Talking Points IV - Christensen

Linda Christensen’s “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us” talks about the importance of questioning the cartoons, movies, books, etc. that we have read and watched while we were children which puts us as a culture into specific categories through sexist, racist, and classist stereotypes. This article also touches on how depictions of specific things we see have caused us all to submit and not rebel.

Throughout our childhoods we have all watched Disney movies, Looney Tunes, etc. and if some hadn’t been as “fortunate” to have a television there were always books like Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, etc. All of these books had, what has become to all of us in an older age, stereotypes. For example African Americans were servants, Native Americans were savage, Hispanics were usually in mariachi bands with sombreros, white men were intelligent, brave, and flawless etc. Women played two roles, those who were the heroines were curvy, busty, buck some, and beautiful. Then the women who were larger were usually portrayed as ugly or “homely” acting as a servant to the heroine or either played the villain, the hideous, which character. People of higher classes had all the riches and were the heroes, middle class people played servants or bumbling dopes, and lower class people were portrayed as the drunken idiot who would stumble around the neighborhood with a big red nose. These are all examples of how since we were all children we learned to act and dress according to our class, gender, and race.

Because of these factors companies have made a cash crop out of this. From specific marketing targets from advertisements, billboards, to actual sales these early roles that were taught to us tend be more money in the wallets of corporations. For example, women learn at an early age that being beautiful is the most important factor in attracting a mate (which is also taught to women that this is the most important thing in the world for women to do…) they must be the most gorgeous creature in the world, so they go to Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, Seporhia, etc. and buy expensive clothes and make up to make them “stand out” more than everyone else so they become the most attractive women to any man whose looking. This mentality is preying on the insecurities for an entire gender of the world. But these cartoons are essential to this entire marketing culture.

These cartoons and movies are degrading and inappropriate for students who are not of white, upper class, male status. These stereotypes are put onto people of different classes, races, and sex which are then in turn accepted by not only the outside world but also as a self-realization and acceptance. I completely loved this article and I am very excited about the fact that a number of students have such a high power of observation about these stereotypes and secret codes that they would speak out about this and even inform the communities they live in about them. These stereotypes dictate how these students will see themselves when they become adults, which in a way, is very brain washing. These students have even lashed out towards different movie and cartoon companies about how they are disgusted and hurt by these depictions of races, classes, and genders. The only problem is that these students still have a realization that it is important to have not only and good relationship with a significant other (this applies mostly to women) and that it’s important to have the most money. These types of ideas become very unrealistic, since it is impossible for everyone to become that successful, which can become draining on an emotional level for people who are either struggling with income throughout their lives or if some people have a good amount of income and can survive but want more and more. There needs to be an understanding that you have to be happy with what you have because some things in life are, in fact, unrealistic.

Finally here’s a video I found on Youtube.com that has a bunch of clips of early cartoons which are all of unbelievable insulting racist depictions, I would say “enjoy” but there really is no way to enjoy these clips, remember, these cartoons were once okay and acceptable to show, which, to me is extremely depressing…