautiful. She wants girls to know that in order for them to be happy they do not have to get married with their "prince". She also doesn't want to see sisters fighting over a man. All she wants is to deliver the correct messages to the children, not a "fairy tale" where children are not going to be exposed to the reality.

3. " ...Tinker Bell's obsessive vanity in Peter Pan...Thinker Bell inspects her tiny body in a mirror only find that her minute hips are simply too huge..." (pg. 136)

Linda put this quote for reasons, to show the readers that by girls watching it creates an insecurity. It actually makes girls think that the mirror is their enemy. It makes girls belief that they have to be skinny in order to be pretty and feel secure about themselves. That is why we have so many young girls with health problems and low self esteem.

Reading this article made me think a lot about how children movies make a huge impact in their lives. I am sure that the producers didn't do this with negative intentions however they should be a little bit more careful with what they put in their movies for children. When ever I use to see these movies I never thought about it the way Christensen interprets it. I never use to think that the movies had negatives impacts hiding. I think that this articles is good for people to read because it will leave them shock after they are done reading it.