Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us -Linda Christensen

• Secret Education
• Accepted Knowledge
• Stereotypes
• Cartoons
• Media
• Television

Linda Christensen argues that children's cartoons, movies, and literature are the most influential genre towards young people send them stereotypical messages before they understand the meaning.

1. "Early in the unity, I show Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, that depicts all Arabs with the same face, same turban, same body - and they are all thieves swinging enormous swords. " (page 130)
2. "Have you ever seen a black person, an Asian, a Hispanic in a cartoon? Did they have leading roles or were they a servant? what do you think this is doing to your child's mind? Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess." (page 131)
3. "In Daffy Duck, the absence of female characters in many of the older cartoons. When women do appear, they look like Jessica Rabbit or Playboy centerfolds - even in many of the new and improved children's movies." (page130)
4. "In Cinderella, happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption - in their case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle." (page 133)

I really enjoyed reading Christensen's piece. At first I was a little skeptical, thinking that she was blaming racism and stereotypes on cartoons, how could that be possible. But after I finished reading Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us I realized her argument was completely true and she had all the facts to prove it. After Christensen analyzed a few cartoons, I started thinking of every show I use to watch when I was little, to see if I could pick out her patter of stereotypical cartoons. Sure enough, I could state stereotypes for many of the shows I use to watch. For example, Boy Meets World, this show promoted relationships at the age of 5 and popularity gets you into parties. It was weird thinking that all the TV shows, movies, and media that I was brought up to believe was sending such messages out to children without even seeing the slightest signs of them doing it.