This essay discusses censorship and the way in which social media and consumer products affect and model an appropriate societal ‘literacy’ or view in particular regards to gender and race, to young children. A summary of the stereotypes displayed in several videos viewed on YouTube, as well as student’s own identified stereotypes, both in regards to race and gender, are displayed below (Alexander, 2011; BrokenXLoner, 2012; Lac, 2013; Walt Disney Pictures, 1998, 1994, 1992, 1967, 1955, 1953, 1941):
Examples of ‘Frequent Racial Stereotypes’ Displayed in Popular Culture
African American (examples: Disney crows, orang-utans in Jungle Book, The Lion King hyenas) American Indians (example: American Indians from Peter Pan)
• Athletic, often dancing – jive, hip-hop, break dancing, hustle,
• Slowed, slurred speech patterns
• Jungle Book – orang-utans singing about wanting to be like men
• Underdog – has to work hard to get somewhere, ‘sidekick role’
• Criminal – ‘hood’, guns, gangs, ‘crooked/shonky’, poor
• Player - sexualise females in particular
• Loud, opinionated women who boss around their men
• Comedians – loud, funny • Depicted as saying ‘woo woo woo’ whilst clapping hand over mouth, and saying ‘ugg’
• Teepees
• Dancing – jumping and kicking with arms crossed without much knowledge or sequence to their movements
Asian (examples: Siamese Cats ‘Lady and The Tramp’, Mulan) Caucasian
• ‘Asian Features’ – slanted eyes, buck teeth
• Cunning and manipulative
• Seen as sexist and oppressive societies – girls have no value if they are not married, women should obey orders from men
• Intelligent
• Fighting/tough
• Women can be sexualised and fragile
• Tough parental expectations • Rich
• Preppy
• Dumb
• Blon...
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...The Lion King [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures.
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Walt Disney Pictures (Production Co.), & Geronimi, C., Jackson, W. & Luske, H. (Directors). (1955). The Lady and The Tramp [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures.
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Walt Disney Pictures (Production Co.), & Armstrong, S., Ferguson, N., Jackson, W., Kinney, J., Roberts, B., Sharpsteen, B. (Directors). (1941). Dumbo [Motion Picture]. USA: Walt Disney Pictures.
Wizard of Oz, The. Dir. Victor Fleming. Perf. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, and Ray Bolger. Warner Bros., 1939.
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Cameron, James, Dir. Titanic. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, 1997.
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in the twenties when a man by the name of Walt "Elias" Disney (1901-66) a
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1980. Warner Bros. Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Music by Wendy Carlos and Rcachel Elkind. Cinematography by John Alcott. Editing by Ray Lovejoy. With Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd.
Walt Disney began in 1923 with a short film called Alice’s Wonderland. It was co-owned by Walt Disney and his brother Roy Disney. Disney moved forward into the future with very popular filmed entertainment such as Mickey Mouse, Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi and so many more until the death of Walt Disney in 1966. Walt Disney was then successfully supervised by Walt’s older brother, Roy Disney, until his death in 1971 after the completion of his brother’s dream, Walt Disney World. It was in 1983 that Disney expanded its operations to include the Disney Channel and the Touchstone Pictures film label. When the new president and CEO, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells, came onto the scene they set out to maximize the company’s assets by opening its famous movies up to the TV syndication market and video cassettes. With the classics easily accessible and available at a lower cost the company grew to greater heights. The success continued in 1988 when Disney movies hit new box office heights bringing in more than $100 million. Then between the years of 1989 to 1994 chart toppers like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King launched the entertainment company to even greater heights. The films were grossing between $200 and $783 million...
Mulan. Dir. Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft. Perf. Ming-Na Wen and Eddie Murphy. Walt Disney Feature Animation, 1998. Videocassette.
Hsiao, Rita, et al. Screenwriters. Mulan. Director Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft. Disney 1998. http://www.unc.edu/~dcderosa/STUDENTPAPERS/childrenbattles/chinaamy.html.
Disney’s first studio was made with Ub Iwerks, a man who would later become Disney’s best friend. The studio was called Iwerks-Disney, which would later be run by only...
Van Sant, G. and Bender, L. (1997). Good Will Hunting. New York City: Miramax Films.
Baron, F., Brown, M., & Luhrmann, B. (Producers). Luhrmann, B (Director). (2001). Moulin Rouge. United States of America: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Steamboat Willie (1928) was his creation, as was the first full-color cartoon, Flowers and carees (1932). He was also responsible for the first animated film that gave the illusion of depth through the use of the multiplane camera, The Old Mill (1937). The cartoon, as realized by Disney, gained even greater stature in 1937 when Walt released his first full-length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He went on to introduce many more innovations to movie making, including stereophonic sound (Fantasia, 1940) and 360-degree projection (Disneyland’s circle-Vision 360, 1955). This remarkable man’s many achievements also include the longest-running prime time television series (1954-1983), the Academy Award-winning true-life adventure nature films. Walt had many great ideas that he needed to share with others. The was a great persuading leader,...
The media, through its many outlets, has a lasting effect on the values and social structure evident in modern day society. Television, in particular, has the ability to influence the social structure of society with its subjective content. As Dwight E. Brooks and Lisa P. Hébert write in their article, “GENDER, RACE, AND MEDIA REPRESENTATION”, the basis of our accepted social identities is heavily controlled by the media we consume. One of the social identities that is heavily influenced is gender: Brooks and Hébert conclude, “While sex differences are rooted in biology, how we come to understand and perform gender is based on culture” (Brooks, Hébert 297). With gender being shaped so profusely by our culture, it is important to be aware of how social identities, such as gender, are being constructed in the media.