Mickey Mouse Needs a Makeover

After watching the documentary “Mickey Mouse Monopoly,” I was surprised that so many questionable messages are being presented to children, without much oversight or uproar from the general community.

While many criticize scholars for over-analyzing movies, books and other forms of entertainment, after viewing this documentary, I feel even more criticism is needed; after all we are talking about entertainment designed for children.

What stuck out the most to me was the impact these cartoons can have on young girls. It is almost like the fairytale adaptations are teaching them “learned helplessness.” They should accept their lot in life, without any attempt to better it, and they should all be understanding of the man’s dominant role in life, regardless of how he treats others.

In conjunction, we must ask how these same themes affect young boys and their perception of how they should treat girls, and later in life women.

Another aspect of the film that stuck out to me was the overprotectiveness of people toward the Disney Company. As I mentioned, earlier, Disney has a questionable past. And while I can accept that most children don’t know of this, I feel parents should, or at least the should make the attempt to educate themselves about the company producing the entertainment they show their children.

Finally, I find there should be more activism dedicated to making changes in children’s programming and entertainment options. If the public demanded it with more force, Disney would likely concede, because as their CEO pointed out in the film the company’s main mission is to make money.