In the chapter that we read on structuralism, it defined structuralism as an “attempt to shift away from the humanistic viewpoint that people are self-directing, autonomous agents and to focus instead on the structures which give coherence, regularity and meaning to social interactions” (55). I thought this video was a good example of how Disney, a huge company that most of us are exposed to as kids, conditions us to think a certain way. From a young age we are told how to act based on our gender (i.e. as the video mentions, men are expected to be physically strong, dominant, etc).
This is a wonderful example of structuralism and I also see how it ties into the notion of habitus.Over the summer I actually recall a conversation with a friend about how the classic Disney princess movies condition young girls to think that they must obtain a guy to obtain happiness in life. In most cases these princesses were beautiful, elegant, very passive and subject to domination in some sense (Cinderella for example), which all tie into the common female habitus. But even if the princesses did defy norms and act out in disobedience (Princess Jasmine and Mulan for example) ultimately it still took getting a prince reach fulfillment. This speaks again to the high value Disney places on heterosexual relationships and getting a partner as a a crucial matter in life, and on a larger scale societal expectations of partnership.
I believe that this is a very interesting video. I watched Mickey Mouse Monopoly a couple times and it critically analyzes how Disney enforces and maintains gender, sexual orientation, and racial stereotypes. This is something that almost all Disney movies have and it is sad to think how children are being unconsciously socialized to internalize these many stereotypes.
I feel as though Disney makes these movies with gender and racial stereotypes so prominently written in the storylines because these issues are prevalent in society. Our society is structured largely around gender and racial stereotypes, and these movies are supposed to in some way be educational to the young audiences that are watching these films. Almost every child grew up watching the classic Disney movies, as well as the crazy shows on Disney channel. Television, as well as media in general, is currently a very big tool in education for children, so by creating these problematic (through adult eyes) storylines, I feel as though they are indirectly teaching children about what is going on in society and how our society functions. I’m not saying that it is a good thing to teach children this at such a young age, because no one should every be conditioned to think in terms of stereotypes, but what Disney is conveying is unfortunately reality.