Mirror, Mirror
It was 1940, the world was intertwined in the second Great War, however, the United States managed to stay out of the conflict. The nation was flourishing—looming as an untouched super power, and national optimism was high. Grapes of Wrath, a movie based on a novel of the same name by John Steinbeck, was release in March of that year. The movie remains faithful to the novel for the whole movie, until its ending, the difference being that the movie depicted a more palatable ending than the novel. Movie goers in the 1940s didn't want to view a film that left them depressed with Steinbeck's cynical realism, they wanted the happy ending. The 1940s was a great time to be an American and pop culture, or popular ideas and values in a society, reflected that. The 1940s isn't the only time in history that the media depicted society's values, in fact, with the manifestation of various medias, pop culture has been mirrored within. Also societal principles, are
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In the 1941 film, Dumbo, the movie has racially charged tones surrounding several scenes, regarding crows with stereotypically black jive and a song promoting slavery. This isn’t the only example of racism, with Mickey Mouse wearing blackface, the movies Song of the South and The Jungle Book comparing African Americans to apes and depicting them as being lazy and unintelligent, blatant anti-semitism in several films, and racism to other groups of people, like Chinese and Native Americans, in other movies. Nowaday, Disney has been noticeably more diverse and inclusive of more cultures in its media. Moana, Disney’s latest princess movie, showcases a Polynesian cast, and many of Disney’s television projects have colored representation in their forefront. After the Civil Right movement, society has become more tolerant of differences and welcoming of diversity, and Disney grew along with the rest of