Disney Movies

Like most other kids of the '90s I grew up watching Disney movies. They were magical and spectacular to watch, but I never noticed any of the underlying themes Giroux talks about. It seems like the themes of racism and sexism are things one does not really notice in Disney movies until someone points it out, and once that happens you can not help but notice. While I do not think the Disney creators intentionally made racist and sexist films, I have to say there is no denying the fact that some of the films are a bit racist and sexist. I also do not believe that watching Disney movies corrupts children. We all grew up watching these movies and we are not more inclined to racism and sexism than those that did not. The examples from Aladdin are the most obvious examples of racism in Disney movies. The theme song lyrics are a bit ridiculous and making the bad guy look like the typical Arab does sort of cast Arabs in a bad light. I think that a lot of the messages are more for adults to pick up on. No 6 year old is going to watch the Little Mermaid and realize that Ariel gave up everything for a man, and realize that that is both unrealistic and wrong. It is up to the parents to watch these movies, realize the underlying themes and make sure to show alternatives of those views to their children.