Thursday, April 8, 2010

"Mickey Mouse Monopoly" - discussion

We are continuing the class discussion on the documentary Mickey Mouse Monopoly online.
While some of you were able to relate to the ideas expressed in the film, most of you felt very uncomfortable with the suggestion that the Disney conglomerat has a role in shaping kids perceptions of gender and race.
To focus our discussion on marketing and social responsibility, please answer the following Qs:
1) How, in your opinion, has Disney created such a strong brand image that we are having hard time associating negative intentions with the company's brand?
2) Do you as a consumer of Disney products expect from the Disney corporation to better reflect today's society and to be socially responsible. Why or why not?

15 comments:

  1. Disney has spent it's entire existence exceeding the exceptions of millions of families, children, and the young at heart. Disney has successfully created a world where the young and old can be free use their imaginations and dream bigger. I believe that Disney is a corporate pimp and has monopolized it's world for the sake of a strong business. I think that the way they market to children and then parents are expected to meet the expectations of their kin through tantrums has become extreme. But I also believe it is no different than the way other theme parks and family brands market to younger people.
    It was simply too difficult to take the analytical people in the film seriously when they speak of Disney movies either leaving historical information out or altering the way a person should see the world. I grew up on the classics and never once thought of those "subliminal messages" to true or (if they are) detrimental to my adult life.
    I believe that Disney is becoming more and more socially responsible. From their newest films like Wall-E giving society a real shock by making us all fat slobs who ruined the only planet we've ever known. Every year, Disney World holds a garden festival that promotes "greener" ways of living and teaches young people why we should appreciate our world. They are making efforts to better the world while at the same time increasing their wallet size. But it's that like any other major company today?
    I think that Disney should never remove the characters, movies, and stories of yesteryear. I think that it is a tradition that is important to with hold. To show our children the progression of society through means that they can understand.
    I also think that Disney has encouraged children to pretend to be a pirate or a princess, whether your a boy or a girl, and that is important, especially in todays turmoil of events.

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  2. I feel like society has many expectations of Disney, some fair, some unfair, some good, and some bad. People generally accept some corruption or megalomaniac tendencies from large corporations; that contributes to why they're so large. But there will always be problems and skeptics that will criticize without offering any advice to eradicate the point of criticism. Disney is our childhood. They have carefully manufactured an experience of awe that ages into nostalgia, like any toy or tradition people experience when they're younger. It could be paralleled in the fond remembrance of a drink or snack from your childhood that was later found to be mildly harmful or unhealthy- you may sigh wistfully, "kids these days don't know what they're missing", despite the health dangers. Disney is a piece of purely American culture, something that we defend fiercely because many of us grew up on it. We associate it with a family member, a time in our life, or a house we lived in. Disney has also kept an incredibly tight leash on its name- they make sure it is never used with a negative connotation, and even the imaginary characters have behavioral contracts: no association with alcohol, drugs, etc.
    I agree with Sarah that Disney has been becoming more socially responsible, and I feel that is simply a reaction to the changing culture of business, where social responsibility is becoming key. I don't, however, feel they should be expected to do absolutely everything transparently. Consumers have no idea what to do with some types of information, or how to understand it. The people in the video had a good point, but you could just as effectively argue the counterpoint of their argument.

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  3. Watching the movie in class has reaffirmed some of the notions I have felt with some Disney feature films. There is no doubt in my mind that Disney makes a huge impact on the perceptions of children, the power of Disney stories influencing children's imaginations are clearly evident. My disagreement with the arguments made in Mickey Mouse Monopoly is that I feel that children are not being influenced by the subtle underlying stereotypes contained in Disney feature films. I think the makers of the documentary are exaggerating on any negative connotation they can to prove that Disney as a whole is an evil company. While there may be some merit to the points that they make, I think the reaction is disproportionate to the offense. I do think that Disney needs to incorporate more stories that do reflect today's society vs. the idealistic perspectives of the 20s,30s,40s. As of late I think Disney films are starting to associate current societal circumstances into their stories but I feel that they still have great lengths to travel. Disney has created a brand name that caters specifically to growing a child's imagination and fantasy world. Their niche is the world of magic. Because they focus on moral and sound family environments, I find it very difficult to associate them with any negative business practices. They go to such lengths to establish a positive business world and protect that reputation.

