Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us -- Linda Christensen

Premise:

• Media
• Cartoons
• racism
• sexism
• Popeye
• Children
• Society
• Disney ideals
• Hierarchy
• better world
• black cinderella... Cindy Ellie
• Stereotypes
• Awareness
• Ignorace
• Happiness
• Analyzation of current society

Argument:

• Christensen argues that as children are constantly exposed to carefully crafted media, with carefully planned morals and messages ingrained into their plots, that young society it subliminaly being shaped and manipulated to fit the present mold.

Evidence:

• Christensen approachs main stream media as a challenge, one to be proven incorrect and questionable. As she states in her opinion of how she wants her students to take in her lectures.... "I want my students to question this accepted knowlege and the secret education delivered by cartoons as well as by the traditional literary canon"
• "both of these tales leave young women with two myths: Happiness means getting a man, a transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption- in their case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle." This quote is an affirmation of what she is striving to bring to the younger generation. That all of these messages given by the media are not saving children for corrupt morality but teaching them that happiness is only found through certain, often unattainable values.

Comments/Questions:

• This is probably my favorite piece thus far. I have always firmly beleived in the ability of meida to subconsciously affect action and emotion in everyone not just children. I am excited to see how everyone else in class has responded to Christensen's activity's in her classroom, that seem to be very affective in changing the views of her students indefinately.