Unlearning the Myths - Hyperlinks

          I found this week's reading "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us" by Linda Christensen to be particularly eye-opening. I realized as I got older that children's cartoons and movies possessed some underlying themes of stereotypical behavior and politically incorrect portrayal of characters, but I never stopped to think about how these seemingly harmless story lines could have (and probably did) shape and influence my own opinion and outlook on life.
          It sounds strange to say that a children's movie can teach someone about life, but it's true. Children are exposed to many different types of media that all have a purpose. Whether we want to believe it or not, children will take away any and every lesson presented to them, be it positive or slightly twisted. I appreciate how Christensen pushed her students to not only voice their opinions about the injustices, but to take action against them in the world. While this is not the easiest task, many tend to focus on just revealing the negative messages and bringing light to the bad situation, which is always a step in the right direction. After reading this article, I decided to find a few links from the internet to reveal the unsavory hidden messages in cartoons and movies.
          The first page I found talks about the general stereotypical, racist, and sexist characters portrayed in Disney movies, which can be found here. I like how movies that are both "classic" and new are exposed, showing that these themes are strongly rooted in the movie industry and while there are some changes being made, they are still alive and well. I must say, I was shocked at number 6!
           The next article I found by simply typing in to Google "Is Disney racist". By the looks of it, many people, including Meryl Streep and Disney's own grandniece, thought so. Parts of this article strive to clean Disney's tarnished image, but the proof is all too powerful.      

            I must say that I am not tring to "frame" Walt Disney in any way. Unfortunately for him as well as his franchise however, it has become too easy to point out his socially unacceptable behavior. Disney cartoons and movies have become synonymous with the secret education that Christensen mentions throughout her article. This is not to say though that other publishers and animators do not fall under the same category as Disney. Hopefully as new cartoons and movies begin to develop, the producers will see the negative impact Disney has made and avoid his missteps, in order to teach children proper messages about diversity.