Mulan

I think I have too much to say on the subject of the ‘Disney is corrupting our kids’ things, just because I really don’t believe that it is. I know that there is evidence of corruption in some Disney movies, but that’s to keep the adults and parents interested and let’s face it, things would be pretty boring if we never had controversy in our media. Disney it just making movies for young kids to watch and enjoy, not trying to morph their little brains into thinking stereotypical thoughts. Actually, the Disney generation, ya know, the kids who grew up with the classic Disney movies (Which I am proud to be a part of)  has brought up a lot of controversial topics in the real world. We are the generation who’s probably broken a lot of the stereotypical roles and even tried to get the law of same sex marriage passed. If Disney was really corrupting us, would we be running around fulfilling our stereotypical gender roles?

But I’m off topic here. The real topic is one particular movie, called Mulan. This movie makes and breaks many of the stereotypical roles. In the beginning of the movie, they have a whole song (“You’ll Bring Honor To Us All”) In which they explain to Mulan the duties of a woman in China, including only bearing sons and that the only way a woman could bring honor to the family is if she married a good man.  This is a very good example of the stereotypical role, but I think Disney threw this song in there to show what Mulan should be like in contrast to who she actually is (which is the whole point of the movie.). Another typical gender role is the men. Shang, the leader of the army, is very much a stereotypical male. He never shows his emotions, and he’s always seen as an imposing, dominant figure in the movie.  The other men as well are very stereotypical, in which they are very headstrong, rush into things without thinking, and get into fights constantly. When Mulan enters the army, Mushu tells her how to walk and how to act because it’s a ‘man thing.’  The song “Be A Man” is pretty much stereotypical all on its own. There is many more, but I’m just giving you an idea.

But for as much gender stereotypical roles as there are in Mulan, there are very many un-stereotypical moments. First of all, Mulan herself is cmpletly unstereotypical. She speaks out, she runs away from home to go to the war, she learns to fight and she even calls the shots on how to defeat the villain in the end. She is seen as a strong woman, who is able to think for herself and accomplish anything without someone to help her.  Shang is very stereotypical up until the end, where he becomes embarrassed and awkward around Mulan, much like a stereotypical girl would do. Even the three army men, Yao, Ling, and Chein Po are ready to go help a woman, and even dress as women without complaints to help their friend Mulan. At the end, they are even seen crying as Mulan is bowed to in the movie. Even the emperors councilman is more like a girl than a guy; conniving against Shang, being angry with the other men who ruined his slippers in the water. If anyone has a reverse gender role in the movie, it’s him.

Oh, and that whole “A Girl Worth Fighting For” Song? Sorry, you tube video. But I really don’t think its men seeing women as objects. They are talking about their dream girls, and we’ve all had dreams about who we would fall in love with, and how we imagined they would look and act. Hell, if talking about dream lovers is suddenly sexist, then I must be the most sexist person in the world.

There’s a lot of other points I wanted to make, but really I have to keep this blog condensed. Mulan is much more gender bending then it is gender stereotyping. I think the only reason they put in gender stereotypes is to wow audiences with how Mulan herself wasn’t the typical girl. And that makes the movie interesting.

Thanks guys. Good luck in the years ahead!

BLogging

Blogging. It was something I thought I would never do in my lifetime. It was something I heard about, and ignored, telling myself I will never do it. I never had the desire to go on the internet and post to the world about what I had seen or heard. Actually, I had a ver different image of blogging before this class. When I heard the word blog, I instantly thought of a young teenage girl behind a keyboard, putting down the drama of her day as if it were the end of the world in a place for the whole world to see. I must say I have a different view of it now, though the image or the drama teenager still remains in the back of my mind.

Will I ever blog again? I’m going to be really honest with you, and say I most likely will not. Sure it was a great way to talk with others about different conflicts or opinions, and it’s a wonderful outlet for people to express their knowledge an opinions on media and politics etc. But it’s not for me. I don’t enjoy writing about something I have read or watched, and then commenting on what I liked and didn’t like, or the controversial issues that it brought up. I would much rather debate such things in person, face to face rather than over the internet. 

Another reason I will most likely not blog again is because I have a hard time talking about myself or my opinions in written form. I am still trying to figure out where I stand on different subjects, and find that most of the time I am incredibly passive, and can’t choose a side because I can understand where both are coming from. Because of this, its hard for me to write a blog and express my true opinions on it. Most of the time, for my grades sake, I would just choose a side and write on it, but I never felt that I particularly agreed.

Plus I always find it hard to get 500 words out in a single blog. I either have much more to say, or I feel that I can write my opinion in less than the post length.

But I do have to say, it helped me to understand the assignments a lot better than I would have if we were not blogging. I find that I can write 500 words much faster and easier than before, and that the word count doesn’t bother me anymore. It has also made me aware of the people who may read this later on, and that I need to take my audience into consideration when I write anything from now on. I need to be careful of word structure and how I bring up controversial topics so I will not offend anyone with a different opinion. These are the traits I am very thankful for, an without blogging I may have never received them.

Thanks for a wonderful semester you guys. It was really awesome!

Seperating classrooms?

Restak has a lot of evidence to back up his claim that girls and boys think differently from each other. Boys are much more tactile, as in they learn better through using their hands. This includes things like making large projects or models. Girls, on the other hand, learn better through sitting and listening to a teacher. Restak stats that elementary schools are geared more for teaching girls, while universities are more for boys. Of course, this is not how the schools were supposed to be set up, but what would happen if we educated boys and girls differently depending on their sex?