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  4. There will always be a criticism about what they think about Disney or even any other companies, because that's how the society works. In my opinion, I do not think that Disney influences children by subliminal messaging kids about stereotypes or how a woman or man should act. The Mickey Mouse Monopoly over analyzes a lot of things and views things too negatively. For example, in Mulan, men in China were showed as being someone higher than woman, which is true in the past. Everything that we watch necessarily doesn't mean that everything is true/real because movies are made to entertain us and as for kids, Disney made the stories to be more appropriate for kids. This topic is actually hard to even discuss because there was this lady in the video, complaining about how African Americans are always the the gorillas/monkeys and when the new Tarzan came out, the voice actors for the gorillas/monkeys are Americans and not African Americans and she got upset with that. The topic is insane, if a certain race is not there they complain that a company is being racist, if a certain race is being portrayed as something else, the company is being stereotypical. The whole discussion is simply wrong and you can't win everyone's opinions because someone out there would complain about it.
    I grew up watching Disney movies and I think they were awesome and I turned out to be fine. I did not turn out to think that I'm a "princess" or become stereotypical or etc.

    Disney has been more socially responsible. Wall-e is a really good example because it teaches kids and adults to be more responsible about our environment and communicates us to go more green. I think they actually have like small campaigns on their TV channel about recycling and getting the kids to help recycle or volunteer to help the community and make the world a better place.

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  5. 1) It's *excuse my language* Fucking Disney. They've been building their brand image for the past 87 years. There is no competing with them. They builded their "magic" around the family environment.The Disney amusement parks are based on family environment, their shows are about the family environment, its their theme. Recently, I've been having my own trouble with that company and no longer think of them as the Magical Kingdom. I believe they set up a wall of for the people to see and be entertained by, but behind that wall is a ice cold master computer that doesn't have any emotions or believes in a happyily ever after ending. Disney can care less about the people and is more focused on the money being made.


    2) No, if something works, why change it? I don't expect for Disney to reflect today's society because kids today ither can't relate or don't want to see it. The kids today aren't aware of racism, or what the real reason why we are at war. Disney is all about the next dollar and will do what ever it takes to keep that dollar in the banking account.

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  6. 1) Since Disney has been around for TOO long and it has been always about Creating Magic and Dream Come True, then how can people has anything negative thought about Magic and Dream. It is their mantra , that is how they have been known for. What ever they do, they succeeded in making the kids believe that there is a magical world and happily ever after. I think that is the message that the kids see. How many kids would actually see the subliminal messages behind those movies about races and sexist. I'm sure not many. I never thought about Disney's movie in that perspective until this video. Although I don't say that they are wrong, but I don't think those adults needs to pick on every tiny little things in a disney's movie and made a conclusion that they are having bad impact on children. If a kid learn about racist or sexist or violence, I am certainly that it is not going to come from a disney's classic movie. They learn more from their surrounding environment and experience, and may be TV ^.~

    2) I think every disney's movie do have a message or a lesson to learn especially for kids. They can reflect more of today's society but I don't think it is an absolute have to. I mean come on, it's a disney, if it actually reflect the real world, then it is not magical anymore. You can go somewhere else and watch an adult movie or news. Sure that will reflect today's society better.

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  7. 1.) The reason why we have such a hard time associating negative intentions with Disney is because most of us grew up with it. The other reason is that as we grown up, we have realized either in a conscious or subconscious way that Disney is not real and that there are some controversial matters. Most of us have accepted that and move on with our lives.

