In reading on Disney's relationship with reality this week, it is interesting to consider their role in children's lives and their own perception of reality. Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mattelart comment on Disney's political reaches and involvement in the lives of children. It seems that Disney has become the standard for pure, moral, and innocent ideals. They are able to easily get away with propagandizing and hide traces of politics since they not only follow but have become this standard.
The authors state that "Children's comics are devised by adults, whose work is determined and justified by their idea of what a child is or should be" (p. 112).
It appears in my interpretation that according to Dorfman and Mattelart, all types of childhood stories and fantasy are politicized and influence children to follow the whims and values determined by the adults writing them. It is no doubt that due to their imaginative and impressionable nature, care must be taken in producing content for children. The types of statements made by Dorfman and Mattleard would come as troubling to any adult and are a critical yet meritable approach. However, I struggle to understand what the authors' suggestion is for keeping politics out of children's literature and other content (if there is a way).
They clearly and skillfully point out the deception in Disney's actions as well as the problematic features of the fantasy world itself. However, does this simply mean that children should only be producing their own content? Or that they should only look to reality and actual social happenings for life lessons? Does any imaginative world created by adults for children have a facilitated political motive even subconsciously? I feel that with further thinking, this piece then brings up a lot of philosophical questions and concerns regarding morality and ethics. If the adults are the ones producing the content that has political tones and influences children, what are the correct, if any, messages that they should be projecting? Should they even be projecting these messages? This only serves to bring about more questions and not much of an idea as to how children's content should even be framed. Although critical and enlightening, I hope to see a solution (if this is even the right word) for approaching the imagination and teaching of children.
On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work. -Renee Sang
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