Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Should Parents Restrict Their Children from Watching Disney Movies

In class last week we talked a lot about how Disney may put wrong ideas into children's heads. Especially little girls. When every story the Princess needs her Prince to live happily ever after, and that males are stronger than women, and many other ideas. Should these movies go to an older crowd of children,or is the age they are watching them at appropriate.
My take on this is that I will most definitely allow my children to watch these Disney movies,although I will ensure that I explain not everything in a movie is true and explain to them that it is JUST a movie.
Also Disney has just recently come out with Princess and the Frog, where the princess is not white. Why did it take Disney so long to come out with a movie like this? I don't understand why it took so long!

3 comments:

  1. I agree with you! I do not understand why it took Disney so long to become more multiracial in their movies. Also I will also be showing my children these movies while explaining not all the time life is a fairytale. I do not feel parents should stop their children from seeing Disney movies. However I do agree that the messages are very horrible and should not have been in the movie I do not see it hindering a child. I have seen every single Disney movie you can name and none of the hidden messages had any kind of affect in me and do you want to know why? Well because I was a kid and I was not paying attention to any of that. In fact I did not know anything about the hidden messages until I was much older around high school years. All in all I think that is ridiculous to stop children from seeing Disney movies.

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  2. I agree with you Samantha. I will not restrict my children from watching Disney movies. I will simply explain to them that it is just a movie. I will let them know that you don't need a (boy) prince to live happily ever after, boys are not always stronger than girls, etc. As far as if these movies should go to an older crowd of children, I think that is a very good question and something to think about. Personally, I think the age group is appropriate. As long as the parents are explaining to their children that this is not how life really goes then the child should be fine. It is up to the parents to educate their young children and find out what they are thinking based on the Disney movies they are watching and help shape their perceptions.

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  3. I disagree with this statement for a few reasons. First, they are simply fairy tales and stories. They are simply meant to be fun and exciting for children. They are for entertainment purposes, not persuasions or telling children how they should live and what their lives should be like. Everything in these movies should not be mimicked and believed by everyone who watches them. I understand that young children are impressionable and often times believe things that are said and done without knowing that they are forming these ideas and opinions. But, it is a movie and they see how their mothers and fathers behave which have the biggest impact on them. If there is concern over watching such movies, it can be explained to the kids after the movie that life is different than these movies make it out to be. Show them that this is sometimes peoples opinions of the way boys or girls are but give them examples and show them why it is not true. It is not only disney movies that show men being strong. It is everywhere. It is in other movies, TV shows, and all across the media. Children are not going to only get these ideas in their head from disney movies. Just banning your children from watching disney movies is not going to change on the way your child sees certain stereotyps because they are prevalent everywhere.

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