    As for myself, I didn't watch a Disney film from my childhood for a long period of time until last year. I do think the breasts on the women in Beauty and the Beast is absolutely ridiculous, but I never noticed it when I was a kid because I didn't know any better. Same with Pocahontas. That's my favorite Disney movie ever. But the other day when my roommate was watching it, I said to her "You know, I don't remember her being that red." This was before I watched the film in class. The fact that I notice these things now, doesn't change how I felt about the movies when I was younger. When I was a kid, I was more focused on the larger picture, which was the story and the imagination.

    2.) I do expect Disney to better themselves, and I believe they have been working on that. My expectations aren't high, however. Disney's main job (in my opinion) is to capture the imagination of kids. No company in this world can satisfy every single consumer. It's impossible. It's also a parents job to have some control over what their children watch. For example, if I ever have kids, I will let them watch Disney movies, but I won't allow them to watch a movie like Disney's Alice in Wonderland due to it's suggestive themes such as drugs use.

    Another point I want to make is Pirates of the Caribbean. The movies are PG-13 and made by Disney. A LOT of parents have taken their kids younger then 13 yrs old to see them. I guarantee, if the movies were in cartoon form, the majority of parents would flip over it and say it wasn't appropriate for their kids and that there are way too many suggestive/controversial themes (because they are there). Nope, I've barely heard a negative saying about them. Honestly, I think Disney has done an awesome job at capturing imaginations. If they stray too far from that and focus too much on today's society, they're going to lose their biggest audience: the kids.

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  8. I believe that Disney, although an out of control conglomerate in today's market isn't to blame for their out dated movies. Being from Orlando, FL I know how ridiculous the company gets with their brand protection and identity. We must look at when most of these movies were written and produced though. Many of the racial and sexist stereotypes in the movies, there was no such thing as "political correctness". Also, in the more recent movies such as Mulan, the story took place in ancient China. Of course there were ridiculous standards in that time for women (much different than today). In animations, the artists have to exaggerate actions and feeling and sometimes other aspects such as culture.

    I am not by any means trying to protect this monster, but I think that both sides are just too extreme. Everyone needs to step back and look at the big picture and who is behind the company. Michael Isner was an extremely different person from Mr. Walt Disney. Disney wanted to preserve the magic as it upholds today, however Isner would cut corners and market any product possibly imagined just to get in a quick buck.

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  9. In high school I studied child development and feel that some of the issues they brought up in the video about sexism is true. Although there are a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration. It depends on the developed mentality of the child that is view the movie and how active the parents are in the child’s life. If you have a child who is plopped in front of a TV to keep it occupied and that is its only form of education the child is receiving then there are tons of negative ways of how to behave the child could pick up from the movies. Still Disney is not only ones that can have a negative impact on children, so can all the other crap that is put onto TVs these days. I do agree that some of the messages in Disney movies are not appropriate for children to see, but that is were it is the parents responsibility to make that decision. An unfortunately to many people have kids and don’t fully understand the needs of a child. As adults we look at the movies and know that it is just a story, children don’t always know the difference. Disney should not be held responsible. If people are going to start complaining about Disney why not target all programs that are negative for children to view?

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  10. 1) I didn't watch much Disney as a kid. I associated it with my sister with whom I've never gotten along with very well so it always had a negative connotation for me. If you watch plenty of their media at a young age though, it takes the place of education to a certain degree. It's the same for adults with the news. If they leave out something and emphasize something else. What do you think watchers will be conditioned to focus on? Anyway, Disney is everywhere and not only do they broadcast how wholesome they are but so do parents. So, you have it being integrated as a fundamental part of childhood and also as something authority has labeled as "good." Difficult combo to beat. I was raised on Terminator and predator though while my dad cited history references all the time so I had a different upbringing.

    2) I do expect more responsibility from Disney but really I place the majority of that on parents, teachers, and other supervisors. If you just want your kids to watch something. Watch it first. I know your life's busy. If you aren't taking the time to research what you expose them too though, you don't really have the right to complain about it. As far as historical accuracy goes however, Disney needs to fix that. If you say something is set in Egypt, do your job right and portray it as current documentation understands it. Specific to that: if there's conflict and difficult topics in history. Don't smooth them over. Removing the difficulty not only defaces the events but also handicaps developing minds by robbing them of stimulation.

