First of all, culture globalization in Joseph Chan’s view is Westernization. This is most prominent in Disney movies. Mulan was the first Asian story that Disney created basing on the a legend on Mulan, a young woman who for the obligatory love to her father dressed up as a man and went to war. Yet, most of us have seen this movie, and fall for the trap. Believing that what is portrayed in Disney is what happened.
Mulan, according to the Chinese is an unacceptable portrayal of who the true Mulan was. In the movie she is more Americanized, by being giving feministic and individualistic approaches. This leads to the point of this blog. As kids we already form stereotypes, but these stereotypes are not really ours, they are ingrained in us by what our culture thinks of others. Meaning, in this case, Walter Disney formed a subconscious stereotype about Asians.
Most American children are first introduced to China when there mother sticks in that Mulan DVD. The movie shows symbols that the Chinese take seriously (like dragons, or ancestors) and make them a joke (Mushu, the dragon who can never breathe fire until the very end, or the ancestors rocking the temple house when Mulan comes back with the Emperor’s sword). Also, landmark events in the movie such as the Tianamen Square or the Buddha caves are shown as part of the Chinese culture to these children. Although these movies are informative they also start as a base for what an American views of a Chinese culture for example.
Furthermore there are some American aspects that are included such as the fried eggs and sausage for breakfast that Mushu makes for Mulan before she heads out. All in all, most cultures in these movies are Americanized thus fundamentally creating a bias for children at a young age. Another example would be Pochantas, its not until middle school when you realize that John Smith was not “that beautiful man who you wish was yours”. In the movie the Native Americans are portrayed as savages, whilst the Whites are doing a favor to this nation.
To sum up, my true question is, are these movies a great source of entertainment for children, or do they subconsciously create stereotypes about other cultures that could be dangerous?
I agree with you that in many ways these Disney movies are creating cultural stereotypes, especially in children. This may not be the aim of the creators of the movies whose main goal is to create a movie that will be entertaining and profitable, but the alterations that are added to the stories to make them more entertaining for Americans often end up enforcing preexisting stereotypes. In your post you mention Pocahontas, and I think this is a prime example. The mistreatment of the Native Americans is a part of American history that is often suppressed or glossed over. When we are young we learn about how our ancestors shared a friendly meal with the Native Americans on Thanksgiving, but many of us don't learn about the massacres of Native American tribes or Trail of Tears until much later in our education. Rather than show the truth behind the story of Pocahontas, Disney dramatizes the story, especially the love between Pocahontas and John Smith to make the film more appealing to viewers. Unfortunately, it seems that again and again truth and fair representation fail victim to the desire for profit.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. If you see my post about Mulan and how it influences racist ideas, you will see that. But I also agree with Allena who points out that Americans end up enforcing preexisting stereotypes. In almost all movies, there is an example of a stereotype within them. And it's not always white people stereotyping others, but it's even seen in "black" films in which they have a stereotypical white person. While entertainment does not necessarily have to teach lessons in all aspects, it does need to hopefully send out some type of a semi-positive message.
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