People focus on the violence in cartoons, but often overlook the sexism portrayed in Disney cartoons.

The public focus on violent cartoons is overwhelming: “Critics complain that cartoons are violence-filled, exposing young children to more violence than other forms of media” (Sternheimer, 2003, 85). However, people ignore stereotypical portrayals of race and gender that also take place within children’s cartoons. People need to remember, cartoon violence “is often slapstick in nature, more comic relief than an anger management tool” (Sternheimer, 2003, 86). Children may be young, but they aren’t completely ignorant and oblivious to morality. They have the intellectual and moral capacity to differentiate between reality and animation, right from wrong. Few people criticize the Disney films and cartoons, which reflectxenophobia, racism, and sexism (Sternheimer, 2003, 89). Parents are too comfortable with Disney. They are so familiar with it; oftentimes they unknowingly turn a blind eye to the stereotypical race and gender portrayals of Disney cartoons. The apparent racism and sexism in Disney films can be another research topic, but it’s worth mentioning in this essay because the huge focus on violent cartoons is so ridiculous that people forget other “problems” in cartoons. Disney films like “Snow White” and “Cinderella” have sexist undertones, where the heroine is always in search for the companionship of a man and without marriage she is nothing. In “The Little Mermaid,” Ariel must surrender her voice for the love of a man: “Clearly it is not necessary for a woman to have ideas of her own here, as the prince falls in love with her appearance” (Sternheimer, 2003, 103). It is ironic how the very same people who choose to overlook issues of inequality are often the same ones who fear children are strongly affected by violent cartoons, and the children who view these cartoons will inevitably copy what they see (Sternheimer, 2003). If children inevitably copy what they see in the cartoons they watch, then perhaps that’s the reason why racial and gender equality still persists in this day and age, alongside violence. As Sternheimer said: “It is dangerous to only criticize what we dislike and let things we enjoy slip away without scrutiny” (2003, 99).

Sternheimer, Karen. (2003). It’s Not the Media: The Truth About Pop Culture’s Influence on Children. Cambridge, MA: Westview Press.