Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us - Christensen
Arguement:
Christensen argues that the media has corrupted the minds of children sending them false messages about life, people, and themselves. The media shows children the "right" way of life, but not reality.

Quotes:
1) "When we read children's books, we aren't just reading cute little stories, we are discovering the tools with which a young society is manipulated."
- When I was little (and still to this day) my favorite princess was Belle from Beauty and the Beast. I remember not caring about the words so much, but the pictures drilled themelves into my head. I loved how pretty she was, how well she could sing, her hair and makeup perfect. Not an ounce of fat on her perfect little body. She was white with brown hair and I used to think I was her....(that was until I fell inlove with Pocahontas). Then there was the beast, dark fur, ugly face, lived alone.....up until he found love did he turn into a handsome white man. Belle meaning beauty was a white female kidnapped by this beast, who was very dark (reminding me of African American) locked in a dungeon until she found the good in him. This portrays a lot of things that maybe children can not put together, but will learn to see. And it is not only in princess stories or cartoons, but chapter books as well. As a child I read the story Oliver Twist which portrayed all homeless people to be theives. Although this is not true it was what was instilled in my mind until my Uncle Jack became homeless. He did not steal a dime off of anyone, but I was afraid of him because I was afraid of the characters in the book. I had it in my head that my own uncle would steal from me.

2) "Brazilian educator Paulo Freire wrote that instead of wrestling with words and ideas, too often students 'walk on the words.'"
- People don't take the time to "dissect" what they allow their children to watch. Some parents let they're kids watch whatever they want just to keep them quiet and out of their hair. What they don't know is that their children are thinking ok if mommy lets me watch this then it must be ok, so they mimmic what they see. My nephew Jason watches horrible cartoons that are given on cartoon network, and he loves hitting people because that is what he sees. One night I was kneeling down outside killing a slug with salt...haha....and he came and punched my right in the middle of my back screaming somethinghe heard on a cartoon. This was no light punch it left a bruise on my back! Parents don't pay close enough attention to certain things that should matter to them because their child is slowly, but surely being affected by it.

3) "No one wants to admit they've been 'handled' by the media."
- Speaks for itself.

4) "Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved though consumption - in their case, through new clothes and new hairstyle."
- Every fairytale ends with the girl getting the guy. Is that the only source of happiness in ones life? This means every girl needs a man to be happy....which is not true. And for those girls who are bisexual, or lesbian this is a slap in the face. Are they wrong for not wanting that PRINCE charming as their happy ending? Just like that book King and King they took it out of schools for the last page of them kissing.....for a boy who is gay,that shows that it is frowned upon to show affection to the one you love. Not everyone's happy ending is going to be the same. These stories also show that you need to be pretty in order to be loved. You must change your clothes and put on an act to get someone to fall inlove with you. These are things being thrown at children secretly. These subliminal messages that make our kids self concious and insane about looking good to take a walk down the street.

Comments:
- Reading this article made me think back to the essay I wrote on subliminal messages in Disney movies. All of the inappropriate drawings that flash too quickly through a film for you to see. You can actually You Tube the words "Subliminal Messages" and a bunch of results will come up. I believe that the media has a tremendous influence on the way children grow up to act, but it is everywhere and it's not going to stop. As much as I would like to put on a cartoon and not see a race being made fun of just to boost ratings or practically anorexic pricesses hobbling around acting helpless and in need of a man to save them, it's not going to happen. Disney Princess are classics and no matter what messages are in them who doesn't love to sit and watch a disney classic? You can stop your child from watching cartoons, but its not like they won't be influenced by the outside world. You can't keep your child in a shell. They are going to make decisions on their own and find out about life whether it be superficial or something else. You can teach your child what you see and what you know, but ultimately they will decide what they want for themselves. Whether they want to spend all of their money on designer clothes, shoes, and makeup. Whether they want to wear something that will most likely get them the guy they want. No matter what we think, children have a mind of their own and their isn't much we can do to change them.
My little sister Marrina is COMPLETELY not what I expected her to be, and in a way I'm glad. I mean she gets on my nerves a lot and I can't stand talking to her at times, but she's her own person. She was born prematurely at 1lb 4oz and had plenty of complications but as she got older she was so cute! We dressed her in doll clothes and pink bows. Well we knew she was different the day she started playing with watches. She never liked Barbies. She would only play with watches and duck tape. She would run around on all fours like a wacko (she thought she was a Pokemon). She grew out of watches and resulted in paper. Now she makes "paper friends" and draws all day long. She comes up with the weirdest stories....but she's herself. She doesn't wear pink, she likes rock music, she could care less about what people think of her, she's bisexual and happy and would like to grow up to be an Animator. People at school make fun of her for not wearing Abercrombie and Hollister (the brands I like), but she brushes it off because she likes who she is.