Talking Points #4

Linda Christensen: Unlearning Myths That Bind Us

1.) "We are not only taught certain styles of violence, the latest fashions, and sex roles by TV, movies, magazines, and comic strips: we are also taught how to succeed, how to love, how to buy, how to conquer, how to forger rhe past and suppress the future. We are taught, more than anything else, how not to rebel"

- This is a quote from Dorfman talking about all the underlying messages and lessons cartoons are teaching young children. Most importantly, however, Dorfman says that they mold children to conform to society and not stand up to the injustices in the world. Basically, to not think for themselves.

2.) "There should be more women of color who play the leads in these white-on-white wedding cake tales. Of course, there should also be more women of color on the Supreme Court, in Congress, and scrubbing up for surgeries."

- I liked this quote because it kind of connects the problems in such a small area(cartoons) with the big picture of injustice. The injustice shown in cartoons is directly related to the real life injustice that exists in society.

3.) "Instead of leaving students full of bile, standing around wirh their hands on their hips, shaking their

heads about how bad the world is, I provided them the opportunity to make a difference."

- I really liked this last quote at the end of the article. Christensen is teaching her students here that acknowledging the problems and injustices is not enough. Sitting there ashamed of the world and cynical won't do any good. So she gave the a chance to take the next step make change for the better.

Thoughts:

Overall, I thought this piece was a very quick and easy read, also very good. All of the points that Christensen brought up were very intriguing and things that I really had never thought of before. The way young children think is molded by everything they see, and therefore, cartoons, magazines,and tv play vital roles in how children think of society. Therefore, the injustices and underlying messages in media and ''industrial fiction'' are engrained in the minds of kids at a young age. Thinking back on my younger days, the cartoons and things I watched on TV are outrageously racist, sexist, and stereotypical. This article and the analyzation of such cartoons and media messages is really going to make me think twice when I read, and especially when I watch things on TV.