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6-The Canadian Champion, Fniday, March 20, 1998 SOPINION Box 248. 191 MainmStî E \iîlto iii 1 0-1, 4\'i (905) 878-2341 Fax: 878-4943 Classified: 875-3.300 Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver .1 iipi ie Publistir, David Bas (;Cliil Muuc Rab KellyI î. Karen Ituisman Ciri i4lii nag Teri Casas <(t, c i Iuiî, e, Tint Coles Pi ln Mallagep The. Canadian ChampIon iiilivi'iO<niiV Iii'.lIoiil ail.Id l lI U\ ii /Nii i.l Jî.î il 11c('n Ii ( Ii'i Iî.îî' iv.11nII Blaififloni /tialiilli iiii]iui l t i ts CO 'iiii îllimivoll tutu uý Cnnlini llol as) Ynl, Piintolitlicoik'Gliaiitias i, Gouoilîwiiliii~nili Acton Fie,' PitsseKiiilln li;11 i 'Wi'k ilaV lo IIIIWnk M.iikliai1 I i- & Ssn Milanil Pii'aiji;.iiiiMiiMot i i'a aN!w', N(lwii kil / Aioia Fia BaiiieiNoliioiiililaiid Niws ,Noiili 'VIii Mii iii. Okvillp lillinii oisgh (tuls Week, RichmondiiiiiiitF411lioiiiliîll îVaiuliii 1I niaI î,uloîijlî otiu liidge lStuîîttvillp li illîîîetiiiav. Seioir' Adveilisoigis saccepîil n liu' condiiitionIiiita? li t ii iii! of a tvîiiisialliial mi, tIa) poirions of the adveiîisong spacei ni i.iilsi'iI lus lii i nuis togeîNni i ahia teasoniable allîîwanî.e foiiu siiiatiiq,, ailIimot lit iliaiiluuil toi it the balanîce nof(liI adveulîsu'îîîeîîîwll lie lait 1foîtIl livappîlicaiî, rale liv ot lisheî reseives Vietigl o categoiize adveîhiisu'îîîeihs ni îu('III. There's a strong message here 1 was very surpniscd vben my 1il year-old daugbîer golnad duriîig tbe ovie 'Toy Slory'. Wben Buzz Ligbîyear found outIlie was a tov. not a real space ranger. lie hecamie depressed. In tbat depression be stars dressing up likec a girl and piaying girl gamnes. My daugbter was fin- ous! She %A-as nigbî. Wbaî kind ot message is tbat? It tells boys that il sour îaoî macho. Iben voure a girl. I ills girls Ibaithley are wimps. second ciass. We bave long been concemted about sex and violence in movies and wbat effects tbey may bave on our kids. We take refuge in good' movies, famiiy movies, and tbere is no stronger name in famiiy entertainment tban Disney. The trutb is, bowever, tbat Disney movies can do just as mucb damage, just a different kind. Tbeir efforts are more subtie, to be sure, but tbey give some very powerful messages tbat no parents on tis day and age wants to give tbeir kids. Tbere is actually a growing litera- ture in psycbology on tbe notion of deconstructing tbe "Disney moi cultural messages front ~ e e Disney movies. S ve Some of tbe Disney women. movies are of course very oid and a product of tbeir g!eneraly de timte. In tbat sense, tbey are powerful rol certainiy not to biame (and te oi' tbey are good entertain- te oi' ment). Tbat's irrevelevant, e bowever, to parents wbo .......... want to make sure tbeir kids BR. mm don't get tbe wrong mes- sage. The goal bere is not to blame Disney, but ratber to wamn parents tbat tbeir cildren need snme coacbing to insure tbey don't get tbe wrong message. Disney movies bave not been very kind to women. Women generaily don't get rnany pow- erful miles, and wben (bey do it's a portrayal of evil (eg. tbe evil queen in Snow White, the sea witcb in Little Mermaid). In addition, tbeir mes- sages about gender miles leave sometbing to be desired. Let's take a few examples. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White is iding because the evil queco is jealous of ber beauty. The seven dwarfs are initiaily skeptical of this strange person, but (bey are won over by bier... cooking. Later on a kiss from a in te '90s handsome pnince is the oniy way to bning Snow White out of her sieep. 'Me hidden messages are that beauty is al-important, cooking is the province of women (and they way to a man's heart), and only men can save women from their troubles. Cinderella wants to go to the bail, but bier jeai- ous step-sisters don't want her to go. Tbey are mean to Cinderella, rip up her dress, make ber do humiliating things, leave ber crying in her room. One message is again about beauty in Vies have not women -- it's ail-impor- tant. t is something that ykind to average womeli envy -- Women and another is tbat oe are to compete with each n't get many other for men rather than les and when support and cooperate with of eacb other. t portrayal o The Little Mermaid is a il." step forward in showing 1 ...... . ....... women in more assertive à WdCGVa roles. Ariel, the mermaid, is brave and