Talking Points #4

“Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us” by Linda Christensen This article is about… Fairy tales Cartoons Inequality Myths Secret education Culture Media Domination Stereotypes Embedded Manipulation Dreams Imagination Standards Perfect Author’s Arguments: Christensen argues that society needs to become aware of the inequalities portrayed in children’s movies, literature and cartoons, and use these stereotypes to image what a better world it would be without this “secret education.” “The ‘secret education’…delivered by children’s books and movies, instruct young people to accept the world as it is portrayed in these social blueprints. And often that world depicts the domination of one sex, one race, one class, or one country over a weaker counterpart.” Page 126 In the Little Mermaid the students noticed that “‘Look, Ursula the sea witch is ugly and smart. Hey, she is kind of dark looking. The young, pretty ones only want to hook their man; the old pretty ones are mean because they are losing their looks.’” page 130 “They accept the inequalities in power and exploitative economic relationships. Their acceptance teaches me how deep the roots of these myths are planted…” page 132. I have to say that I completely agree with this article because everyone wants their life to be a fairy tale and live happily ever after, but even though we dream this, we know that it won’t end up just as we planned. But these movies and cartoons are an excellent escape for children to experience and to broaden their imagination, but where do we draw the line? I feel like you can’t just say to a child, this will never happen so don’t even think about it or get your hopes up, they do have to learn on their own, but another side of me wants to tell these kids that it is very unrealistic because life isn’t perfect and life isn’t fair all the time. These cartoons and movies can also make a child feel awful about themselves because they don’t look like the people in the movies. They do not have that hour glass shape, and they don’t have the blond hair and the blue eyes to match their perfect skin tone. It is still hard for me to accept the fact that I will never be skinny like the people I see in the movies or in the news because that is not who I am, it is hard sometimes, but it is reality. There is the notion that you can’t be smart and pretty at the same time; you have to be one or the other. That stereotype needs to be broken because it gives girls the idea that in order for people to like you that they have to loose a sense of themselves along the way, and that is no way to live. Also how all of the pretty girls are always thinking about boys and that once they have a husband they will have children and that will be their job, and for some people that is enough, but women don’t just have to be wives and mothers. And the older they get doesn’t mean that they get mean because their looks are going. The sad thing is that we have made it a fact and a part of our lives that this is the way it is suppose to be. Poor people are not suppose to be happy and they don’t deserve a leading role, or to be cared about, and if you are rich you can be guaranteed a leading role and for everyone to know that you are important. These stereotypes need to be broken because not all step mothers are evil, and not all fat people are ugly and mean. If these didn’t exist then everyone would feel better about themselves, I know that I would.