Thinking Points #4

Linda Christensen argues that in all the cartoons and media we see as young children teach us a "secret education" about the place of different races, gender, and classes.

Think back to when you watch Bugs Bunny being chased by Elmer Fud. Do you remember how Bugs Bunny would look when he dressed as a woman and would kiss Elmer. He had on a red sexy dress, big red lips, and sometimes long blond hair. Is this what all women look like? Is this the only way a woman should look when trying to get a mans attention? This is just like what Christensen's students noticed "when women do appear, they look like Jessica Rabbit or a Playboy centerfold..."
Should our young kids be taught that in order for a woman to be on a cartoon they must be attractive and if they are not the attractive one they are never the main focus.
Many of the ideas in cartoons are not meant to show racism and sexism but they do and i see a negative in teaching people to alway see these underlying themes. "Now instead of seeing a bunch of ducks in cloths, they see the racism, sexism, and violence that swim under the surface of the stories". These students may not enjoy many of the cartoons they did before. So what need to change the cartoons or should the students be able to see these theme but be able to ignore them so they can sometime enjoy what they are watching?
For me this article brings me back to when i learned about all the sexual images and ideas in Disney movies. I think back to having to watch The Lion King to see if i could see the work "sex" in the clouds when Simba's father appears in the sky, or to the little mermaid to see if it was true that the priest at the wedding had a boner, and just the other day i was talking with some people and one of them said they watch Aladin that day. They realize how much of a slut Jasmin was. These things mean nothing to young kids seeing the movies for the first time but going back and seeing these things now is very shocking.

I correct myself in the lion king it is when Simba blows the flower peddle into the air.


This is just wrong for little kids to see.