Blog Post due Tuesday 11:59PM or in class on Wednesday at 9:05AM

Homework due Tuesday Nov 30 11:59PM:

Read Barbara Ehrenreich's “Maid to Order: The Politics of Other Women's Work” 479-495 and compose a blog response based on ONE of the following prompts:

1. Consider what audience this piece was written for. What assumptions does Ehrenreich make about this audience?

2. Consider Ehrenreich's ethos. What is the central argument of this piece? In what ways does her personal experience build her case?

3. Ehrenreich incorporates a range of research and statistics into her essay. Which statistical examples surprised you? Which are most persuasive? Least persuasive? Why?

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Response to "Children's Culture and Disney's Animated Films"

Personally, I believe that what Giroux displays in this writing is a bit of a stretch.  Honestly, every single kid who watches the Disney movies that we all have come to know and love isn't watching the movies thinking, "Wow, I can't believe The Lion King is stereotypical of the role of women in society or wow, I had no idea that Aladdin shows racism."  The audience for which these movies is intended is too young to know what Giroux claims Disney is portraying even is.  Furthermore, I don't like the fact that Giroux talks negatively about how Disney expanded its company beyond movies to Disneyland, action figures, clothes, stuffed animals, etc.  If Disney was as successful as they were with their films, then why wouldn't they expand their company to improve profit?  It only makes sense.  Overall, I don't really buy what Giroux is saying at all, and I also am not a fan of the fact that he is downgrading one of our best known child memories.
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5 comments:

  1. DanielleOctober 20, 2010 at 9:23 AM

    I completely agree with you. I think that children are honestly naive enough to not connect certain images and story lines with the negative aspects of our society. Some things are more obvious than others, such as Scar in the Lion King being darker than the other lions but at the same time, I know when I watched that for the first time I wasn't sitting there thinking people darker than me are the "bad guys".

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  2. Christian BruchmanOctober 20, 2010 at 9:24 AM

    it's true that children do not understand concepts like looking into sexism and racism when they are young. Looking at roles of certain people in "society" is a stretch. Another point posted was that Disney is making money, in a good moral way.

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  3. Andrew ROctober 20, 2010 at 9:26 AM

    I agree with what you are saying. Kids are watching these movies to be entertained not to be "brain washed" into being racist. No child is watching Aladdin and noticing the racism no kid thinks beyond the action of the movie.

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  4. Jeff ImmelOctober 20, 2010 at 9:27 AM

    I feel the same way you about the piece. Although there might be hints of racism and stereotyping within movies like the Lion King and Alladin i don't feel that children will gain negative knowledge after watching them. Also i agree that there is nothing wrong with Disney trying to make a profit from there products like any other company in the U.S.

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  5. Sean MooreOctober 20, 2010 at 9:39 AM

    I agree, however some would say that these stereotypes and racist aspects of the movies subconsciously teach children things. If kids constantly associate black with the bad guys, whats to say that a child isn't going to grow up and think that African Americans are bad guys just because of the color of their skin? This may happen, but i don't think this is what Disney is aiming for. People could interpret these kinds of things the wrong way and say that they are racist, when they are really just doing these things to show children that these characters are the bad guys when they may not be able to understand this without that help

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