Talking Point # 4

Unlearning the Myths That Blind Us

Linda Christensen

Quotes: “I start by showing students old cartoons because the stereotypes are so blatant. We look at the roles women, men, people of color and poor people play in the cartoon.”

 I found this quote very interested because it’s very true how an every cartoon there are stereotypes all over with characters. They tend to portray the same thing over and over about white and rich power. How it shows this kind different groups roles play in one way society tends to see them. For example when Christen mentions the Popeye cartoon and how the Arabs are portray as thieves and the this bad people who steal everything and that kind of message to children who see this kind of cartoons might believe this kind o stereotypes, But it’s not only cartoons, the whole media, advertising portrays this kinds of stereotypes.  Like for overweight people they are a group that doesn’t exist to the media because the look is being slim and thin and I think it’s wrong because not everyone is perfect and has to fit one look or be a kind of way.   

Quote:  “A Black Cinderella? Have you ever seen a black person, an Asian, a Hispanic in a Cartoon? Did they have a leading role or were they a servant? What do you think this is doing to your child’s mind?”

What I can said about this is that its true for many years there was only one kind of Cinderella a beautiful white young women and it left out all the other role s of the different people. There was never a Black Cinderella and when there was the same message was seen with here waiting for her prince charming to come and take her away to live happily after. I mean there are those kids who love watching this kind of cartoons and are all about Disney world and happy ever after but the real deal is what the media is teaching the young child. As it said they are being educated by this media which send out wrong messages and don’t really show much leading roles for other groups or classes.

Quote: “I realized these problems weren’t jut in cartoons. They were everything, every magazine I picked up, every television show I watched, and every billboard I passed by on the street.”

It’s very interesting to see that these problems are found everywhere you go and every channel you flip through, so children see it ever were and are being influences by the media no matter what. I remember that when I was young I used to watch a lot of television and that’s where I got most of my information. It’s true the problem is everywhere and you can’t escape it no matter what. So I agree with this quote one of the students had to say when they had a class discussion. I mean it made me realize that it is a parent’s job to educated their kids and control somewhat what they are watching on TV but not all of it. I mean young kids don’t believe everything they see on television.

As I whole I really liked this article because Christensen makes very good point of how “children’s cartoons, movies, and Literature are perhaps the most influential genre, Read. Yong people, Unprotected by any intellectual armor, hear or watch these stories again and again, often from the warmth of their mothers or fathers lap. The messages, or “secret education”, linked with the security of their homes…” the media has these powerful messages that teach young minds the wrong idea of what society and the real world expect out of you. I mean all the fractional characters always even up seeing things as solving problems easily and finding happiness and to me that is not all true life is much harder to picture it. The media, movies and cartoons only teach this assumptions that you have to fit a stern way to feel great and find happiness which to my believe it’s never that case. There is more to that then what they say or show in this kind of media that tends to blind us all.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JhNyNXZosA
check out this video that relates to this article

Talking Point # 1 -White Privilege- McIntosh

      After reading the article “White Privilege” by McIntosh I kind of realize that everyone has a privilege over somebody else. The fact that she made this list of what some of her privileges where based on her skin-color and being white. If I put myself to think about what am I privilege with there could be several ideas the pop to my head but there is also those ideas of what I am not in the privilege group. Like when she states “we might at least start by distinguishing between positive advantages which we can work spread, and negative types of advantages which unless rejected will always reinforce our presents hierarchies.”  I see myself to have many advantages or so call privileges over people that have it worst. But I feel sometimes left out when there are things I can’t be part of because of class issues and power. The big thing that I don’t have a privilege to is being able to be economically wealthy because my parents don’t have that kind of money to say we are rich. I come from a family that has to work hard to be able to get where we want to get. I see myself as being out of that group just I imaging many other feel the same because we share a common thing that isn’t giving to us.

       What I found also interested is the article is when she points this out, “Disapproving of the system won’t be enough to change them. I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes,” she has a good point that by disapproving with this system that whites have many more power and numerous kind of privileges isn’t going to solve the problem for all of us. There has to be action from one of the sides. But like she says that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes and that is kind of impossible because there are those who don’t care and won’t changed just because things can get better they are in control and are happy with their power to be dominate . so this can’t really changed much , racism still goes on today and whether we like or not it’s still a problem to many people. Privilege plays a key role when it comes to saying if we have an advantage to being some kind of race or any other category.

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Hello everyone!!! my name is Maribel, most people call me Mari, I am a sophomore here at Rhode Island college. I am an Elementary Education Major. I am just looking forward to a great year and expecting new things to happen, I am a very Friendly person and I like to help others. One thing I do which I enjoy the most is helping out at my church and being a CCD teacher for a third grade class. I started off as a teachers helper but now this year it will be my second year teaching there. I LOVE kids and hope to become the best teacher!!!