Why Decoding Disney? Introductory Post.

First thing's first, my name is Raisa, and I've never been to Disney. Like, ever. So, I can very objectively say that I didn't sign up for decoding Disney because I love Disney world, because I've never been. To be quite honest, I would much rather to go Orlando and visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This isn't to say that I don't, however, love Disney-- because, to be fair, that's just quite inhumane.

When Duke finally released the list of writing 101 class options, every single girl in Duke class of 2020 went nuts over it. Everyone wanted the Disney princess class and, to be frank, I hate fan-girling over things with everyone else. So, despite my slight spike in excitement over seeing a Disney class, I scrolled through the list and took note of the addiction writing 101 class, as well as the sports and inequality one. I was determined not to fight and fan girl over the Disney course. And, if we're being honest, I didn't even think I could take a "Disney" course serious enough to WANT to do the work.

(P.S. In hindsight, I'm very excited to do the work for this Disney course so I was very much wrong in my thinking.)

So why did I sign up? I signed up because I wanted to take Hindi and I needed a morning writing 101 class so my schedule wouldn't be too spaced out-- and this was the most interesting choice. Much to my surprise, I managed to gain a slot in the class and I'm excited to see where the class takes me!

Now, I said I've never been to Disney, but I have seen nearly any Disney movie you can think of-- even The Hunchback of Notre Dame (which isn't a popular choice but I loved it!). I even adore Disney channel-- which isn't a great representation of Disney as a whole-- but it's good enough. I'm most interested in learning about the conflicts people have with Disney. The course description implies that there are people who genuinely have a distaste for Disney and what it stands for, and I just don't see how! How does a person NOT love Disney? Again, it's INHUMANE to go against Disney. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERSON CAN SPEAK BAD WORDS AGAINST DISNEY! And, that is precisely what I plan to find out. I mean, what could be so bad about Disney that a person would want to go around destroying beautiful dreams and happy endings for children?

Oh, and about the theme on villainy, I'm hoping to come to love some of the evil characters-- I mean, they have it pretty hard in the movies, so it's about time someone gives them a break. In the book Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card states that in the moment that he fully understands his enemy, he loves them-- "it is impossible to really understand somebody... and not love them the way they love themselves." Throughout this Disney course, I expect that I will come to understand the function of a Disney villain within the context of the movie, as well as the context of my own life, and through that understanding I will love them.

Stepping away from that serious and deep stuff though, I want to be that really annoying person that learned something new and now gets to show it off to everyone she knows! I want to be able to watch Cinderella and say, "OMG! You know the stepmother was just really miserable and lonely and that's why she treated Cinderella so horribly? Oh, and, by the way, you hate your own stepmother because you watched Cinderella and Snow White as a kid and it made you believe that all stepmother's are inherently evil." Now THAT would blow some minds.

Most of all, this course should be exciting because it takes something as simple and lovely as Disney movies and gives them whole new meanings. It's almost like mixing Disney and Psychology/Sociology together, because it looks at the effects of Disney movie on social constructs and children behavior and growth-- and as an intended Psychology/Sociology double major I couldn't be more excited about that!