November 29th

This lecture really opened up a new perspective that I never thought of before: the idea that Disney can shape the childhood of many across the world. I had my fair share of preferences and merchandise of my favorite cartoons when I was a child, but it never occurred to me that they had a part in shaping what kind of child was being. It’s pretty scary now to think of all the little girls that dream of being or living the life of Disney princesses, which mainly revolve around being the idea of pretty that they have placed in their heads while also hoping the man of their dreams comes and saves them. Those are concepts that shouldn’t be a goal for children, who should just be playing and living life as a kid before things get more complicated when they are older. It has definitely made me believe that I won’t raise my children that way and allow them to idolize the cartoons the way that children are doing now. Instilling values such as health and intelligence are much more important and should be much more emphasized than the constant consumption of television and what the television tells them to think about (say, a form of agenda setting?) and what to tell their parents to get them or do for them. One idea above all else that I would implement is to learn to be their own person and to try their best not to let anyone else tell them how they should be, as long as they’re happy.