Four-year-old me would object.

Were any hearts broken from last class' discussion, besides mine? Just me? Alright then.
I'd say I'm a pretty outspoken person. But last class, I surprised myself when I sat there quiet, slowly digesting everything being said about Disney. This is the girl who dressed up as Princess Jasmine for consecutive Halloweens, and ran away to her Little Mermaid tent, stroking a fake magic lamp after a scolding.
I walked home, trying to understand the reasons for my silence. Should I have come to Disney's defense? Besides, the rest of the media communicates similar ideologies of machismo, the subordinate role of the female, and race. I mean, come on. Dora the Explorer? The Power Rangers (more explicitly in terms of the black and yellow ranger being black and Asian, respectively)? Why does Disney have to take all the blame?
One of my classmates said, "the danger lies in Disney being subtle about it."
Truth be told, I actually was not convinced by Giroux's article. Kids don't take these films literally; they are only concerned with the sensual and positive moral aspects of it. The color, the shapes, the music. They also don't notice things like Arabia being a shady, unfamiliar place or Mulan fighting for the honor of her father who is male. They see it as the Aladdin film embracing other cultures by depicting Saudi Arabia as an exotic "whole new world" that is profoundly beautiful, and Mulan challenging the role of males in her bold decision to fight.
Kids don't care about the details, they look at the bigger picture. Hey, if Belle could resist gorgeous buff studs and believe in the beauty of the human heart, I too should stop judging people by how they look.
Giroux also argues for a "sociological analysis" to take place, where parents discuss the issues of the movie with their kids to "correct" the inaccurate portrayals on screen. While I would advocate that for media scholars, critics and students, I do not believe that is necessary in homes.
What I'm trying to say is that, while Disney has some prejudices, the moral values of the films greatly outweigh the racist and sexist connotations.
Knowledge is great. As a media student I am definitely more skeptical of what I see on the screen, deciphering the messages with caution. But it comes with the curse of being too overly analytical, to the point that the "magic" of being a spectator, of being entertained, just dissipates. (My boyfriend pointed out that I tend to comment a lot when we watch TV shows together. Whoops.)
Despite everything we talked about, I would still show Disney movies to my kids as a parent. It gave me a great childhood, for one thing. I admired Cinderella's determination to step out from the status quo, and Ariel's gutsy attitude to resist authority. And Disneyland still makes me happy. Though many would label a Disney type of mentality overly idealistic, it still gives a kid hope in the world.
I guess you can say I was overwhelmed by some of the truths revealed to me -- Disney was anti-Semitic, Disneyland was originally for white people, etc. I just lost my admiration for Walt Disney as a person. But films are another thing, and could be analyzed in many ways.
I'm open-minded to those interpretations, which was probably reason for my silence. I wanted to hear the other side of the argument. And while I would agree that yes, maybe Snow White IS quite useless, I would say that characters like Mulan (who was voiced by Lea Salonga, a Filipino, not Christina Aguilera) are more resonant and relatable to females today.
And sure, some Disney execs might have highly capitalist motives. But we should not generalize that the entire corporation is so.

I would also like to add that besides Jesus, Santa Claus has a beard and kids love him. Should we tell our children that he doesn't exist?
If you're like most people, you wouldn't. Why? Because if you look at the BIGGER picture, that their belief in fancy flying deer and a jolly man in red makes them reassess their behavior. It makes them happy. Why take that away?
However, when they get older and wiser, they'll stop believing. In their own terms. But nonetheless, it gives them pleasant memories to look back on, and hopefully, the good habits they have formed while immersed in that belief will stick with them.
I'd say the same with Disney movies. Don't kill the magic. Kids will figure it out for themselves when they're older.