Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us by Linda Christensen

Linda Christensen's article was an absolute joy to read. I found the subject matter eye-opening and extremely disturbing.

I have felt for years that me and few friends of mine were they only people in the US that thought Disney was and continues to be racism, ageist, and sexists among a slew of other horrible things. It has officially taken until 2009 for a black Disney Princess to finally debut on the silver screen in "The Princess in the Frog" which is entirely racist. I can almost picture my self at age 10 watching snow white thinking that even in cartoon, she was the epitome of beauty and femininity. The stepmother on the other hand was meant to be seen as old and mean. What did I learn?
Snow White= Princess= young and beautiful
Stepmother= Queen= old and evil

This is the message that young girls and boys receive daily from cartoons that seem harmless, funny, and entertaining. There is a big difference between jokes and discrimination and prejudice and for some reason the line is consistently crossed. Are we the only people who see it?

I found a clip online from Dumbo which was released in 1941. The movie has very racist aspects, which was normal in the time period it was made. It's strange to me that we continue to watch it today and don't point out these stereotypes to children. Check it out here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIDl8Wb1va0&feature=related

I have found myself in the past few years feeling the same way Christensen's students felt; "now that they've started analyzing cartoons, they can't stop analyzing the rest of the world". Once you understand the social construct and the rules and regulations of societal norms, it is nearly impossible to go back. The misogyny is exposed in almost every blockbuster movie. The ageism is seen in every sitcom. And the racism is obvious in government propaganda.

We all have taken off the goggles of ridiculous man-made ideologies and can finally see the world for what it truly is. I think this article was a great start to this class in showing us what it will be all about. I'm looking forward to the readings to come.