March blog post - Ari

Mickey Mouse Monopoly

Are we what we watch, or is what we watch actually who we are?

I asked this question several times when I was watching the Mickey Mouse Monopoly film in class. At first glance, each of these Disney films seem so innocent, but if you look deeper you will soon discover that there is more to each of these stories than you first thought. It's interesting to see the many different messages that can be found within these films.
Women/princesses are always in need of a prince to come save them.
Gender roles are clearly defined - women sing, dance, cook, and wear pink. Men are strong leaders who rescue women and never really show their emotions.
Women are sexualized, and use their bodies and beauty as a tool to distract or capture the attention of men and get what they want. In turn, men are so dumb and can't control their sexual desires, and so they always fall for these tricks
Princesses are almost always white. (with only a few exceptions. But of course, none of these exceptions being of Latina/Hispanic origin.)
Princes are almost always white.
There is also a lot of stereotyping that was addresses in this film. (example: the word "barbaric" used in Aladdin.)
It was really interesting to think about these many "problems" with Disney films. I agree, there are many things that aren't really ideal, and might even be considered harmful. The film asks us to question whether or not Disney is affecting children in a negative way. Is Disney influencing children's behavior even into adulthood? Is a simple children's film actually causing more harm than good? Disney films were supposed to be fun and exciting adventures for kids (and adults, why not?) to enjoy. It made me a little sad to think that Disney could have such a negative influence on people.
But then, this film also made me think something else, which goes back to my initial question: Are we what we watch, or is what we watch actually who we are? In class, we talked a lot about how we as a society are being shaped by the media (by books, movies, news, celebrities, social media, and even Disney, etc) This was virtually the whole point of this film. It was on how Disney is shaping children. But it made me look back even further. Disney didn't start out as a giant corporation that sprung up out of nowhere, filled with all of these stereotypes and strict examples of gender roles. Disney was started by a man - Walt Disney, a normal person just like you and me. He had an idea, and he formed it into reality. Did Walk Disney set out to dictate the gender norms of children in our world today? NO, I really don't think so. He (and others, who joined him on his Disney dream journey in the beginning) were just a bunch of normal people who CREATED the world of Disney. Were the influenced by the society they lived in at the same of their creating? I'm sure. But the point is, these people CREATED Disney. Perhaps the idea of a woman being swept off her feet by a handsome prince isn't that off-putting. (And I can go as far as to say that many women living today would very much like a man to be there and support her, and realistically "save her" from a life of being alone forever.) Perhaps the idea of people in the middle east being totally different and maybe a little "barbaric"is how many of Americans feel today, yet refuse to admit it. (Even just the other day I saw a Boise native discriminating against a student just because they were a foreign exchange student from Saudi Arabia) Perhaps the first thing people think of when they think of the words "handsome man" and "beautiful woman" is a white (or at least light skinned) person. (Example: just take a look at many of the major models in today's world. Mostly white. Victoria's Secret models are almost ALL light skinned, even if they are from different countries.) Perhaps women DO use their bodies to get what they want. (wow, what a strange idea!!!) Perhaps, a majority of men DO fall for their tricks. (really? now, cmon) And maybe people really don't want the Hispanic/Latino culture represented in our culture today. (Look at who our country just voted into office. What was it about a wall being built? ha.)
It may seem upsetting, and sad, and it is. It really is. I think it is, at least. Do many people have these opinions/views because of media's influence of them? Which came first? Media, or people? (But isn't media made up of people?) And did little girls dream of being saved by a handsome man BEFORE or only AFTER Disney came about? This is who we are. 
What I'm trying to say is that Disney didn't just make this stuff up. We did. Disney shouldn't be the one to blame. If anything, we could blame ourselves and our own society. Films like the Mickey Mouse Monopoly will look at Disney and be appalled at the representations that are in the movies, yet fail to realize that these representations/stereotypes/norms/messages are everywhere in our culture even today. And so in a strange paradox, YES we as a society (and this includes our children) might be influenced by Disney, but we are also Disney, so in fact, we have just now influenced ourselves.

It's just an interesting thought. And I'm not saying that everyone has these opinions, because obviously that isn't true. Also, I really appreciated the discussion and questions we asked in class. Great topic!

Ari Dawson