Dissecting The Influence

Connecting Allan G. Johnson’s Privilege, Power, and Difference & Alfie Kohn’s Five Reason’s To Stop Saying Good Job! with Linda Christensen’s Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

            We are a conditioned society. We numbly watch television and animated movies to remove ourselves from the reality that we live in. Whether it’s because we have had a rough day at work or we are stressed out about assignments or are worried about how we will be able to pay our bills, we can all relate. I always looked forward to Saturday cartoon’s as a way to what I call “de-bunny” (a Bridget Jones’ Diary reference) from the week. Just some fun fodder to help me unwind and relax while being able to step out of the roles I have to play each work day. If I analyzed these cartoons like I do with foreign films I would find subliminal messages in them as well. But I don’t because I’m so used to the messages they represent. Why is this? Well, because I grew up with them. I’ve been conditioned to accept them and not to question them. As Dorfman says “we are taught, more than anything else, how not to rebel.” (pg. 128) Quite frankly this gets me fired up. Who knew that kids shows are giving the wrong messages?

Click here to see what Disney Princesses & Princes teach us

            I don’t like the idea of a secret education because I want to be the one in control. I’m ashamed to admit that just like Linda Christensen’s students, I have been manipulated. I recognize that I too, through the lens Christensen has provided in this piece, have “discovered the tools with which a young society is manipulated.” (pg. 126) I am a master analyzer and observer. Studying people and their actions is actually a hobby of mine because I want to understand. So how have I missed this blatant whitewashing of what I should strive for in my own life?

            The pressures have been in place all my life to be beautiful, thin and submissive. I am often told by relatives that I should check my brain at the door if I want to ever get a man. But why would I want someone who doesn’t love me for who I am, brain and all? Why should I paint of a mask of makeup and push up my breasts in order to attract a relationship? So I have not subscribed to these “rules” our society has in place. I have been single almost my entire life. I couldn’t define for you what being in a loving relationship is because I have never experienced it. I know that there are reasons beyond what has been outlined in this article for why this is but the fact remains that I don’t fit the mold at all and so I am not considered “attractive” in our society.

            As a little girl I dreamed of fairy tales but my favourite was always Mulan because she went out and fought for what she wanted to do but she had to do it as a man! That part of the message seemed to be disregarded. I’m pretty embarrassed to say that Cinderella was always one of my favourites too because she worked hard and dreamed just as hard and so her dreams come true. She was good and so she was rewarded. In many versions she also read a lot and that was something I could relate to. But how could I have missed where the moral of if you are good and can clean up nice then you will be rewarded with a prince? What’s worse is that I never even made the connection Christensen does in noticing that the Cinderella competes with her “sisters” to win the hand of the prince. This is something that has become a big issue in our day and age. “Sisters before misters” is said but not practiced. Most of us, it seems, believes our self-worth is winning over our friends to be the eye candy on the hot guys arm. The casualty of losing a great girlfriend isn’t enough of a loss to put their actions into perspective.

            By analyzing the films and cartoons, Christensen reminds me of Allan G. Johnson’s piece about using the words to understand better and actually make the change. “If we dispense with the words, we make it impossible to talk about what is really going on & what it has to do with us.” (pg. 2) By actually talking about the messages the media is projecting, by actually using the words which point out these ugly stereotypes we are able to recognize the control. What I love most about her classroom approach is how she bases it in a real world situation by having her students put their thoughts and arguments out into the world through pamphlets and essays. By having the students keep journals, they are able to explore how they truly feel about what they are discovering. They can then relate what they are writing to how it affects their lives and their world. Much like these blogs does for us. It’s a great way to notice what is going on and act upon changing it!

            Instead of telling the students what she notices, Christensen keeps her mouth shut, allowing them to spot the stereotypes themselves. This reminds me of Alfie Kohn stance on manipulating children. “Engaging them in a conversation…is not only more respectful but more likely to help kids become thoughtful people.” (pg. 1) Allowing the students to notice the messages themselves, builds their skills of observation and thoughtfulness. It also “helps them learn how to solve problems and teaches that their ideas and feelings are important.” (pg. 4) The students are then able to find their own correlations in the media and become active in speaking about how they feel about the pictures that are being painted. By “taking an issue and relating it to your life and/or society at large” the students are able to see how these stories affect their world and selves. (pg. 135)

            I remember seeing Disney’s The Princess and The Frog and really enjoying it. I didn’t read much into it when I saw it. I just wanted to enjoy it. I know, ignorance is bliss and I am sure there’s plenty in it that we could point to as stereotypical. It wasn’t just that it was the first black Disney princess or the Creole jazz that I was pleased with. It was the fact that she was a girl who worked hard to make her dreams of opening a restaurant comes true. And even after she falls in love with the prince and they decide to spend the rest of their lives together, she continues to make her dream come true. She opens her restaurant and even though she is now a princess, actually runs it! I thought that was the most important lesson and an essential piece for little girls to look up to. Because in this one the goal isn’t just to get a man and live happily ever after. She has dreams and goals and she goes for them. The prince is just a nice bonus! The students in Christensen’s class are putting out the message that they want to see more stories like this and we can too! 

Discussion Points for Class:

·       I absolutely love that the students are able to publish the information they gather from watching these cartoons and movies to spread the word around their society. What are so other ways we could encourage this in our classroom?

·       There are so many films and cartoons that portray these stereotypes that are influencing our children? How do we stop them from being watched to encourage a more balanced self view?

Picture Links:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/brainiac/beauty%20bias.jpeg

http://www.firstshowing.net/img/princess-frog-firstlook.jpg