Monday, March 4, 2013

Unlearning the Myths That Bind us - Reflection



Linda Christensen’s argument is that all children’s cartoons and television programs are giving children secret educations on how to succeed and be accepted by society. She continues to go on about how toys and video games are all sexist and racist and promote violence and contribute to the children’s “secret education”. 

The option I chose for this week’s blog post is going to be a reflection, and I apologize if I offend anyone who agrees with Christensen but I had to bite my tongue continuously with this text. At first I kind of buy into what Christensen is saying, I do agree that there are subliminal messages in television and cartoons, however to say that they are all racist, sexist, and womanizing is a stretch and I cannot agree with that. I lost it when I read the quote from the mother who went into the toy store and said “I want a toy that isn’t sexist or racist.” If I had been behind this woman when she said this I would not have been able to maintain my silence. As long as it is within reason, why not give your child what toy they want? Why must you hide your child away from what the world is really like? Yes there are toys out there that promote certain self-images and there are toys out there that have violence associated with them. What toys do you want your children to play with, a toy car and a Teddy Bear? That is only going to get you so far. The world consists of sex (i.e. Barbie, certain body types, appearances), violence (action heroes, G.I. Joe, etc.), and unfortunately racism (certain stereotypes for races on television). Now I am not saying go out and let your son buy a bb gun or let your daughter watch teen mom, however I am saying that it is up to the parent to monitor and educate their children when it comes to toys and cartoons/media. 



I snipped this excerpt out of the reading because it annoyed me to the point that I could not ignore it. The amount of over-analyzing and cynicism done by Christensen’s students is nauseating. So in response I am going to counter their argument with my own over-analysis.
Duck Tales: They argue that this cartoon deserves a C- because “Uncle Scrooge and the gang teach children that money is the only important thing in life.” Well in reality these children are going to have to eventually accept the fact that great value is placed on money in our society, you cannot survive in our society without understanding the meaning and importance of money.  I mean this is what children up to around age thirteen or so are thinking when they watch this show right? They are thinking about money and how it rules our world?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: This review begins with a very educated statement by Christensen’s students. “Pizza-eating Ninja Turtles. What’s the point? There isn’t any.” Well generally the point of a cartoon is to entertain and amuse children, Not sure though so don’t quote me on that buddy. Her students continue to ramble on about how this cartoon depicts the ninja turtles as having no regard for the safety of the townspeople and ends with them saying that it teaches children to solve problems through “fists and swords instead of words.” Well first of the plot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is that the turtles are fighting the bad guy “Shredder” because he is trying to take control of the world. So the ninja turtles are fighting someone who wants to seize dictator-like control of the world and this shows that they have no concern for the regular people like you and me. Also in regards to the quote saying it tells children to use “fists and swords instead of words.” I am responding with a quote from a book I read.

“Despite what your mama told you, violence does solve problems.”- Ryan Job U.S. Navy S.E.A.L.

By saying this, he is not saying that you should go out and try to solve all your problems with violence. He is saying that sometimes, even though you had always been told not to, you have to defend yourself or someone else with violence. This is reality. Here is a hypothetical situation that I wish to present you and get your opinion on. Let’s say you have a son, and your son is a fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and observes the good guys fighting to protect everyone from the bad guy. Now imagine your son is playing in the playground at school and is approached or sees someone else approached by a larger child who is notorious for bullying. Your son tries to use words to stop the bully from hurting him or the other child, but to no avail and either your son or another child get punched in the face. Would you want your son to stand up and defend himself or someone else who could not defend themselves or would you want him to continue to try to use words. I grew up with only a mother so I was always told “violence isn’t the answer! Find a teacher!” Well that’s what I did when I was a child, but finding a teacher did not do me much good in high school. I eventually had to learn (after numerous instances of bullying aimed at me) that there comes a point where you have to defend yourself with more than words.
Popeye: I must agree however that Popeye is extremely sexist, however we must take into consideration the time period it was created in as well as the social construction associated with that time period. Women’s rights and representation was not as strong as it is now. Also when it comments that it teaches AMERICAN children that             AMERICANS are the best. Well I would assume so, especially due to the fact that it was in the same time period of World War II where military propaganda and national pride were running rampant. 

2 comments:

  1. I believe that people are over analyzing, I know when I was little my parents explained that violence was not acceptable. However I also understood that there was violence in the world. I watched the Rugrats when I was little, and I liked Angelica. Now Angelica was mean to the babies and was basically a brat. My mom explained to me that acting like Angelica was not okay. So I agree, I think it is up to the parents to explain what is acceptable and what is not. I do believe that many girls struggle with the issue of body image. I know for me it has always been a concern, especially since I am a dancer. Being a dancer, people expect to see a girl who is very skinny. However I also think that society is starting to change. I mean that I think more women are being thought of as intelligent and people are looking at a person not just for what they look like.

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  2. I agree with your blog post, Rich, and I also agree with Nicole's comment. As she says, there are many hidden messages that can be taken in a negative way but sometimes people read too deeply into things. Subliminal messages can get blown out of proportion and something that is meant to be innocent can be turned racist or sexist. However, there are definitely some racist and sexist portrayals of characters.

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