Today on Facebook, I got into a
discussion/argument over Disney Princesses. The main arguments were about
Pocahontas and Mulan. In real life
Pocahontas was not a princess but a chief’s daughter. Some would see that as an equivalent to the
European idea of Princess and when she went to England she was given the title
of Princess Rebecca. But there is a
cultural difference which I won’t go into.
Mulan, in life and in Disney was not a princess. She was not born a princess nor did she marry
a prince. But she was ‘given’ the title
of “Princess,” because she was the Main characters. There are many princess in the Disney line
that do not have the TITLE of Princess for one reason or another. Really, the topic of Disney Princesses is not
a simple one to tackle.
But what bothered me most was the attitude
the other person had. He (I’m guessing…I
don’t know) started to resort to insults and questioning my empathy levels
among other things. I don’t know this person
so the comments are irrelevant. When I try
to explain myself or why I KNOW Mulan was not a princess, or that native
Americans don’t have ‘Princesses’, its an opinion and thus somehow
oppressive. How is an opinion on Facebook oppressive? Yes, my opinion differed because of my
experience and research and the fact that I tend not to agree with Disney on
how they determine who is a princess and who isn’t. But is that oppressive?
I will admit that I can be stubborn
but I can also admit if I have changed my mind and I also know when to walk
away. Some people like this person
cannot walk away unless its them who has the last word. Some
would say it’s sexist….in this case, it might be (Again, I don’t know this
person at all so I can’t be completely sure.)
I am trying to look at this experience from a Cultural Studies stand
point. I am trying to be calm and
rational about it, but it pisses me off.
If I am not being rude to you or insulting to you, do not feel that it
is okay for you to be that way. If after a while I go...okay, it's my opinion, you don't have to like it or agree...that is a subtle clue of walking away and ending the conversation. Take the hint.
One of my problems
with online conversations, debates, and arguments is that you are reading words
but you are not hearing the other person.
By hearing, I mean you are not hearing the tone of the other person’s
voice. That’s a big thing because when
you read you are imaging their tone and attitude and thus you react to that,
whether it’s the other person’s intention or not. In conversations with my friends (face to
face not online) it’s something that many people do whether they realize it or
not. I’m sure that it’s something people
don’t realize it, but it can strain online conversations.
This is at least my opinion. Sorry if you find it oppressive.
