"Understanding the Myths that Bind Us" by Linda Christensen is a provocative look at the hidden messages perpetuated by the cartoons of the 20th and 21st centuries. These seemingly innocent shows convey ideas like the superiority of men and the inferiority of women; that being white is associated with good and that being black is bad; and that you can get what you want by simply changing what you look like. In this article, Christensen states that this indoctrination "delivered by children's books... instructs young people to accept a world [that] depicts the domination of one sex, one race, or one country over a weaker counterpart" (126).
As a Caucasian female, I have always connected to the Walt Disney fairytale, "Cinderella." As a child, teenager and young adult, I saw myself as the main character being swept off my feet, rescued from a life of drudgery, and living happily ever after. Ironically, my husband affectionately refers to me as "Minderella" because according to him, he "saved" me. I consider this "ironic" because back when I was young, I would have considered it romantic... now I bristle at his teasing. It is interesting, but I never questioned my reaction to his nickname before reading this article. Although her initial wording is a little too dramatic for me, I agree with Christensen's student Justine when she writes, "True death equals a generation living by rules and attitudes they never questioned and producing more children who do the same" (129). Because I never questioned the messages embedded in fairytales, my daughters grew up on the same "media diet" that I had.
There are many aspects of this article that I agree with, but I wonder having been written seven years ago, if the media is still promoting such strong, negative messages. I understand Kenya's point of view when she states, "Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess" (131). This view on race can also be extended to issues of weight or physical disabilities. Why do all princesses have to be white, thin and physically "whole." Recently, Disney came out with " The Princess and the Frog" which depicts a black woman playing the princess (http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/princessandthefrog/ ). I think some progress is being made, although there is always room for improvement.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Commentary on "Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us" by Christensen
Posted by Mindy at 2:52 PM
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2 comments:
I would have to say I know where you are coming from when you say you always dreamed about being the princess being swept off your feet. I also like your comment about your husban "saving" you. I come from a family who believes that the man is the provider and he is the head of household. I am the first to graduate college and ironically the most independent of them all. I am what you could call the ugly duckling in the sense where I always did my own thing yet I gave them something else different which they fortunately are very proud of. It is harder to go against what family and/ or society expects of us than it is to go with the flow.
P.S I think it is great you are taking this class to learn more about your students. I wish I had more teachers like that through grade school. :)
i like that you mention the princess and the frog. unfortunatly, i havent seen it yet, but i was very worried when it came out that they had painted the same charector dark and are calling the movie and its hidden scripts "fixed".
did you get a chance to see the movie?
what did you think?
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