Disney cartoos racism

English
October 8th, 2008
Cartoons: How do they Influence Children?
As a child I did not wish to be any fictional character. I loved to watch Disney movies like Aladdin, Cinderella, Mulan,Pocahontas, and The Little Mermaid but I never wished to be them. I knew that that was their life and I had my own. I knew I had a family and was not a princess, or a mermaid. Even though I knew all ofthis I still loved to watch the stories of all of these princesses.
Disney cartoons are not meant to be a negative influence for children. They are composed of stories and many have a meaning thatappeal to children. In these stories children are meant to be taught good things not bad. In the essay “Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us” by Linda Christensen she refers to cartoons as a secret educationof one world that is dominated by one sex, one race, one class, or one country. She also states that the Disney cartoons like Peter Pan, Cinderella, and all the other Disney princesses are a badinfluence because of racism, and children wanting to control their own lives. But why do we have to think that they are meant for the wrong purpose?
The famous Disney princess Cinderella is a classictale of a poor girl who lives with her evil stepmother and finds a prince who she lives happily ever after with. In this story Cinderella is always being a good example to girls no matter what her lifehas been. She does as she is told, she respects her elders, and has no complaints. The stepmother is taking advantage of Cinderella, treating her badly, and manipulating the prince to get her daughtersthe crown. What happens to the stepmother? Her dream was that one of her daughters got the crown but they did not. Cinderella who is the good and polite girl, even though she is poor and not from thesame class, does get to live happily ever after. Through Cinderella we can see that if we are good girls, have patience, and respect others we will be rewarded in the future. Although the famous...