Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us- Christensen

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us is about...

• Racism


• Sexism


• Stereotypes


• Power


• Secret Education


• Self image


• Media


• Roles


• Education


• Movies


• Cartoons


• Children's books


• Manipulation

Arguement

Linda Christensen argues that sterotypes are formed through children's books,cartoons and movies which shape the way children act, live and dream; because of the portrayal of inequality and hiearchy.

Evidence

1."Although these stories are suppposed to merely entertain us, they constantly give us a secret education. We are not only taught certain styles of violence, the latest fashions and sex roles by TV, movies, magazines and comic strips; we are taught how to succeed, how to love, how to buy, how to conquer, how to forget the past and suppress the future. We are taught, more than anything else, how not to rebel"(128).

This quotate is significant because it shows how children and adults are affected by the media and books. The media and books provide us with a "secret education" according to Dorfman, that leaves us with message everytime we look at a book, advertisement, magazine and etc.

2. " Women's roles in fairy tales disort reality- from Jessica Rabit's six mile strut in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? to Tinker Bell's obsessive vanity in Peter Pan. These seemingly innocent stories teach us to look for our faults. As Tinker Bell inspects her tiny body in a mirror only to find that he minute hips are simply too huge, she shows us how to turn the mirror into an enemy...And this is a scenario is repeated by girls in locker rooms all over the word"(136).

3. "Because we can never look like Cinderella, we begin to hate ourselves. The Barbie syndrome starts as we begin a lifelong search for the perfect body. Crash diets, fat phobias and an obsession with the materialistic become commonplace" (136)

These quotations are significant because it shows how cartoons and the media negatively affects how women see themselves and how woman view beauty according to what is seen on TV, media and even cartoons.

Points to share/ Comments/ Questions

I never really thought about how cartoons affect children. I always saw cartoons as a form of entertainment. But now that I think about it, I realized that I've never seen a black woman play a lead role in a cartoon/ fairy tale. The only lead role where I saw a black woman play was in Cinderella starring Brandy. I was young when I first saw it and it was a big deal! I loved watching the film because Brandy was black and she "looked like me." Not like all the other fairy tales where the lead role is a white women like Snow White, Rapunzal, Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and all the other cartoons. WOW. Never realized that until now... The media always presents a message through its products. I can not lie, I have fallen in the media's trap... buying things I liked and I am the biggest Nike fan. I would buy the latest Nike because fashion is a big deal! But now when I go home, I look forward to watching cartoons with my little brother. I look forward to critiquing and analyzing these cartoons... Its not that I don't believe in what Christensen has said... but I need to see if the sterotypes and racism experienced in this article can still be seen in today's cartoons. Like Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, and the Fairly Odd Parents( I know these because my brother watches it.)