Let’s go over the positives of this first. Separating the education of boys and girls would give each child an equal opportunity for success. By focusing how each child learns differently will enable the children to learn at the same rate, and help them succeed in their studies. This will earn higher grade averages and reduce the hyperactivity. The girls and boys will also have fewer distractions if they are separated. The boys will be less hyper, and therefore be able to focus while the girls will not be distracted by the disruptions of the boys and therefore will focus also. Academically, this may be a good idea for the educational systems to look into.

But there’s always a con to every pro. Although this will increase children’s grades, it will cause social problems. Discrimination between boys and girls will increase in school children. The boys and girls may not understand why they are separated, and therefore assume that they are better or completely different from the opposite gender. Even though this already happens in schools today, the amount will increase if the children are separated based on sex. They may not receive the social skills they will need in the future in dealing with other people and especially the opposite gender. Girls will more so play with girls, and vice versa with boys. They may also not learn skills they would need in the future because of how differently girls and boys learn. Boys may not learn how to take verbal direction and girls may not learn how to learn by doing. 

This idea is a good one, but it can have significant changes in a child’s life. I believe that we shouldn’t separate schools entirely, but we should gear the educational system equally so that both genders would be able to succeed. Schools should split the work half and half; Half the work should be paperwork, sitting and listening to the teacher or reading from the text. The other half should be more hands on projects, such as making models or doing projects. This way, there is less stress on the boys to pay attention in class, and more of a challenge for girls. It evens the playing field, and makes it so both genders have a chance to succeed. It will also reduce the hyperactivity in boys and prepare girls for task they may have in the future that would prove challenging if they are not skilled with their hands.

Whose responsible?

I believe that the artist is mostly responsible for being a role model for children, if that is the target audience they want. It an artist is making music and trying to be a role model for children, they are entirely responsible for being a role model to what they do. The artist chooses what they create, how they dress and how they act in front of people. All artists should take into account who may be watching or listening to their creations, and should be ware that children are being exposed to it.

If an artist wants to be a role model for children, they are taking full responsibility for what they expose the children too, and should think about the appropriate way to dress, behave, and what they can include in their material. They control how they are, and how they appear to the world, and in the end it is their say so on what they expose the world to. If they say they want children to listen to their stuff and then run around almost half naked, they are ultimately responsible for the children who watch. An artist needs to remember who is their main target audience in order to write and act appropriately.

If an artist doesn’t say they are a role model for kids, then they can’t be held responsible for what the kids watch. That is the parent’s responsibility. The parents should be the ultimate censorship for their children. If they do not want their children watching something, they shouldn’t allow their children to see it. If the artist doesn’t claim to be a role model for the kids, then the parents cannot blame them for ‘corrupting’ their children. Parents can keep their children from watching material they don’t want the kids exposed to, and if they don’t put any blocks or restrictions on the children, they can’t get angry and blame the artist.

Mostly, it is the parent’s responsibility, because they should control what their kids see and hear. Parents should take responsibility if they’re child is exposed to something that they find offensive, especially if they took no precautions to stop their children.  The parents that do take precautions, and make sure they let their children watch only what they deem appropriate have little to know problems with the sometimes offensive stuff artists will say and do. The artists should not be blamed for expressing themselves, unless they called themselves a role model for kids.

And even in that case, the parents should still be involved with their children’s lives. That way they can see who is an appropriate model or artist for their child to see. This way, even if their child is exposed to something they think if offensive, they can stop it or explain it to their child so that they understand it. Parents are an important part of children’s lives, and if they don’t censor what their child watches, then they can’t complain about what’s on the media.

Whose responsible?

I believe that the artist is mostly responsible for being a role model for children, if that is the target audience they want. It an artist is making music and trying to be a role model for children, they are entirely responsible for being a role model to what they do. The artist chooses what they create, how they dress and how they act in front of people. All artists should take into account who may be watching or listening to their creations, and should be ware that children are being exposed to it.

If an artist wants to be a role model for children, they are taking full responsibility for what they expose the children too, and should think about the appropriate way to dress, behave, and what they can include in their material. They control how they are, and how they appear to the world, and in the end it is their say so on what they expose the world to. If they say they want children to listen to their stuff and then run around almost half naked, they are ultimately responsible for the children who watch. An artist needs to remember who is their main target audience in order to write and act appropriately.

If an artist doesn’t say they are a role model for kids, then they can’t be held responsible for what the kids watch. That is the parent’s responsibility. The parents should be the ultimate censorship for their children. If they do not want their children watching something, they shouldn’t allow their children to see it. If the artist doesn’t claim to be a role model for the kids, then the parents cannot blame them for ‘corrupting’ their children. Parents can keep their children from watching material they don’t want the kids exposed to, and if they don’t put any blocks or restrictions on the children, they can’t get angry and blame the artist.

Mostly, it is the parent’s responsibility, because they should control what their kids see and hear. Parents should take responsibility if they’re child is exposed to something that they find offensive, especially if they took no precautions to stop their children.  The parents that do take precautions, and make sure they let their children watch only what they deem appropriate have little to know problems with the sometimes offensive stuff artists will say and do. The artists should not be blamed for expressing themselves, unless they called themselves a role model for kids.

And even in that case, the parents should still be involved with their children’s lives. That way they can see who is an appropriate model or artist for their child to see. This way, even if their child is exposed to something they think if offensive, they can stop it or explain it to their child so that they understand it. Parents are an important part of children’s lives, and if they don’t censor what their child watches, then they can’t complain about what’s on the media.