Talking Points #4

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us
By: Linda Christensen

In highschool I took a class where we studied media and the effects that it had on society. One thing the we looked at was cartoons. When you think of cartoons you think of innocent, funny clips that children watch at home when theyre too young to go to school. When I was a kid, I loved Doug Funny. That was def. no questions asked my main man in crime, my homeboy. As I got a little older, I like to watch Saved by the Bell before I caught the bus. I was lucky enough to even catch back to back eposides. Yeah, be jealous ;). But when you stop and think about it, these cartoons like Doug Funny, or whatever you watched as a kid didnt really teach you. Instead they just feed you misconceptions of the world, and you didnt even realize it.

1. "The impact of racism begins early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from ourselves (pg. 126.)

I didnt realize that children where exposed to racism as early as preschool years until I really looked into and studied cartoons. Who would of thought? I think society has gotten better at having educational TV programs and less goofy, pointless cartoons. Now-a-days, I think children programs are more educational than what they were. Some programs ask you retorical questions where you think, help you count, and so forth. But, cartoons still exist that sterotype different types of people in society.

2. "Many students dont want to believe that they have been manipulated by children's media or advertising. No one wants to admot that they've been "handled" by the media. They assure me that they make their own choices and the media has no power over them...(pg.128).

Nobody wants to admit that cartoons did lead them to believe misconceptions. Haha I know i dont but, Im sure as a kid I thought things about certain people, religions, cultures, and so forth because of how they were portrayed in the media. Yeah, we make our own decisions. As my grandpa always tells me, "Tara, dont forget you're the captain of your ship ;)"... But in the back of your mind, consciously or unconsciously, your thinking about the misconceptions and false information you have been feed my society.

3. "Instead of leaving students full of bile, standing with their hands on their hips, shaking their heads about how bad the world is, I provided them the opportunity to make a difference (pg. 137)."

Ah, can I just tell you how much I loved this quote! Seriously, too many teachers just leave you hanging. Leave you thinking wow, thats messed up. But i guess thats how society is and theres nothing i can do about it so i just have to accept it. No. Thats not how students should leave a classroom. More teachers need to provide students the opportunity to make a difference. As a teacher, you need to be creative in thinking of how to do this. How to make students make a difference and feel proud of themselves! I want to teach like this. I want each of my students to feel like if they dont like something, they can act upon it and make a difference in the world- no matter how big or small the issue is.

"Catkin wanted to publish her piece in a magazine for young women so they would begin to question the origin of the standards by which they judge themselves. (pg.137)" Catkin must of felt so proud of herself, and that is such an amazing feeling for a student to feel. She felt like she could make a difference in the world and she wanted to. She wanted to help others to see the truth. Thats adorbale :)

In conclusion, as teachers we need to keep in mind that students already have misconceptions in their minds about different people in society because of how media portrays them. Have students study media and find out truths and myths for themselves. Let them see the light. See that media plays a big role in how they see the world. So, lets fix these misconceptions and give them truths. Let students make a difference in the world by showing them how.