The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/mickey-mouse-monopoly/

Personal Experiences with Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

  

  I grew up loving everything Disney and being heavily influenced by Disney stories, movies, and shows. My favorite Disney movie is the Lion King. I love lions and the songs in the movie are so lively, energetic and fun. Not to mention the beautiful animation seen throughout the film. I grew up not thinking much of what the animals would be like if they were humans and didn't ponder with that thought until middle school when my class was shown the documentary Mickey Mouse Monolopy. This documentary is about all the subliminal underline messages that were presented in Disney movies and shows. One that stood out to me and I still see impacts of it today with some of the children I teach is the hyenas whom are allies of Scar are perceived to be seen as people of color. They are shown as low class, loud, darker than the lions such as Simba and Mufasa and are seen to be the bad guys of the movie. A woman in the documentary said that her three-year-old child saw a group of young African American children playing and related them to the hyenas in the movie (sites at Penn State n.d.). I never perceived or was able to put two in two together of the hyenas represented people of my race.

    Last year while playing with toy animals in my preschool classroom a four-year old boy pretended to be Scar and said that I was one of the hyenas because I was Black. I explained to him that the Lion King is a movie about animals and are not representations of humans. The animal world is very different than the human world. Black people aren't the bad guys. I don't believe he fully grasped what I was saying but it opened my eyes to the way children perceive various ideas through media entertainment. 

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

    The media and children's broadcasting plays a heavy influence on society's views of different cultures and identities. Although not everyone had the same reaction or perception of the hyenas representing people of color these two incidents that happen at two different time periods the early 2000's and then the 2020 decade show that this is a reoccurring issue of the way media depeicts different people and the effects it has on young minds. “No one is born racist. Racism is taught. Through both explicit and implicit messages, society teaches ideas, attitudes and assumptions about race that are not true” (Margles S. & Margles R.M. 2010).

    

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

    It is very disheartening to find out the impact and negative bias that can be produced by some of your favorite childhood memories and entertainment. I still love the Lion King but it does make me question intentions of the creators in some of the creations and decision making of coming up with characters personality traits. I remember my mom telling me how she and my father perceived Scar to be a homosexual in the movie because of some of his stereotypical personality traits. This also makes me question why is it that some people put certain cues and adaptations together and why others don't have those same connections particularly young children. I understand when we get older and are taught and experience various stereotypes and biases of others but how and what causes a young mind to jump to these conclusions and make these connections. 

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

    I believe the conversation that happens after these incidents is the key to growth and progress with inclusion, acception, and tolerance to diversity. I am now learning new ways to discuss topics like these with my students, families, and co-workers. It is important to not let things slide or turn a blind eye because in order to grow and decrease biases particularly with the next generation is to communicate about why we have these perceptions and ideas on people who are different than us. 

Reference

Margles, S., and Margles, R.M. (2010). Inverting racism’s distortions. Our Schools/Our Selves, 19(3), 137-149.

Sites at Penn State. n.d. The Lion King: The Sneaky & Devious Hyenas. https://sites.psu.edu/mediaconglomerates/sample-page/