Disney movies - don't even get me started.

Stereotypes are so ingrained and invisable in our society and that we must always be aware of them even in things that we may perceive as innocent, such as a Disney movie. The readings made me think of how even the most conscientious person in the world probably has some form of stereotypes that come up from time to time and that we must always take a critical look at everything that we see/hear, etc and that we must also be critical of the things that we think. We have to be aware of the things that we think and why we think them, so that we do not fall victim to being judgmental. All forms of media outlets uses stereotypes in order for the audience to remember and understand the information better, e.g. in the case of The Lion King it has been shown that children start producing some form of stereotypes from a young age, and Disney uses that information in order to make a movie that will be liked and remembered by many people. Media is also implicitly enforcing the stereotypes of society, that might not be so prominent, if it was not used in the media. For the media stereotypes are there to help sell whatever it is that they are trying to sell, whether it be news or entertainment, etc.

I spoke to my roommate about the racial hierarchy found in The Lion King and she was shocked and very surprised. She did not want to believe me, until I gave some of the examples (e.g. segragated hyenas, colors of white and black and how they are used through out the film. She did not want to believe that such an 'innocent' film could use such stereotypes. She also did not believe that these could be noticed by the young audience at which this movie is directed. This last statement really got me thinking, is it really important to look at ever stereotype seen in all forms of media? Does it really have an impact on society as a whole? I contemplated this and finally decided that yes it does. These stereotypes, if left undisputed reinforces the invisible dominant ideology and ideas of society. It condones stereotypes and the discriminations associated with them. Also even if such media outlets, like Disney films, are directed towards children who might not be aware of these stereotypes and their visibility in the movies, the fact that the stereotypes are in the films then the children might subliminally and subconsciously pick up on these ques and they will be incorporated into the childrens schemas about life, etc.