Archives
Disney's Marxist Fable
For the purpose of developing the student's ability to analyze anti-capitalist arguments, I recommend Disney's movie A Bug's Life. Ironically, teachers show this movie to elementary school students as a time filler without a thought to how rich it is in educational value, not to mention its propaganda value.
The movie takes a classic tale illustrating the benefits of productivity, and turns it into a Marxist fable. As Marx's concepts remain fundamental to current anti-capitalist arguments, the movie permits the examination of many relevant concepts. Thus, the students can develop their skills in both identification, and comparing and contrasting ideas.
Some of the ideas the students can look for include: the emiseration of labor, alienation, false consciousness, surplus value, superstructure, class conflict, vanguard party, and the advocacy of violence. Also, from a propaganda standpoint, notice the active role played by the soviet-like young pioneers in the movie's revolution scene.
Given that the students have probably already seen the movie when younger, the capacity to understand it in a new way will reinforce their own achievement and progress.
jwoodswce at 5:34:00 PM EDT Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | 
digg this
2/14/06 11:15 PM
Seriously, I think you're reading too much into minor details and ignoring the big picture. It's a story about an intelligent, innovative individual who teaches the other "people" in his society to stand up against real (not imagined) oppression, and along the way also teaches them to accept and encourage innovation. Yes, they live in a communal society, but the point made by the movie is in direct opposition to that kind of lifestyle.
So relax and enjoy the movie. It's fun.