>How Dumb Do They Think We Are?
>It’s no secret that the Today show and Good Morning America are trying to woo us. Every time I catch a glimpse of either program (generally on my way to Dora or Diego on the dial), I see a story designed to appeal to me, a thirty-something mom with money to spend. There are stories about Botox and affordable family vacations, trendy diets and cocktail playdates. I can almost see the producers at story pitches for these shows.
“What do you think Lindsay and her friends are talking about today?” asks a bespectacled, native-to-New York producer who hasn’t seen the sun in two straight weeks.
“I read on her blog something about Bratz versus Barbies,” a twenty-two-year-old associate producer and recent Barnard grad pipes up. “We could effort a dialogue between a doll collecting mom and a Women’s Studies professor.”
“Ooh, now that could be demographic gold. Let’s go with it for next Thursday,” decides the assignment editor.
But in the rush to tap into our thoughts and win our loyalty (and ultimately, the deep-pocketed advertisers who want us to buy their goods), the stories usually end up seeming contrived and condescending. And I end up wondering, How dumb do they think we are?
The latest journalistic masterpiece aired Monday, I believe, on Good Morning America. (You can watch the story and read about it here.) Called What’s Wrong with Being a Princess, it claims that some, some! critics believe the Disney princesses are bad role models for little girls. To drive home the point, the story features Peggy Orenstein, an author who’s “written extensively about women’s issues.” But for someone who’s an anti-princess expert, she don’t know Disney.
“All they know is that Cinderella is really pretty, and she has a lot of bling,” she says dourly near the story’s end.
Peggy, Peggy, Peggy. Any little girl (and by association, her poor mother) who’s seen Cinderellas I, II and III a gazillion times can tell you that Cinderella had no bling and that even when she becomes a princess and gets it, she eschews the wealth for reminders of her former humble existence. In fact, she spends a great deal of time essentially teaching everyone around her who doesn’t know it already that money can’t buy you happiness.
In fact, all of the princesses seem to have this longing for an anti-bling existence. The princess Snow White is at her best with a broom in her hand, kindly cleaning up after a bunch of dwarves. Sleeping Beauty is devestated to find that she’s not a peasant girl, but actually a princess about to be forced into marriage. Jasmine hates being a princess so much, she runs away and isn’t satisfied until her dad agrees to let her marry Aladdin, her true love and a self-professed “street rat.” Belle has everything she could possibly want at the Beast’s castle and she’s even starting to dig the Beast (proving that what matters is on the inside), but she still longs to be back home with her crazy, impoverished dad. So, um, what were you saying again, Peggy?
In the end, the GMA story tells us that what’s most important is not whether our little girls love or hate the Disney princesses, but instead, what we’re telling them as their parents. Apparently, it’s important for moms to talk to their daughters about what they’re seeing on television and reading about in storybooks.
Duh.
How dumb do they think we are?
No wonder women are tuning out morning newscasts.
And the networks aren’t the only ones who seem certain that we’ll eat up whatever they give us. Yesterday, I received an advertisement in the mail for the Lena System, a bizarre and expensive device that claims to make your kid smarter for only $750!!
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Slip the LENA Recorder into your child’s comfortable, stylish LENA Clothing — and forget about it. |
At the end of the day, plug the LENA Recorder into your PC. The audio data will transfer and analysis begins. |
View your reports to analyze your conversations and quantify words spoken throughout the day. |
If I find out any of you bought this thing, I will personally come to your house and pour a bucket of cold water over your head. For a small fee, of course. I’m assuming you can afford it.
P.S. Ironically, I recently tested an early reading program that I actually like and that isn’t wildly overpriced. You can read about it here.
>Oh, you have GOT to be fucking kidding me w/that LENA crap?!?! I’ve NEVER seen such blatant bullshit in ALL my life, why don’t they just reach in my wallet and STEAL my money! What CRAP. I digress and leave you with, “How dumb do they think we are?”
>Lena? Oh my goodness. I can’t believe that. I don’t know anyone who would even consider it, but my coworkers said they can think of a bunch who would.Wow.
>Wow. Thats insane. I wonder what words would come up if it were in my kids pocket….hahahaha.
>That is really really bizarre. “We could effort a dialogue” — Oh my gosh, I love that!!! Wonder what the LENA would have to say about that line!?
>Crazy. Just crazy.
>i think your label on this post says it all.
>It looks like a “spy system” for your kids, not a way to make them smarter.
>tmiles…agreed. I want one.No, j/k!I’ve never felt like I could relate to those shows. Back when I was home during the day, I wasn’t actually a mom. Now I am and I sit in an office all day. Funny how that works, eh?But I have to agree on the Princesses. They have never played the ‘lady in peril’ role… I think they are pretty good role models, actually (except that disobeying parents thing – but we TALK about that! ha!)
