Capitalistic Fantasy.

In class yesterday we talked about how Disney works racial and sexist ideologies into their children’s movies. Okay, we know that. Disney is racist and sexist. Whatever. Let’s move forward and call Disney what they really are….Capitalists.

Disney and their ever reaching empire are not stupid. They know what the dominant ideas in this world are and even if they are sexist and racist, they still hold true as the reigning ideology in this society. Hegemony is at its best in Disney movies and Disney capitalizes on that to make some of the most widely accepted, widely viewed films of our time. Perhaps instead of blaming for Disney for the capitalist ways, we should instead evaluate ourselves. The non-desirable aspects of Disney movies would not be able to exist without the social norms and ideologies already in place.

But since they are in place, Disney has done in an outstanding way what all businesses do, capitalize on what they have available. The Disney model has achieved what few others have, a massive empire built on the foundation of what we believe and what we wish to believe. That is the sexist and racist ideologies that plague our society and the fairy tale like way they come together to make for a perfect ending, where all is solved and problems no longer linger.

So instead of calling Disney racist and sexist, we should perhaps look farter and call them what they have positioned themselves to be….entrepreneurs that very cleverly used OUR social ideas to make a shit load of money. And furthermore create an empire that is inescapable and likely to continue to promote these ideas for years to come. Disney should not be blamed for its ingenious moves, for every business has aspects that are undesired and sometimes unethical. I’m not saying that hey should be praised for their use of stereotypes, all I’m saying is that these ideas did not originate in Disney films, these films are simply vehicles that help convey what we already hold true as a society.