Team of Researchers Blames Children's Films for Perpetuating "Heteronormativity"

LifeSiteNews ^ | 6/24/09 | Kathleen Gilbert

[wagglebee]

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 24, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Researchers at the University of Michigan have concluded that the love stories told in classic Disney and other G-rated children's films – such as the Little Mermaid - are partially to blame for the pervasiveness of what they label "heteronormativity." 

"Despite the assumption that children’s media are free of sexual content, our analyses suggest that these media depict a rich and pervasive heterosexual landscape," wrote researchers Emily Kazyak and Karin Martin, in a report published in the latest issue of the Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) publication Gender & Society. 

Kazyak and Martin said they studied the role of heterosexual relationships in several of the highest-grossing G-rated films between 1990-2005. 

The results, say the researchers, illustrate two ways that the children's films "construct heterosexuality": through "depictions of hetero-romantic love as exceptional, powerful, transformative, and magical," and "depictions of interactions between gendered bodies in which the sexiness of feminine characters is subjected to the gaze of masculine characters."

"Characters in love are surrounded by music, flowers, candles, magic, fire, balloons, fancy dresses, dim lights, dancing and elaborate dinners," the researchers observed. "Fireflies, butterflies, sunsets, wind and the beauty and power of nature often provide the setting for - and a link to the naturalness of - hetero-romantic love."

The SWS press release on the research blamed what they called the "old ideals" of romantic relationships, specifically those found the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, which in many instances inspired the films' storylines, for "such heavily gendered depictions and glorified portrayals of heterosexual relationships."

The team says the results point to heterosexuality achieving a "taken-for-granted status" "because hetero-romance is depicted as powerful." 

"Both ordinary and exceptional constructions of heterosexuality work to normalize its status because it becomes difficult to imagine anything other than this form of social relationship or anyone outside of these bonds," they concluded.

"These films provide powerful portraits of a multifaceted and pervasive heterosexuality that likely facilitates the reproduction of heteronormativity."

The SWS press release concluded: "President Obama may have declared June to be Gay Pride Month, but entertainment for children therefore continues to perpetuate a less inclusive message, leaving those outside its confines with little to build their own dreams of happily ever after."

Sexuality expert Dr. Judith Reisman told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) yesterday that the "politically correct" study reveals "the growing dominance of Heterophobia within academia and the spread of heterophobes among female professionals."

"Now, if the Ladies of the Sociology Society think pornography is becoming the heteronorm and that Disney is contributing to that form of what is really Heterophobia, they might have an argument," Reisman noted. 

"However, the Ladies of the Sociology Society appear to favor Homoerotic child propaganda, as the current academic party line dictates."

[TASMANIANRED]

No doubt about it...The end goal is decriminalization of child sex.

[JoeFromSidney]

hetero-romantic love as exceptional, powerful, transformative, and magical,

Been there, done that, it's all of those. Yee-Haw!

[keats5]

Actually, every culture in this world depicts heterosexuality as normal, even those cultures where homosexuality is more accepted.

[DustyMoment]

What a load of horse puckey!!

Liberals and their pro-gay agenda are pushing the whole homosexual thing way too hard. Perhaps we conservatives need to start pushing back!!!

Let me see if I can guess - the “Team of Researchers” were dumbed down, mindless liberal protege of our wonderful liberal (lack of) education system??

[YHAOS]

"The team says the results point to heterosexuality achieving a "taken-for-granted status" "because hetero-romance is depicted as powerful.""

This is wrong because . . . ?

The plumbing alone is sufficient for it to be "taken for granted."

[Costumed Vigilante]

I hate this friggin' upside-down liberal universe!

[brytlea]

i can’t even begin to imagine the outrage that would cause. Then again, the American people are pretty cowed by the Gay Mafia.

[constitutiongirl]

You & that commonsense of yours...I'm tellin’ ya....:)

[DJ MacWoW]

LOL!!

God doesn't faze them. It doesn't matter to them that His design was perfect. So you have to point out that they contribute nothing to the evolution of their "species".

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

I’m constantly amazed at people who insist on tilting reality on its head and then complaining when it doesn’t work out the way they expected.

---

That is a FANTASTIC quote.

[thecodont]

From the article:

_____________________________________________________

The SWS press release on the research blamed what they called the "old ideals" of romantic relationships, specifically those found the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, which in many instances inspired the films' storylines, for "such heavily gendered depictions and glorified portrayals of heterosexual relationships."

The team says the results point to heterosexuality achieving a "taken-for-granted status" "because hetero-romance is depicted as powerful."

_____________________________________________________

Next thing you know they'll be protesting the bakeries that insist on having boy+girl figurines exclusively on top of their wedding cakes.

(A bakery near me, very much an old neighborhood institution, now has "both kinds." A jewelry store several miles away has only boy+girl wedding figurines in its window. The jeweler is brave.)

[Chode]

normalcy, is self perpetuating...

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

And these dimwhacks are anti-normative.

Normalists: another group that should be added to the hate crimes protection list.

[GraceG]

By their own figures, Promoting 90% of the population’s lifestyle of Heterosexuality is Wrong?????

What the hell kind of world do these whack jobs live in?

Straight people are the MAJORITY!!! I am not saying that gay people should be burned at the stake, but 90% is 90% and that is bigger than 10% by almost a factor of 10!!!!

Teaching kids not to be mean to someone because they are gay is one thing, but teaching them a minority lifestyle is quite a different matter.

[wagglebee]

By their own figures, Promoting 90% of the population’s lifestyle of Heterosexuality is Wrong?????

What the hell kind of world do these whack jobs live in?

Straight people are the MAJORITY!!! I am not saying that gay people should be burned at the stake, but 90% is 90% and that is bigger than 10% by almost a factor of 10!!!!

The irony is that homosexuals don't even make up 10% of the population; at best they are 5% of the population, but probably only 2-3%.

[Vanders9]

I dont believe that is the end goal, but that is certainly what the end result will be.

The problem with most liberals is that they never think through the consequences of their short-term feel-good policies.

[Wuli]

I mistakenly duplicated the posting of this article.

For those interested in the comments on the other thread,

they are here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279970/posts

[wagglebee]

It’s really not that big a deal, we’ve all done it before.