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  11. I'm not sure about how this is, but all I can say is they were damn successful. I think part of the reason the Disney brand image is so strong is the nature of the branding itself. It's so filled with positive energy that it's hard to immediately shoot it all down with negative energy, though so many try to. The fact that it encourages dreams, who can argue that dreams aren't important? It tells so many fairy tales, why would we want to discourage a girl from wanting to be a princess? It's not like Disney secretly has a deal with tobacco companies to subliminally teach children to want to smoke, or like it really wants children to look past all the "magic" and realize the "underlying messages" that to be successful is to be superficial or helpless. I loved Disney as a kid, my dad tells me I would dress up as Ariel, make him watch the Little Mermaid with me...and then make him rewind the tape when it was over, to watch it again. :P Never in all my childhood did I assume that I would have to use my "body language" like Ariel, to get the boy I like to kiss me. I suppose that I was aware as a child, and that perhaps for most, like me, the messages aren't actually there like many people assume. With that, don't assume that all negative influences that exist come from Disney, if at all. Parents are not with their children everyday, so they don't see what happens on the play ground or in class with the other children. And if they don't monitor the television, how do they know that their kids aren't getting their ideas from the questionable shows or racy music videos? Disney is not the only form of media out there that kids have access to, so maybe more attention would be best directed their way like thankfully it has.

    I believe Disney, the huge corporation that it is and the huge influence on children that it has, especially has a responsibility to better reflect today's society and (continue to) teach positive messages to the world. However, why is it all on Disney? Who is responsible for taking children to Disney, or renting/buying the movies, or purchasing the merchandise? Is Disney the only entity that needs to be socially responsible? How about the parents and adults in children's lives, who have more say and power over their development from the start in the first place? They are the first and main contact these kids have for a long time, and they have just as equal, if not more responsibility to teach their children to do right. They have relative control over media exposure to their kids. And I think this is a valid opinion, but shouldn't EVERYONE reflect positive messages into society and doesn't EVERYONE have a duty to be socially responsible? By the way, I think it's pretty cool that Disney recently launched (it's over by now), the Give a Day Get a Day campaign, which encourages people to volunteer a day of community service in return for a free day pass into a Disney theme park. With that example, I believe they're on their way to being pretty much socially responsible as well as encouraging it. Having been and still being a loyal fan of Disney, I believe the messages that overpower any negative ones are those of hope, optimism and perseverance, which I can definitely say I learned some of that from Disney.

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  12. Watching this film it was very hard to associate these really racists and messed up concepts with these classic and iconic films. For almost 100 years Disney has been creating characters that children and adults love and almost ever film released by Disney reinforces the basic concept of good vs evil. Movies that both children and there parents have watched and enjoyed have such great connotations and do leave people feeling very nostalgic. That is why listening to people over analyze and dig so far into these potential subliminal messages is so upsetting. One can find something to argue about in almost every film, and of course in the documentary the asian women was tearing apart Mulan, and african americans were looking to films like Tarzan and The jungle Book. Movies made in the 1930's is going to reflect those times just as a movie created in the 1990's reflected the '90's. I don't think one can hate Disney for taking classic children's stories and creating innocent, lovable Disney films. Like
    i said though, someone is always going to be there to create and argue a point whether or not valid. Knowing this I believe that Disney has been even more cautious when it comes to their films and movies. Knowing that they have the most scrutinizing eyes on them at all time. It is hard though, as we know. And they have been trying, like with the latest film the Princess and the Frog. Social responsibility is something that every company (especially one so targeted towards children) has to be aware of at all times. And Disney has been doing the best it can in my opinion.

