Sean Grant
March 3, 2014
Blog 5 (Christensen)
Unlearn Myths?
In the
piece “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us” by Linda Christensen I was hooked
from the title. I don’t know why but I think
it’s because I’m one of those people that loves to hear myths and conspiracies
and then the truths behind them. But once
I read more, I realized I can CONNECT this piece to the others we have
read. In particular, I thought of August’s
Safe Spaces because that had a lot of unlearning concepts, for example
heterosexism, we are not taught that but we learn it throughout what
Christensen calls “Secret education,” through what we see on television, what
we read in children’s books, movies which creates the “Social Blueprint.” When Christensen was talking about Race I
related it to how August would talk about sexual orientation. All the books, shows, movies, etc. all
portray the dominant culture (SCWAAMP). Where
I can also relate this piece to “White Privilege” by McIntosh, how there is
that dominant culture always shown on TVs, movies, books, everywhere. That is what is unlearned and untaught but
yet growing up it is planted in our brains through what we see and hear. Like previous pieces have done, this is
really opening my eyes to what children are taught without being taught it, and
it’s crazy to think about, but in reality it has happened to all of us when we
were growing up. Only once when faced
with other races, cultures, sexual orientations, is when someone can become
more comfortable around and talking to the different culture. Like that of the “Whiteness” McIntosh implies
when only it has attention, it can be seen.
What really
blew my mind though was the grading and critiques of the cartoons, “Duck
Tales,” “Popeye,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but not only the grading
but how true the stories behind the cartoons really were. It goes to show how much is really happening
behind the scenes that we never get to see.
So now while I watch anything, I always try looking at it from a
different aspect, or try looking for the hidden message that the “secret
education” is trying to teach.
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