I’m usually a very stubborn person. Often times in arguments I do back down and make my compromises, but this is solely out of a realization that it would be futile to continue. I know that I will continue to be adamant in my beliefs. When I know my opponent will be just as adamant in his, I yield. Their persistence crossed my threshold of “I don’t care enough to continue putting up a fight.”
So when the task was to think about something I used to think was true knowledge but subsequently changed my mind on it, I found myself in quite a dilemma. But I did think of something, possibly so abstract in how specific it is – Disney movies.
Growing up, my childhood was characterized by the lack of a childhood. Now, I wasn’t abandoned on the street and my hardship was certainly limited by any means, but I don’t think I was subject to much of the “nurturing entertainment” that many of my friends had. I didn’t read Dr. Seuss books. I didn’t have stuffed animals. I didn’t watch many cartoons. Instead, most of my time those days were spent either drawing very peculiar diagrams for a 5-year old to draw or building structurally unsound Lego structures (predetermining that I was never going to be an architect). I guess my parents found these activities more acceptable than Tom & Jerry. Looking back, it was probably a race with my parents’ friends to see who could get an SAT textbook into their kid’s hands the first.
6th Grade…
Anyway, as I grew older and began to enjoy the wide independence that 7 year olds are known to enjoy, I found myself encountering certain films that all my friends seemed to thoroughly enjoy – Disney films. Perhaps it was because Elmo was never there to beam a rainbow of emotion into my brain when I was younger, but I didn’t get these films. I looked at them completely objectively. There was no way a tree could talk in Pocahontas. The Hunchback should probably go see a doctor in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. And I’m pretty sure I rooted for the wrong lion in The Lion King. So for many years, I dismissed these films as nothing more than “kids’ stuff” (as the mature 7-year old adult rightfully should), and thought nothing more of it. I went back to building structurally unsound buildings, this time in SimCity.
But something happened between then and middle school.
Probably girls. I’m not even kidding. They flip your life on its head and you can never think the same way again. I was somehow instilled with a dose of emotion. They picked up where Elmo evidently failed.
One summer, I decided to re-watch many of the Disney movies that I never “got” when I was younger. The films were the same, but the experiences were completely different. I was drawn into the stunning imagery and worlds that the animators had created. I wanted to learn how to play those unbelievably catchy songs. And I think this was all because I finally found myself empathizing with many of the characters. And I have tremendous respect for the artists at Disney. If you can make someone feel like they personally know a fictional character, you’re doing something right in my book. The reason Disney movies work is because they can appeal to one’s emotions. If one looked at it completely objectively, none of it would make sense. That’s what it originally was like for me.
Now, I hold Disney movies in incredibly high esteem. Ironically, my friends who used to enjoy these movies so much have moved onto Call of Duty (because who doesn’t enjoy a good shoot ‘em up game after watching Ariel regain her voice). Not only do I know believe that empathy is the key to recognizing beauty, I also believe the Disney movies taught me a great deal about idealism. By nature of being primarily for children, Disney movies commonly profess beliefs and concepts emphasizing the very high facets of idealism. If you believe in what you want, you’ll meet your goal, whether that be Prince Charming or otherwise. Cynicism rarely makes ground in these movies. But these movies have made me believe that their claims for idealism are firmly rooted in truth. Nearly all of these movies have some scene where the character almost gives up. Of course, they come to their senses and continue on their journey, eventually reaching their happy ending. Now, having an idealistic perspective like that may not always end in a happy ending, but what if they had quit. What if their cynicism overcame their hope, however distant it was. That would guarantee that they would have failed. They wouldn’t have achieved their happy ending. These movies made me realize the fruitlessness of cynicism. Idealism may not always guarantee good results, but cynicism certainly makes them impossible.
