Stereotypes In Walt Disney's 'Minnie Mouse'

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In the world nowadays, it is almost required by society to have an open mind and heart to all, whether it be along the line of ethnicity, race, religion, or gender, but in the end, we are contradicting ourselves. Our entertainment for children is cultivating the minds of the next generation to view the world the exact opposite way. Yesterday, I sat to watch the show my ten year old sister had on. Apart from the bright colored, unrealistic High School, I instantly recognized a horror from histories past. The stereotypes overwhelmed the entire show. The first character to come out was a ditzy, blonde fashion crazed teenage girl. Next was an Indian boy who only talks about math and has an overly exaggerated accent (strange for being raised in…show more content…
From the start, Minnie Mouse is a house wife who is mainly shown for being a victim of an incident, baking, or cleaning their household. But these aren't the only stereotypes found throughout Mickey Mouse. One, that stood out, was from The Sultan in Mickey in Arabia (1932). As described, by Hope Schreiber, writer and journalist for Complex, wrote, “ A drooling sultan abducts Minnie and attempts to force himself on her. Wish we could say thank God time has changed all that, but we're pretty sure Jafar does the same thing to Jasmine in Aladdin by trying to force her hand in marriage, right?” (Schreiber) Not only does she clarify an example of the long history of stereotyping and racism within kids shows, but he also gives a more recent example. These kids minds are being affected from such a young age, manipulating their mind to think one way, and to further act off of that thought. This claim is investigated by educator and editor, Caroline Knorr as she wrote, According to the report, which analyzed more than 150 articles, interviews, books, and other social-scientific research, gender stereotypes in movies and on TV shows are more than persistent; they're incredibly effective at teaching kids what the culture expects of boys and girls. What makes these messages stick -- and harder for parents to counteract -- is that they're timed for the precise moment in kids' development when they're…show more content…
The message given sticks with them through the years. In these entertainment outlets, there are many political statements being made therefore cultivating the next generations minds. For instance, as described by hollywood reporter, and journalist, Paul Bond, in the movie Incredibles, A family of superheroes give up their heroics after the populace turns on them and lawyers sue them for the destruction they cause when they battle villains. Conservatives have embraced the film as a cautionary tale of what could happen to a society if it encourages frivolous lawsuits while discouraging strong and courageous men and women from fighting evil. (Bond) As shown above, even though the movie is animated, and about a family of superheroes, the overall message is maturly geared towards and noticed by the Conservative party, and other political

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