Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us (QUOTES)

This article by Christensen was very thought-provoking and it made me open my eyes to the realities of how young children are instructed how to think through popular culture. I chose to write this blog about quotes because I very much enjoyed Christensen’s writing style and I feel like she worded her arguments beautifully. One quote I especially liked was on page 128 and it reads, “Although these stories are supposed to merely entertain us, they constantly give us a secret education. We are not only taught certain types of violence, the latest fashions, and sex roles by TV, movies, magazines and comic strips; we are also taught how to succeed, how to love, how to buy, how to conquer, how to forget the past and suppress the future. We are taught, more than anything else, how not to rebel.” It’s so important in society to stay close to the social norms. Any woman who has tattoos is instantly a drug addict, alcoholic, slut or delinquent. Media teaches us how we “should” be as men and women. God forbid we fall into any other category. Media dictates our daily thoughts, activities, sexual preferences, eating habits and self-esteem. At such a young, vulnerable age, children have these messages drilled into their heads and become the adults who make up society at large.

This is an example of a beautiful tattooed woman:

This is how society views tattooed women:

Another quote I liked was on page 133 when Christensen was talking about Disney princesses and it reads, “Happiness means getting a man, and transforming from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption – in their case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle.” This quote makes me think of the phenomena called “retail therapy” where women are empirically shown to be happier after shopping sprees. Is it biological or socially constructed? You decide.

This is a before and after makeover photo. Look how happy she is now!!!! 

I thought she was prettier before... Where did her tattoo go?!

Cartoons and movies are definitely not as sexist and racist as they were 50 years ago, but they also still are. Racism and sexism still exists in popular media, but in recent years it has become much more subtle. 50 years ago, discrimination and prejudice were much more blatant. The last quote pertaining to this is on page 127 and it reads, “Young people, unprotected by any intellectual armor, hear or watch these stories again and again, often from the warmth of their mother’s or father’s lap. The messages, or “secret education” linked with the security of their homes, underscore the power these texts deliver.” In psychology, we learn about positive reinforcement. If a stimulus (racist cartoons) is associated with another stimulus (mommy’s loving, eating cookies, warm home), the association becomes strong and is difficult to reverse. So after this becomes accepted knowledge, the child will continue to live with the idea that racist cartoons = good. This happens with anything within the media. What can we do about it?

In the next class I’d like to discuss gendered, racist children’s toys and the effects that these have on childhood experiences. How do they make children socialize differently?

Even children's CANDY is gendered. Blurg.