Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

                In the unlearning the myths that bind us by Linda Christensen, Christensen discusses different ways in which all your favorite childhood cartoon stories, movies, and TV shows have been in my in my own words “the root to all evil” not in a literal sense. But in a way in which it has brain washed all children in believing that all the racist, sexist, and stereotypical ideologies in cartoons are normal. what I mean by saying they are brainwashed to thinking some of these horrible ideas are normal is, cartoons/ movies for years have been imprinting messages in subtle ways to teach kids “how to act, how to live, how to dream,…”. It makes children accept the differences between people as one being Dominate over the other.

              

  Christensen starts off her essay by telling a story about a girl who grew up like every other little girl playing childish games and waiting for her prince charming to come rescue her, her father didn't own much land. The girl didn't have a perfect figure and according to novels she have read her “thick ankles have doomed her” to being a working girl while the pretty girls that resemble the ones in novels or magazines get all handsome men. I sit here and think whats the point to this little segment compared to the rest of the reading. This little paragraph is what girls in real life are doing, I would think. They sit as children playing games and watching cartoons of how the beautiful princesses always become happy by getting the man of their dream. Then as the girl gets older an realizes she doesn't look like the girl in books and movies that’s when problems begin to start. The problems begin to start with the Cinderella myth, the myth to happiness is getting married to the man of your dreams and getting rid of old clothes and getting new ones. I thought this was funny because every female I know pretty much does this without realizing it, maybe not the man of dreams part but getting new clothes is a definite  and there excuse is “well I have to look good”. Then back to what Christensen says about the Cinderella myth, once you have your man you are fighting to keep him from your sisters and all the other single girls in the city. This must be why woman need such a wide range of new clothes to keep the man interested.

                

This is how things go back to what Christensen talks about with being brainwashed. People are now doing and saying things without being aware of even doing it. But do people really want to be aware of all the racism, sexism, and being stereotypical. Does anyone really want to analyze everything in everyday life such as the sexism of getting your daughter a stove and kitchen set or your son a tool set for Christmas. How can you go to the store and ask for a toy that isn't looked at as sexism for a child. It comes down to the point where they are looking at something if it’s to masculine or feminine. Some of Christensen’s students chose to be ignorant and happy instead of over thinking everything in sight.

                Society has been messed up from the beginning. Cartoons were the stepping stones to sending children down the wrong path. 



Question.
Im still kinda curious as to why some of her students after being taught to analyze things took everything to the extreme like going to the store and asking for a toy that isnt sexist or they cant watch their favorite tv show without seeing something wrong with it. why do the students feel as if they cant turn it off? when really after about a week or so they might be back to doing it all over again because its everywhere you cant hide from it.