Monday, March 2, 2009

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us by: Linda Christensen

Christensen's argument is that very young children are being molded by a "secret language," which is basically the media, that teaches stereotyping of different cultures and genders. She also argues the importance of taking action to raise awareness and potentially create change.

1. "Consequently, most of the early information we receive about "others"-- people racially, religiously, or socioeconomically different from ourselves -- does not come as a result of firsthand experience. The secondhand information we receive has often been distorted, shaped by cultural stereotypes, and left incomplete...."

This shows how young children are attuned with "others" and immediately begin stereotyping them. An example from this article talked about a three year old who had already begun using information from Peter Pan to announce facts. Christensen is arguing that it is okay that a three year old is announcing facts from a movie. However, the movies should not be stereotypical in nature to begin with. Very young children should be initially exposed to a media that does not teach them to put people into categories like today's media does. As these children grow up and hear about others acting in a way that fits their specific category, it will reinforce the stereotypes in the children's minds. This is because it is much easier to store information in your mind when it already has somewhere to be stored. If these children hear something about others that does not fit their specific category, it contradicts what you thought was true and can be easily thrown out. It should not be like this. Something needs to be done about about the media so that one day this cycle of a pre determined image known to all about a specific culture will be eliminated.

2. "As they view each episide, they fill in a chart answering these questions. (For a ready to use copy of the chart visit www.rethinkingschools.org/rst)

Christensen goes out of her way to include this note in her article. She is showing the importance of taking an action when a problem is presented. It shows that she is more than a talker, she is a "doer". This concept is very important in the world today and i feel like my generation is more doers than ever before.
I recently went to a "College Leadership RI" meeting where we had a tour of Crossroads RI and some young leaders came in to speak to us. One of the speakers was named Ray Harris and was one of the Providence Journal's top 10 (or 20) people to keep your eye on in RI. He is an executive director of a few groups that promote activities for teenagers in inner city schools and his topic of discussion for us was being a doer and not a talker. He used many examples about how his board has great ideas and that he knows if he does not do it, it will not get done. Because of his attitude, he is quickly as on the rise and his future is looking very bright. Christensen is doing her part in presenting easy ways for us, the readers, to take action if we want to. Later in the article she says, "But what am I teaching them if the lesson ends there! That it's enough to be critical without taking action?" I think she does a great job as a teacher to realize the importance of that part of the project.

3. "Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess."

I am a little confused about the second part of this quotation about ugly girls never being able to play the princess. In today's society, most ugly people marry ugly people just like good looking people marry good looking people. That is just the way it is. I learned in my Human Development class at RIC that the most successful relationships occur with people of the same socioeconomic status. I feel like even if an ugly man marries a gorgeous woman or an ugly woman marries a gorgeous man in a movie that it will not really matter because it is not the common case. I feel like it is not really something that works with her argument just because of the facts of the matter. As far as women who aren't white beginning to fell left out, I know the black singer Brandy played as a black cinderella. So, Christensen's ideas are definitely common because things are already being done about it today. There is a show today called Diego that Hispanic children will have an easier time relating to also. So, she definitely has a valid argument in that her issues on the media are being addressed and there has been action on it too.

I think Christensen does make good points, but, I do not really agree with the article. Some things need to be broken down to a very simple level for young viewers even if it means putting people into categories. I do not think that the media has shaped me as a young child to make me sterotype people. -- Christensen argued most people would say they are not shaped by the media-- I feel like most people quickly outgrow the Disney movies they saw as a young child and do not use that to group others. They are simply forms of entertainment. If family and teachers reinforce that stereotype in a child's mind, I do not believe it is Disney's fault, for example.
I do not see much of a connection to other authors other than how it relates to Johnson in that solutions and take action plans are embedded in the text. These two authors offer the readers ready to use solutions to begin using in their own life immediately.

4 comments:

  1. Hey Pat,

    I agree, the person who said that is looking at it the wrong way. I don't think racism is instinct, I think that's just an excuse. If people of different races never came together, than the gene pools would be very limited which means unhealthy people. Same thing with full bred dogs and mutts. For the most part mutts are much healthier than purebreds because there's more diverse genes and they're not overbred.

    So having less racism would actually be a beneficial thing nature wise. As for the hitting it with a hammer, I agree. Racism is something that can't be stamped out of people all at once, it needs to be changed over time. Each generation seems to be getting a little better when it comes to accepting different people and groups.

    I do agree with what you've said in your post though, that people usually marry people who are as attractive as they are, and have the same kind of background. I can still see how kids who aren't white have a hard time finding role models in cartoons though, because there really aren't many who look like them.

    I know when I was a kid, I felt like I could look up to Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she had brown hair just like me, and the other princesses had blond hair mostly. So if I noticed that, I can't imagine what it must feel like for a black child to not be able to find a black princess to look up to.

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  2. Hey Pat,

    No noone has ever told me that but thank you!!

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  3. hey Pat,
    yea im on the 5 year plan as well...its kinda hard not to be lol. But next semester im taking mechanics and stats which im sure you have already taken, but maybe some other semester we will have a class together...ttyl buddy
    Jared

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  4. Interesting points you make in this one. I want to hear you say more... so would you agree with Christensen that the media have some influence over how we think about things like beauty or romance? Or do you believe that people are strong enough as individuals to resist such things? Good topic for debate!!

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