Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

"Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us"

By: Linda Christensen

Connections 

"Aria" by: Richard Rodriquez 

      In Richard Rodriguez's story he is explaining his struggles of a language barrier. Speaking spanish at home and english at school wasn't cutting it; so the nuns asked his parents to help him and his siblings practice their english at home. This soon lead to them no longer speaking spanish at all. Rodriguez is pleased that he finally fits into the culture of the people at school; however he loses the close blond he shared with his family through speech. This relates to Linda Christensen's article because she is talking about how there is a "secret learning" that takes place through children's movies.  They discuss aspects like gender, race, wealth, and physical aspects in many popular Disney movies. The students found that there were very specific portrayals for each category. Women were overly sexualized and inferior to men. African American's were seen often as servants; while fat people were seen as foolish. Take for instance when Christensen says, "there should be more women of color who play the leads in these white-on-white wedding cake tales" (Christensen 131). This reminded me of Rodriguez because he was seen as a classroom problem until he learned the english language. He states, "at last, seven years old I came to believe what has been technically true since my birth; I was an American citizen" (Rodriguez 36). A young boy didn't feel he was part of America until he was able to speak the same language as everyone else. I think this directly relates to there not being any movies for children that showcase any main characters as other races besides white. 

"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by: Peggy MacIntosh

     Peggy MacIntosh talks about the idea of there being a level of superiority between different people. Wether it be between man and woman or between the races, there are people who have advantages because of their race and/or their color. She especially comments on noticing "men's unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged" (MacIntosh). Here she is explaining that although a white male is able to see that a white woman is at a disadvantage to him, he is less likely to admit that he has more privilege over her. This relates back to Christensen because these ideas that a white man has the most power is portrayed through these children's films. For example, most Disney princesses are not fulfilled until they find a man that they can be with. Movies like Cinderella, Beauty and The Beast, and Snow White all end with the princess finding the perfect man that will make them better as a person. Each of these girls are petite and white. This excludes any other body type or race to find their "happily ever after." If more children's movies featured other "types" of people, young children like Rodriguez may feel more included in the American culture. 

Although these princesses have a few different races, they all share the same body type. This doesn't promote diversity.

Questions-Comments-Points to share:

I agree that all types of people need to be able to express themselves; and there definitely is media influence as to what is accepted in American culture. But isn't that what a culture is? A special set of rules that define what is assigned to each type of person. When reading these I found myself feeling sorry for people like Rodriguez because they are not being able to express themselves. I immediately blamed the American culture for being flawed and not accepting other. But other cultures do not follow the same ideas of the U.S. and no one seems to bother with that. Yes, America is a much more diverse country and a lot of people are uneducated about these other cultures (including myself). I think Americans also have the right to embrace their whiteness; but they cannot ignore and shun those who have other values.