Week 1 Presentations

I really enjoyed the first week of presentations last Thursday in class. My favorite presentation dealt with the stereotypes that exist in cartoons - especially discussing how those stereotypes affect the socialization of children, who are the primary watchers of most of the cartoons.

For example, the clip of Speedy Gonzalez was great to watch, because it demonstrated how there would be a lot of debate among people who consider the cartoon simply funny and not to be taken seriously, and those who find it offensive because of the obvious stereotypes that hold no truth to Hispanic/Latino culture. For children who grow up watching such cartoons become unconsciously socialized to associate all Mexicans with being lazy, violent, stupid and untrustworthy - and that's only a few of the stereotypes portrayed in the clip.

Also, with The Princess and the Frog, the film shows that while society has come a long way race-wise because we do have our first black Disney princess, questions still arise about why her prince wasn't black as well? Or why the side characters in the film would have stereotypical racial characteristics?

The presentation brings up many questions and discussions that I feel should be looked at more. It's easy to watch a cartoon or something valued for it's comedic content and say it shouldn't be taken seriously, but there's always stereotypes running through these cartoons and disregarding them can sometimes be the worst way to handle it.