>Yup, I got an info. packet on the Lena in the mail this week, too. I was all “WTF!!!”, too. sad, sad, sad.
>Thank goodness this weeek is Turn Off The TV Week!! Maybe some GMA/Today Show addicted mama will have her brain freed from their sterotypical broadcasts!!! Wishful thinking huh? Yeah, I know.
>People actually watch those shows? I think if I had a kid in daycare who couldn’t talk I might want a spy system to see if all was well with the daycare workers, but the LENA thing doesn’t seem to be about that. I’m with my kid all day, why do I need a computer to tell me what we talked about?
>I haven’t seen the morning show segment but I’m sure it was edited for your iq’s protection up the whazoo. I did however read the original Peggy Orenstein article in the NYT magazine about six months ago (GMA is so current!) which is awesome. You should check it out if you haven’t already. Her point wasn’t necessarily that princesses are bad but with the amount of marketing dollars there are for them, and the amount of shelf space dedicated to them that girls don’t have much of a choice any more in what they play with or aspire to be. I think that’s a really valid point. I want my daughter to know the joys of accessorizing (just like mama) but also the joys of hanging from a jungle gym without fear that her tiara will fall off and get dirty.
>Ok so I read the article (totally unfair for me to comment without having done so first). I guess when you hear that the princesses are good role models because they’re friendly and courteous…ok. That’s fine. But what about being accomplished? Smart? Respected? Powerful? These are all the traits we teach our sons to value. Not so much the friendly and courteous stuff. Maybe there’s just a balance that needs to be struck and the princess only fulfill half of the equation. [sorry, off soapbox now.]
>Oh yeah, the princess fiona sheets and backpacks really trumped ol’ Cinderella and Snow White LOL!!I don’t need a machine to tell me my kids are geniuses… ;o)
>We’ve stuck to that info-commercial reading product….you know, “Hooked On Phonics”. It WROKED Fer Uz!!!
>Liz, I read the article this morning,too. Re-read it, actually. Perhaps the question we should be asking is why we discourage our sons from being princess fans. Because the two and three-year-old boys I know love princesses and Dora almost as much as the girls, and their moms won’t buy the stuff for them. Why can’t boys learn the traits of being friendly and courteous and caring? My daughter is learning leadership and courage from males like Diego (whom she likes just as much)- why can’t the boys learn from both sides as well?I just think the princesses are being unfairly demonized. Hopefully, our children all draw from a wealth of role models, as their parents do in real life.
>My girls love The Princesses, and I’m having a hard time thinking why not. The lessons aren’t bad. They aren’t possession-obsessed – although my girls become that way in wanting more Princess paraphenalia. The main downside to the Princess stories is that they always “end” with marrying The Prince or a facsimile thereof. Of course, in life, marriage happens and it does affect your life A LOT. Just seems like there could be some self-somethingerother before the whole marriage thing happens for the 16 year old Arial and the other young Princesses.
>I have a no-morning talk shows rule in my house b/c if I even catch a glimpse of that trivial garbage their shoving down the necks of women all over America it’ll ruin my day. Also, my Mom calls me to tell me what horrific thing I should be fearful about anyway. She watches the Today Show and is a shameless proponent of sharing the wisdom that Matt shares with her every morning. Shut up, Matt. Shut up, Mom.
>Marxist propiganda from wealthy liberal elites telling you how you should be living your life aside, my other biggest problem with the morning newstalk shows (except Fox and Friends, which is really funny) is Product Placement. Many news stories are manifactured advertisements for some product not just the sponsors, but the company may have financial interest in . Remember NBC is affiliated with Universal and GE. ABC is associated with Disney. CBS is associated with Viacom. Fox is Fox, and they may or may not be as big of shills during the show, as the Network equivalents, but also their audience is smaller so the $$ aren’t there.
>Excellent point! I agree (and sort of came to it as I was posting) that boys should be taught those traits too. I just want to make sure girls grow up with role models in addition to courteous tiara wearers. The more positive diverse influences, the better. Same for our sons. Amen.
>i don’t get how the lena thingy is supposed to make our kids smarter? perhaps I’M the one who needs it??? LOL
>I have boys and know NOTHING about those princess stories — but I NEVER watch those stupid shows that are designed to pit mothers against mothers…I’d rather read your blog about Bratz dolls.
>My younger son was a huge Dora fan, until his older brother pointed out how essentially uncool that was.He probably would have gotten into the whole princess thing, too.TV really does speak to the lowest common denominator. And that must be what I like, because I watch so damn much of it. :)And the LENA idea? George Orwell would have had a field day with it.