I do not have much of a relationship with Disney. I have been to Disney World a few times, I watched the Disney movies as a kid but nothing more than that. This quote about young people from “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us” by Linda Christensen made me think about a child with autism that I have worked with for over 10 years now. Young people “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.” This child has been manipulated by Disney since she was very little. She grew up watching Mickey Mouse Club House
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My thoughts about the princesses in Frozen completely changed at the end. They talked about “a true act of love.” I loved that this love did not end up being between a man and a woman. It was a sibling love. So often in movies and in our lives, the love between siblings and within families seems to be undervalued.
My next thoughts from the book...
Beverly Tatum wrote, Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
In Disney cartoons such as Peter Pan the black people are all group together. Many communities are segregated within each neighborhood and children have limited access to people of a different color than themselves. In the town where I work, this is true and in my school and classroom students often segregate themselves as well. They have only heard secondhand information about people that look different than them. This information is often not true and negative. The TA’s in my classroom often report that at lunch the students of color are the only students who will sit with the students with physical handicaps. There are a very few students who do not see the different in anyone and are friendly with all. Is there because was their family role models or do they just see the beautiful princesses and princes in all people?
Do you think there is a reason why certain kids are sitting together at lunch? It may not be them segregating themselves but who they feel that they have something in common with.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who does love Disney movies, I think one has to understand the difference between real life and a fairy tale. The actual fairy tale stories are also much darker than the movies.
I have read Beverly Tatum's work a few times and used it when I was a TA for a college class. I strongly recommend that you read it. The question now becomes how as educators we can help students work against the "secret education" of the media. We need to teach students to think critically about what they are watching.
ReplyDeleteI hope your student learns to value herself independently. I think this is a great example of just how impressionable people can be and how powerful the media really is.
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