Gay Characters in Kid's Media (AKA Nico saw ParaNorman and has ~opinons~)
So I recently had the chance to watch ParaNorman on Netflix Instant thanks to the urging of my roommate. Overall I thought the film was pretty awesome for a kid’s flick, with a very valid message that, while not subtle, stands out among the many cookie-cutter morals that over media types push on their viewers.
Don’t let fear control you. Don’t judge other people. Don’t be stupid. Don’t be a prick.
Paraphrased, of course.
Now, the part of the movie that got, perhaps, the most press was the character of Mitch. Mitch, the tiny-wasted dumb-jock brother of Norman’s school chum, spurns off Norman’s sister’s advances in the final scene when she asks him out to a movie and he replies “Oh yeah! You’ll love my boyfriend. He’s really into chick-flicks!”
And with that we have one of the first openly gay characters in a show aimed at American children. (Scar from The Lion King doesn’t count. He is technically ambiguous ;)) The inclusion of an openly gay character really goes in with the theme of not judging other people based on fear. The movie reveals the character’s homosexuality after the moral has been beaten into your skull reached the audience and expects the audience to accept him without fear.
Of course, that’s not so easy to do.
Now, I am thrilled with the inclusion of Mitch’s sexuality. Having gay/lesbian characters in any media is good, but children’s media is an absolute must. One of the common arguments I see comes from parents who say that they need to wait until their child is older to deal with such topics. Now, this doesn’t sound like a bad thing- afterall, the semantics of love, relationships, and sexuality should be addressed when a child is of a maturity level to comprehend what they are being told. However, this argument is never about sexuality as a whole. Just homosexuality. It’s fine to explain the basics of romance to a four year old (and pretty much all kid movies do) but it’s not okay for the addendum that girls and love other girls until that child is reaching puberty.
Wha?
Exposing these (decidedly nonsexual, despite what some people may claim) types of characters and relationships in children’s media will actually help young people adapt and normalize the behavior. This is not a bad thing. If we don’t want our children judging others based upon their sexuality then we must normalize it and show it for what it is: An everyday occurrence in nature.
It’s a little mind-boggling that same sex relationships are considered so ‘exotic’, and that gays tend to be a commodity (in the media, and real life at times, unfortunately). This is not an “agenda” the Evil Homosexual Regime of Evil™ is trying to pass off to change all the children in the country into pole smokers, but it is a necessary step in the future of children’s media (and all media, for that matter) to normalize people of all types and show that “it’s okay to be different”, and actually mean it.
Because forcing an Aesop of not judging others, then going and judging others because they are different from you is a terrible hypocrisy.
On the subject of the movie, I definitely recommend it. Mitch isn’t even my favorite character from the film, but a nice addition. Also, it’s got some Coraline/James and the Giant Peach freakiness with the visuals that are delightfully creepy, and the Witch character is, without spoilers, a pretty interesting character in her own right.
Recommended!
Don’t let fear control you. Don’t judge other people. Don’t be stupid. Don’t be a prick.
Paraphrased, of course.
Now, the part of the movie that got, perhaps, the most press was the character of Mitch. Mitch, the tiny-wasted dumb-jock brother of Norman’s school chum, spurns off Norman’s sister’s advances in the final scene when she asks him out to a movie and he replies “Oh yeah! You’ll love my boyfriend. He’s really into chick-flicks!”
And with that we have one of the first openly gay characters in a show aimed at American children. (Scar from The Lion King doesn’t count. He is technically ambiguous ;)) The inclusion of an openly gay character really goes in with the theme of not judging other people based on fear. The movie reveals the character’s homosexuality after the moral has been beaten into your skull reached the audience and expects the audience to accept him without fear.
Of course, that’s not so easy to do.
Now, I am thrilled with the inclusion of Mitch’s sexuality. Having gay/lesbian characters in any media is good, but children’s media is an absolute must. One of the common arguments I see comes from parents who say that they need to wait until their child is older to deal with such topics. Now, this doesn’t sound like a bad thing- afterall, the semantics of love, relationships, and sexuality should be addressed when a child is of a maturity level to comprehend what they are being told. However, this argument is never about sexuality as a whole. Just homosexuality. It’s fine to explain the basics of romance to a four year old (and pretty much all kid movies do) but it’s not okay for the addendum that girls and love other girls until that child is reaching puberty.
Wha?
Exposing these (decidedly nonsexual, despite what some people may claim) types of characters and relationships in children’s media will actually help young people adapt and normalize the behavior. This is not a bad thing. If we don’t want our children judging others based upon their sexuality then we must normalize it and show it for what it is: An everyday occurrence in nature.
It’s a little mind-boggling that same sex relationships are considered so ‘exotic’, and that gays tend to be a commodity (in the media, and real life at times, unfortunately). This is not an “agenda” the Evil Homosexual Regime of Evil™ is trying to pass off to change all the children in the country into pole smokers, but it is a necessary step in the future of children’s media (and all media, for that matter) to normalize people of all types and show that “it’s okay to be different”, and actually mean it.
Because forcing an Aesop of not judging others, then going and judging others because they are different from you is a terrible hypocrisy.
On the subject of the movie, I definitely recommend it. Mitch isn’t even my favorite character from the film, but a nice addition. Also, it’s got some Coraline/James and the Giant Peach freakiness with the visuals that are delightfully creepy, and the Witch character is, without spoilers, a pretty interesting character in her own right.
Recommended!