It’s true. Disney’s presence in our society is impossible to escape. From the films to the merchandise, kids simply idolize Disney’s creations. The media industry today puts out so many controversial topics that parents opt not to introduce to their children. Disney’s entertainment, however, is considered as a very appropriate outlet for children to learn and grow.
After seeing the video, I was most disturbed about the reaction of the kids when they saw the violence and explicit behavior. It really bothered me when the young girl expressed how she was happy for Bell because she “changed” the Beast into a gentleman. Now girls might get the impression that when your involved in a violent relationship that weighting it out while being kind will make everything better. I never got this impression when I was watching Beauty in the Beast that Bell’s actions was good or bad. It was just a fairy tale and really didn’t affect the way I look at relationships.
However, I can see that this movie could have a negative lasting effect, if a child comes from a broken home. A child might make a connection from Bell and the Beast’s relationship to their future relationship. This message gives the impression that you can change someone that is brutal which could shape the children’s minds.
Yet I grew up on Disney films and my views on different matters are not skewed. I never picked up the sexist or racial activities because I understood it was make believe. I think children are aware of reality but I still hold Disney accountable for the stereotypical ideas distributed in the films and merchandise. I also got the understanding that Disney main priority is to make money and not to distribute accurate information to young minds.
http://www.cracked.com/article_15677_9-most-racist-disney-characters.html
I was unaware of the racial labels directed toward certain characters. It’s a shame that Disney filmmakers would link black people to crows and gorillas. Was that seriously necessary? As a worldwide disturber, Disney should really be cautious of the images that they are delivering to the public. Our society’s views on different ethnicities begin to change ONLY if the media reduce the stereotypical images.
