Jessie

Disney's humor can only be described with few simple words: Stupid. Stereotypical. Sarcastic. Shallow. These three words have shaped today's Disney, from Shake It Up to A.N.T. Farm to Jessie. There are many things I can say about this show, from the annoying eleven-year-old to the little seven-year-old, from Bertram the butler to Mr. Kipling. But let me just list it. 1. Bras. They talk about this in a forced way, as if trying to be inappropriate. Why? Why do they need to talk about bras? What's the point? What's the need? Do they find this humorous? (This goes under Stupid humor). 2. Jessie. This woman is eighteen years old. Eighteen. What is she doing as a nanny to four kids? Why isn't she at college? What kind of example is she setting? When I was seven, I thought college was like school- you're absolutely required to go. What if there's another seven year old somewhere in the world that thinks the same thing? And they see this eighteen year old character who's not going to college? What will they think then? "Wait, I don't have to go and study. I can just become a nanny!" What else can Jessie do with her life? She was offered this position and took it in less than ten minutes. She knew almost nothing about the family, except for what she'd read in magazines about these rich people. (This goes under Shallow). 3. Richness. This doesn't have to do much with Jessie, but it does have to do with Disney Channel. So bras aren't a forbidden subject, but money is? Every single character in every Disney show gets everything they want, without even thinking about money! Sure, in Good Luck Charlie they work to make money, and they do talk about affording things sometimes, but generally everyone in Disney shows can get EVERYTHING THEY WANT. What is this? What about children who can't? How about a show about a child who doesn't have money or fame or excessive talent? What about a simple show that kids can relate to? (This goes under Shallow). 4. Emma. This girl absolutely drives me insane. She is the reason- she, this character- is the reason- that parents everywhere are becoming speechless at the rude things their children are saying to them. The attitude, the sarcasm. The kids crying because they think it's normal. After all, Emma says the most horrible things to Jessie and Bertram, and not once does she get told off. No, instead they just roll their eyes while a laugh track plays. In the description, on the website, they describe her as "sweet and motivated". Sweet and motivated? I know sweet and motivated. Emma is not sweet and motivated. Another thing that irritates me about Emma is what she learns. In every episode, she could do something wrong: devours teenage magazines, tries to be a friend of a snob, et cetera, and then she always learns her lesson. Lessons aren't supposed to be this shallow. Where is the character growth? Emma is a pathetic waste of time and space! (This goes under stupid, shallow, and sarcastic.) 5. Ravi. And this one really hits me hard. Because Ravi is Indian, yes. Ravi has been adopted recently, yes. But I have never met an Indian that yells, "Great Ganesh! I am a human samosa!" There's only one word for this and that word is 'Insulting'. He talks about different Indian foods, different Indian animals, and bluntly throws around things about the Hindu religion. At some moments, he sounds like he lived in a village or a jungle, in another in New Delhi. What is this absolute junk? India isn't a bunched up place of everything it's known for! Would Disney Channel EVER throw the word 'Jesus' around? No, of course not! So what gives them the right to throw the word 'Ganesh' about? Or 'Kali'? What gives them the right to mock the Indian culture? What on Earth gives them the right to so bluntly stereotype? Is this what they want in a child's mind? That people in a certain culture are all the same? (This files under 'Stereotypical'. 5. School. Do these children even GO to school? I have never seen them once go to school, except for Emma's science fair. And speaking of her science fair, what WAS that? She created a model of the solar system and read off a clipboard. Is that really a sixth-grade science fair? Yes or no? So they must be in school, and if they are, why do they have such interesting lives? Don't they have homework? (This goes under 'Stupid', of course.) 6. Luke. Luke is annoying, full of sexual jokes and hits on an 18-year-old. Please get somebody your own age. He always acts like he's the coolest person in the world. Now, if I was in Luke's grade, I would hate him. I would hate him to a point where he'd be an enemy of mine. Even Emma is not as ridiculously obnoxious as Luke. (This goes under 'Shallow'.) 7. Zuri. There are two things that really frustrates me about Zuri is that she wears makeup, and it's not stage makeup. It's eyeliner and mascara, and it's clearly visible. She is supposed to be seven! Should seven-year-old girls wear makeup? Why should they? Young, fresh, cute- what is the point of wearing makeup? Makeup was made in order for women to hide their flaws. Now it's just being created so it can be cheaply advertised to middle-schoolers, so they can look older. Now it's being advertised to seven year olds, as well? Why? Why would they wear it? The other thing that frustrates me about Zuri is how incredibly rude she is. And it looks fake. It looks as if she's a sweet girl, yet she learned how to be rude. It looks like she got her rudeness from a Disney Channel show. What is being promoted here? (Shallow, sarcastic) 8. Mr. Kipling. I beg of you, Disney Channel. Take Mr. Kipling off the show and have Ravi mourn him. Everything he does looks as if someone's dubbed it in. He cannot move that fast. He just looks too sluggish. He cannot eat people. He looks like he's the size of an iguana. (Stupid). 9. Tony. I don't know much about Italy, but I know he's trying to be forced into a New York-Italian stereotype. He always has pastas with names I've never heard. I can't say much about him, though, because I don't know much about Italy. Or New York. (Stereotypical.) 10. Jessie's "Texas Guys" song. I have just one question: WHAT'S WRONG WITH TEXAS GUYS? Honestly? You can't sing that song! There are thousands of guys in Texas! Not all of them are the kinds that you pick, Jessie! That is judgmental and a developing stereotype. (Stereotypical). Under the 'What Should Other Families Know About..." column, why does it not say 'Stereotypes'? Or 'Bad Role Models'? Or 'Negative Messages'? Or 'The Exact Opposite of Educational'? Because that's what I give Jessie. That's what I'd like to give Jessie.