athietic. She actuaiiy saves a maie fish (Flounder) from a shark. In fact, she even resists bier father -- King Triton -- who demands that sbe stay under water. And yet, it is oniy after the Prince heipa Ariel battie the evil sea witch that the King lets her marry the prince and live among tbe humans. Disney obviously became aware of the criti- cism, as they tried to be poiiticaiiy correct in tbe recent (1995) movie Pocahontas. Pocabontas portrays women as independent, witb a mnd of ber own, not dependent upon men or beauty. t sbows Pocabontas as a noble, tbougbtfui protec- tor of tbe land. Unfortunately, tbis movie didn't do well at tbe box office and most kids didn't get to see tis positive role model. Richard MacTavish and Donna Jackson held torches in the air and formed an arcb- way with their arms for visiting Hawaiian Prince Steve and Princess Laura. They led a procession to Rotary Park for the Hawaiin Iuau in August, 1976. Th e coo lest game on earth Hey, you bave to start somewbere. My youngest daugbter' s bigb scbooi started a girls bockey team (bis year. She caiied me from scbool in tbe middle of tbe day, brea(biess witb excitement. "Can I sign up, dad?" Breatbiess with doubt, I replied promptiy, "0f course, you can do wbatever you want," being careful not to add, "and as long as you've iost your mi, wby don't you join a gang?" I igured I wouid break tbe news to ber later (bat sbe could bardiy skate, and tbat the oniy time I'd seen ber pick up a bockey stick in anger was one Cbristmas day on the lake in front of my brotber's bouse in Peterborough. Sbe beid tbe stick the wrong way and screamed tbe same ting over and over in a crazed voice: "Pass it 10 me ... I can score a goal!" She neyer did score (bat day and if 1 bad to choose between ber and ber 81 -year-oid grand- father for my team, I'd bave picked grampa. Sbe tried to put my mind at ease later, "Don't wnrry Dad, nobody's played before." Yes, (bat would make it mucb better. That way, ail of you wili be embarrassed togetber. Wbile I tigured out bow to get ber some equipment witbout seiiing stili- functionai body parts, it occurred to me I could score two goals wibh one puck. If sbe played goalie, it wouid get ber by tbe skaing probiemn, and for equipment I could use my girifriend' s son's oid stuff. Sbe was quite agreeabie in (bat, mosily because ignorance is blisa. Sbe was fuliy equipped and ready for the first practise, beld at an ungodiy bour in the moming of the saine day as ber first game. 1 stayed to watcb. If sbe couid View point Nom wih URA TWS ENi stand up 1 wouid be pleased; anytbing beyond bha would be a bonus. Stopping tbe puck was not wbat 1 wouid bave included in any bonus clauses. Out sbe stumbied onto tbe ice after eigbt or so people beiped ber do up ber pads. Tba's il, 1 urged ber siientiy, as sbe made ber way to the net. My daugbter, wbo bas piayed rep softbali, actuaiiy dispiayed a good giove band. I was impressed tbat sbe couid stop any sbot at ail. The glow on ber face after practise toid me ail I needed to know. Sbe couidn't wait for more. Game time, later tbat day. Tbe otber goalie started and it became very apparent, 30 seconds or so into the game, tbat our team was not com- petitive. After seven minutes, tbey were iosing 6-0, and tbe sbots on net were about 30-0. Once we got over tbe initiai sbock, moat of tbe parents sat back and enjoyed tbe spectacle. More cbeers late in tbe tbird period wben tbey eamned tbeir first sbot on net. At tbe start of tbe second period, my daugbter went in. I couid tel bow excited she was because sbe was waving to tbe crowd as sbe made ber way to tbe net. 1 made a mental note to tell ber tbat tbere was no waving in hockey. Witb bier team iosing 12-0, sbe apparentiy feit no pressure. Sbe was tbeclcassic stand-up goaiic, mostly because sbe knew going down mneant sbe aiso hiad to gel hack up. l'le one lime she tell to tbe ice, sbe îried puliing hierseli up hy holding on to tbc goalposl. Wiîh bler back Io the play anid sbots stili bcing fired bier way . the oiy lbing that camne t10iîiiîd was thal îek's'îsion show wbere you sent ini your iunmies bone vîdeos. 'llite final score~ was 23-0, whicli was latlering to ny dauigler's teani, but ny daugbler walkcd oui ofilicearena withblber blead bceld higb, and that saine glow on bier face. One thai said, -Wbec bas tbis sport been ail irîy le f__ _----- - .------.- - .- - Loo king Back 0e0.