The Forbidden Kingdom is a movie on a completely different topic but still shows stereotypes indirectly. From showing the asians as better than the whites or showing the landscape to emphasize the white boy as helpless, they show asian and white stereotypes. There is not really any harm in the stereotypes shown in this film but they are the little, unnoticeable times that affect us more because it is subconscious. The movie represents the typical american and asian stereotypes while incorporating subtle hints through the location to enforce the racism we see…
When examining an individual’s appearance, what are the first few characteristics that you identify? Is it their gender? How about their race, or social class? As a society we immediately categorize each other; we classify every aspect of our personalities and presentations. If a certain characteristic of an individual seems to deviate from the social ‘norm’, we cast that individual off and claim them to be different from us. But who are we, and where has our society received these notions of right and wrong? It is important to note that reality is completely relative and totally depends on the culture and the time period. Reality is also fluid and ever changing. It continues to evolve as society either agrees or disagrees on what is acceptable. Today, the media plays a vital role in portraying who and what members of our society should be. Disney has been around for generations and continues to be a dominant media conglomerate that aids in gender socialization of our youth while also painting a vivid…
Walter Elias Disney, born December 5, 1901, was a cartoonist, voice actor, producer and overall a man way ahead of his time. This is a man who came from humble beginnings, he dropped out of high school to join the military but unfortunately was to young therefore was sent to France to drive an ambulance for a year. Even with what little he had this is someone who had a dream to do something great. His passion for art was something that could not go unseen therefore everything he imagined little by little he with the help of his brother and those around him accomplished it. Walt Disney represents imagination, laughter, creation and self-made success in life. He was someone who brought people closer to the future while telling of the past. He will never be forgotten wherever you go you will see a little bit of Disney in the world.…
The film Aladdin narrates the emotive love story of a poor young man who falls in love with the beautiful princess Jasmine and begins a meaningful journey to conquer her love. Aladdin, a “street rat,” as he is often called by those who know him, is a true “diamond in the rough, whose worth lies far within” that has great potential but has not been given the opportunity to shine yet (Clements, Musker). Because of this reason, he is the only one who can enter the Cave of Wonders. He does so to retrieve a magic lamp for Jafar, the Sultan’s evil vizier. This event initiates the departure of the hero’s journey as Aladdin’s encounter with Jafar disguised as an old prisoner signifies the call to adventure. Even though Aladdin is not aware that this is the beginning of his journey, from this point on everything will change. The…
Media plays an important role in the depiction and construction of gender. Several studies exist which have focused on gender role portrayals and gender stereotyping appearing in the media. Considering this phenomenon, gender stereotyping is not only displayed in commercials or other television programs, but these can also be found in media products directed towards children. One of the issues , which is of great interest to many researchers is that even fairy tales, like cartoons and animation films, present male and female characters portrayed stereotypically (Robinson et al. 2006:203). Fairy tales have been the first kind of literature with which children…
For generations, Walt Disney films have been a “must watch” by parents, children and their families. However, these people may not see the hidden meanings behind Disney films. Currently, children are constantly exposed to media and opinions inherently presented within television, films, radio, books and more. Disney films are no exception. The films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty all reinforce traditional gender roles, and the idea that lightness is supreme and will help when it comes to goodness conquering evil.…
By listening to all of speeches that were presented in class, I was able to hear that in Natalie’s speech, we both mentioned how people stereotype females when playing sports as she had mentioned that the movie Shes the man quoted, ‘Girls aren’t as fast, strong or athletic than boys’ and I have mentioned that we stereotype girls at sports as we assumed they run in a crazy matter and are worrying about their hair. Both Melanie and I also stated that we stereotype boys and girls in Disney films. This can be seen as I discussed in my speech that from the image of Belle, it is shown how she has a long, slim neck, an impossibly thin waist and a narrow wrist. Melanie, on the other hand, has mentioned that when going out on special occasions, women…
“I come from a land from a faraway place where the caravan camels roam. Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face. It’s barbaric, but hey, its home.” These are just a portion of the lyrics from the opening song “Arabian Nights.” Now after hearing those words and actually thinking about them, no viewer can say that it is not racial. It is giving off the idea that Islamic and Arabic cultures are barbaric, which is not true for all cases. It is not giving a true sense of an Arabic’s life. Along with this, the characters also portray a sense of racism. Like in The Lion King the evil guys are not American. In Aladdin, they seem to be very Arabic, all with Arabic names. However Aladdin looks like an American boy and is seen as the good…
