The Brangelina Obsession

I am just sick right now about all this Brad, Angie, Marion and Jennifer crap. First it was "Angie files for divorce", followed by "Marion and Brad were cheating together," then "Jennifer says this is karma," and finally "Marion says it's not true!" Talk about drama!

Sure, like a lot of the world, I was quite interested when I found out Angelina and Brad were divorcing. My first reaction was "man, that sucks" and my second being "he probably cheated." I think my initial reaction was the best one. I thought about their kids, all the charities they helped together and how the world saw their intense on-scene chemistry way back when they filmed Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

I have a few points about this whole debacle I would like to share, and then I would like to move on and forget about it (like the rest of the Internet should do.)

1. It's a divorce and I am sorry for them. The rest of the world should be too. Who cares about the whole Brad and Jennifer drama that happened way back when. A family is splitting and that is never a good or OK thing in my opinion. Sometimes, based on the situation, it should and has to happen for the happiness of all involved. But, it should be a last resort. In an ideal world, a child should be raised by a loving mother AND father. But, I rather have a single loving mother raise her children than two parents stay together who hate each other. What does that teach the child? It teaches them the wrong ideas about what love can and should be. No one should revel in their divorce, no matter how they got together. Divorce is a sad thing and just because it's in the spotlight because of Angie and Brad's job, doesn't mean it should be treated any differently.

2. The whole "it's karma" thing is a bunch of awful crap. Yes, Brad and Angie made a bad choice to cheat when Brad and Jennifer were married. It was wrong, plain and simple. However, no one and women especially should revel in another woman's pain. I know a lot of women and men have gone through the pain of finding out that their spouse is a cheater. Unfortunately, I don't think it's a rare thing these days. But, reveling in someones pain, just because it's ironic, doesn't make it OK. We should still be sorry for the divorce as a whole (as stated above) or just not think about it at all. After all, it's not really any one's business, is it?

3. The media is making me sick right now. I know it's the whole "there's a demand we need to fill" thing, the "it's a novelty" deal and finally "they are public figures" analogy. I've been in journalism and I know why the papers/TV/web is talking about it. But the NY Post's cover was just insane. This Cover is just shameful. I mean really? They are taking a photo of Jennifer and using it in the wrong context. I hope she sues the post. Unless she is officially quoted them or gave them the a-OK to use this, I think it's wrong of them to use this. So much for your name NY Post. I don't consider that good journalism and shame on you.

OK. I am done with my Brad and Angie rant. Thanks for listening.

Disney is full of strong female examples, contrary to recently published "research"

I came across an article on Facebook earlier this week, pointing out the problems that Disney cartoons have caused, specifically those made between the 80s and 90s. 

The article suggests that The Little Mermaid and the princess stories that followed in the next few years, limited women in terms of speech and offered few examples of strong powerful women.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that Disney has affected my generation WAY TOO MUCH. We had a slur of films with catchy songs and fascinating stories (in my opinion at least). Plus the 90s was a prominent time for home video. It was simple for almost any parent, no matter their financial standing, to find it an easy solution to pop their kids in front of the TV to keep them busy. I was effected by The Little Mermaid other such films in good and bad ways.

Bad things I learned

Your happy ever after means you have a prince charming-  You don't have to have a "prince charming" per say, because he doesn't exist. It is however important to have someone in your life who cares about you and you care for in return, whether that's your mom, boyfriend, best friend or wife.

Hunting is evil-  I learned this not only from Bambi, but a slur of other animal based films (whether Disney, or from somewhere else.) Hunting isn't evil, but I just can't shake this one all the way. Logically, I know the meat I eat comes from someone killing an animal. That doesn't mean I can handle being around people hunting. I like to see meat in a grocery store as "pork" and not as Babe the pig.

Life is a fantasy world, full of happiness:  There is a lot of happiness, but there also is a lot of sadness. Disney movies very rarely convey true life problems, especially the cartoons. But, then again, that's the basis of the appeal.


Good things I learned

Life is always better with a smile on your face and a song in your heart-  Snow White taught me that, and yes, it may sound lame, but it's true. When you let the bad things get you down, you will feel down ALL THE TIME. (or at least a lot of times) When you put a smile on and push through, or sing a song when you are feeling down, it just seems to make the world a little less hopeless.

You have to stand up and fight for what you believe is right-  Mulan, Pocahontas, Brave, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and probably every Disney movie reinstated this in me. You can't just sit back and watch others destroy themselves or let others destroy your life. You've got to do what you can to help others and help yourself.

You can be a success if you work hard- Tiana of course reinstated that one. She dreams for a long time to get her own restaurant, but in the end, she has to earn money by working day and night. She saves it all up to get her dream.



One of the women quoted in the article says about Beauty and the Beast:

"There's one isolated princess trying to get someone to marry her, but there are no women doing any other things,” Fought says. “There are no women leading the townspeople to go against the Beast, no women bonding in the tavern together singing drinking songs, women giving each other directions, or women inventing things. Everybody who’s doing anything else, other than finding a husband in the movie, pretty much, is a male.”

What's her deal? Belle had a lot of amazing qualities and was a great role model to girls I think. 1) She went into a terrifying castle to go save her father. She was brave. 2) She was selfless when she volunteered to take his place in an isolated prison where a scary beast presided. 3) She was educated. She read constantly to learn, entertain herself and become a more well-rounded person. The townspeople thought she was odd. It's because she wasn't fawning over Gaston like all the silly other girls in town. 4.) When the townspeople went to kill the beast, she had learned that not all things are like they appear. She knew he was kind. She did everything she could to save him. If she had not returned, Gaston would have killed the Beast.

Needless to say, these stories are fantasies, but I think I'm OK with trying to live up to some of the ideals and examples that those princesses left for me.