1. Christensen: "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us"

In "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us," Christensen writes of her own experiences and issues with American media, along with teaching her students to view it critically. She "wants [her] students to question [the] accepted knowledge and the secret education delivered by cartoons as well as by the traditional literary canon" (127). Disney movies and Saturday morning cartoons are not being critically assessed by children; they unknowingly accept the subtle (or not so subtle) stereotypes and grow up believing them to be true. Girls start believing women cannot have brains and beauty, Ursula is the evil sea witch from The Little Mermaid and while she's smart, she's ugly (130), and if a girl wants to be happy, it "means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption - in their case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle" (133). On the same token, boys learn that "men must be virile and wield power or be old and the object of 'good-natured' humor" (131).

Christensen also makes a point to say that people should not just make note of and realize these stereotypes are in place, but should try to enact change. She does not think it is enough to teach the students "that it's enough to be critical without taking action[.] That we can quietly rebel in the privacy of the classroom while we practice our writing skills, but we don't really have to do anything about the problems we uncover, nor do we need to create anything to take the place of what we've expelled" (134). As a teacher, her goal is to mold her students' critical thinking skills, while using it to incite them into action and strive for change.

I didn't really have any issues comprehending this reading. I suppose I don't really understand how people can honestly take cartoons or Disney movies for example so seriously, especially the outdated ones Christensen was writing about. Peter Pan is from the early 1900s and Walt Disney's version is from 1953, obviously Wendy is viewed as the mother and it's the only role she has to fill. Even her examples of newer cartoons - Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Mulan are 10 years old. Now everything has to be so politically correct that kids watch animals, or even inanimate objects (like cars), fall in love and what sexist or racist lesson could kids possibly learn from cars?

This reading relates to the 3rd assumption the course is shaped by, that media matters. She says, "many students don't want to believe that they have been manipulated by children's media or advertising...they assure me that they make their own choices and the media has no power over them - as they sit with Fubu, Nike, Timberlands or whatever the latest fashion rage might be" (128). Teenagers and youth are ruled by the norms presented by the media; whether they accept or reject them, their lives are still being dictated.

I grew up watching Winnie the Pooh, Barney, and Sesame Street, all popular children's shows, but Christensen doesn't address them. Instead she discusses now outdated programs; some of which are no longer on television, yet Sesame Street has been on the air for 40 years. I guess it must be doing something right or she would've mentioned it as being detrimental to the psyche of growing children.