However, the man giving the scroll to Mulan’s father yells at her saying that she is being completely disrespectful, and should know when and how to speak in the presence of a man. Mulan’s father is greatly disappointed in her, telling her that she has brought dishonor to his name. In this article “Review: The Emperor's Old Groove: Decolonizing Disney's Magic Kingdom,” by Brenda Ayres, she describes how most of the Disney movies have some sort of underlying message to them. Many of these movies depict how woman should act or show the difference in social classes. Many critics who have watched most of the Disney princess movies “promotes any source of female empowerment as evil, and concludes by naming recent animated films such as Aladdin, Mulan and Pocahontas as sexist and xenophobic, declaring that the purpose of the Disney apparatus is that of swaying children to conform to Victorian Western notions of gender behavior. Confusing the readers by oscillating between reiterating the charges that she has already made [urges society] to remember that no man or corporation can depict a morality that is politically correct and acceptable to all of [society]” (194). This demonstrates how Mulan has no right to talk back to the men who have a higher standing than women. Men are superior over women, and they feel great dishonor when they…
A young princess is stolen from her parents by a vain old witch in the dead of night. The magical long haired princess, Rapunzel, is locked up in a tower only to be discovered by a thief on the run. Her world is flipped upside down, by finding out secrets, going on an adventure of a lifetime and falling in love. Walt Disney’s Tangled is a modern day take on the German fairy tale Rapunzel that revolves around a princess with long hair. Walt Disney films are a classic childhood staple for young boys and girls alike. They are exciting, colourful and will pull at your heart strings, yet serve valuable life lessons. Disney has made a tremendous impact on the lives of children by teaching them they can achieve anything they put their minds to, to…
One example of the racial stereotypes from this classic film is the songs in the movie. Specifically the song “I Wan’na Be Like You” that King Louie sang to Mowgli showed how discriminatory this film really is toward the African Americans in this time in history. When broken down they say, “I want to be a man, mancub/and stroll right into town And be just like the other men/I'm tired of monkeying around. I want to be like you./Oh yes it's true. I want to walk like you,/ talk like you do. You see it's true./ An ape like me can learn to be Human too…” (The Jungle Book, 2016), these lyrics describe how the orangutans, that are given African American characteristics, want to be like the boy, Mowgli, and live his ideal life because he is believed…
"Brode emerges [as] a worthy proponent of Disney's democratic vision, wielding a powerful argument for Disney as a forerunner of multicultural values in America. The significance of his work cannot be overstated."…
While viewing the movie, I learned that discrimination occurs throughout our everyday lives. The question is why it is occurring so much throughout the world and people are not being treated fairly just because of who they are. People judge others through how they are or look but, never by who they are. I believe if a person views this movie, they should have an understanding of how to learn to not discriminate or be prejudice towards not only Arabs but, every other race. Why is prejudice and discrimination occurring throughout our daily lives? As Arabs, there are many reasons for example; 9/11, beliefs and values, and culture/religion.…
In all these versions, readers or viewers find a common thread to all. The wicked stepmother and siblings are either punished or forgiven, while the sweet, gracious, and beautiful Cinderella marries the prince, and as such escapes her miserable life. According to this tale, marriage is the ultimate goal in life especially for the woman. In Cinderella, all the maidens in town go to the ball just to marry the prince. Even Cinderella desires to go because she sees marriage to the prince as the solution to her problem. “The ideological and psychological pattern and message of either Perrault’s or the Grimms’ Cinderella do nothing more than reinforce sexist values and a Puritan ethos that serves a society which fosters competition and achievement for survival” (Breaking the Magic 195). And this applies to the other two versions in this analysis. Women are typecast as incomplete and invisible without the prince, who obviously is a wealthy archetype. There is a certain important message in Cinderella that is most profitable to marry a rich man, because it earns the woman respect and dignity.…
Europe and America are powerful imperial nations who have, through colonialism since the 18th century, sought to impose their dominant cultural values and political ideology on societies that they regard as ‘subordinate’ to their own. They do this in order to maintain control over radically different cultures who they believe pose a threat to Western interests. Edward Said coined the term ‘Orientalism’ propagating the ideas that much of the fine art, film and literature created by Western artists concerning the East and especially the Islamic Arab world, seek to represent the Eastern culture as having antithetic and thus dangerous values that the West wants to neutralise to maintain world order. These representations are often misleading and prejudiced founded on unreliable knowledge inspiring negative connotations causing a sense of fear amongst Western people of anything different to their way of living. Aladdin (1992) is an animation created by Walt Disney, adapted from the Middle Eastern folktale, The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 nights. Under close scrutiny this animation is a perfect demonstration of the mass Western viewpoint of the Orient namely the Arabian world.…