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  13. 1) For me disney came along later in life, and still created a pretty strong image. I think that disney really has a niche that has become kind of essential in our society. They really offer this magical experience that encompasses all ranges of our imagination and needs, offering vacation as well as film escapes into alternate worlds and (more pertinent for children) entertainment through film, games, toys, etc. I think that disney is at the point where they've been around for so long that the negative is hard to focus on because our judgment is blurred by nostalgia. We want to feel that innocence and bliss and disney really offers that to everyone.

    2)
    Social responsibility is highlighted now more then ever. I feel that all companies in every venue are under alot of pressure to be more responsible, I cant say that i'm that educated on disneys social responsibility but given some of their programs i've encountered i'd say that they're doing better then some others. I think in reference to the film and the sexism/racism present in disney movies, i feel that too often we look into things too much and expect a deeper meaning then what is actually there. For example, in the film they claimed that Tarzan represented native Africans as apes, and left them out of Tarzan. Yet the original Tarzan stories never included Africans. Tarzan was british, his parents were british, and were ship wrecked on an island with no other people, only animals. While I do understand some of the other examples they brought up in the film, I think much of that has to do with the time period and what was happening. Snow white appeared in the 1930's, so how evolved can you really expect it to be? according to the time period most of those disney films were released during, i think that disney is the least guilty party.

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  14. 1. I have watched Disney movies since I was a kid. All my friends watched them and now my little cousins watch them. It's a huge company that I think everyone trusts because of the fact that it is so big. Everyone loves Disney because they like to go into a different world of make believe, even as adults. We don't think negatively towards the brand even if they put some hidden messages in the movie because it's all about the memories. I remember being a kid and watching Aladin over and over again. I had 101 Dalmatians bed sheets. I played princess with my friends. Seeing the Disney movies again only makes me think of being a kid not what the messages were in the movies. I also don't think the messages in the movies are a big deal because I don't think I ever noticed the racism or sexuality of women. I do however remember the people around my saying negative things about race (like my grandmother). I think kids are more influenced on what is going on in their lives and what other people tell them, not what they see in movies. If parents don't like what Disney is saying in their movies, their kids don't have to watch them. Our generation grew up on Disney movies and for the most part we ended up normal. Now I think the new shows on TV for kids are effecting the younger generation. It's like the movie we watched in psychology. The things that kids watch now are in your face telling them what to do and how to act. Disney movies are just for fun and I really don't think there is any harm in them.

    2. I don't think Disney should change. The movies we grew up on are classics. The story lines are interesting for kids and adults. I still want to watch Disney movies and get the same feeling that I did when I was a kid. I don't think they should change their style at all. I want my kids to be able to get excited about a good Disney movie just like I used to. I think they should have the same type of characters and everything. I don't want to see anything change.

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  15. 1) Through the art of story telling of course! Stories for centuries has been the best way to build a brand. Many great leaders and politicians are good story tellers, but great ones are hard to come by. Disney has been using innovative ways to develop and show stories in feature films for a long time and the two combined are a deadly combination. I have often wondered how love roles have developed in the past 3 decades with the inclusion of the strong imagery disney creates... in a weird way society seems to be holding pretty steadily to what goes hand in hand in disney movies, we are seeing less and less chivalry and less damsel in distress... the art of stories can shape generations and has been for quiet sometime now... its not a bad thing necessarily a lot of how we operate are based on life lessons we obtain through storytelling osmoses.

    2) In some degree they are, but they are still holding steadfastly to traditional ideas, much as a majority of the cultures we see in America today are doing. Everyone has nostalgia. Hal rainey portrayed America as a loving, endearing, culture based upon family and tradition. It helped make Reagan President. Now our presidents message is all about change... is it a viable communicative message? whose to say what we are doing now is absolutely wrong? Who said keeping up with the joneses is the ideal idiom. Some things hold and stay true to the test of time... I'd say let them be, Michael Jackson will forever have his influence on society, same with Ghandi, Why not Disney? Why not Coke? Why not Nike? everything that happens in the world is connected, every idea pulses everywhere, it doesn't mean its a horrible thing. Disneys classics give people a direction. Sure it may appear as if they are shaping the globe through stories but they are also infusing a richness in our culture.

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