THE POLITICAL REALITY OF MODERN CARTOONS: REGIME TRANSFORMATIONS AND SOCIAL CONTRADICTIONS
DOI: 10.23951/2312-7899-2021-2-81-95
Popular culture reflects not only events, but also the nature of the modern era and problematic aspects that require the attention of the state and society. The article examines new vectors of socio-political transformation of modern society and their reflection in animation. The study of modern cartoons shows that they have replaced traditional myths and began to broadcast social norms and their transformation. Special attention is paid to the growing role of horizontal ties and the increase in the value of the family and the institution of reputation, caused by the highest degree of transparency of the modern information society. This is clearly emphasized in the plots of such cartoons as Frozen, Moana, Brave, Inside Out, Finding Nemo, and Coco. All cartoons show the hero’s rebellion, which results in an understanding of family ties’ value. In addition, the article notes a change in ideas about romantic love. At the same time, the value of individualism fades into the background, giving way to mutual assistance to achieve the common good. The article emphasizes that atomization and individualism were characteristic of human culture for a fairly short period of time. They appeared after the collapse of traditional society, urbanization and the next industrial revolution. However, later urbanization was replaced by hypeurbanization along with information transparency, which, relying on new technical means, revived many features of the traditional society. Moana’s plot demonstrates the reduction of the atomization of modern society, the negative side of the high level of individualism, which is increasingly difficult to demonstrate today due to the rapidly increasing role of social connections. The conflict of civilizations described by Huntington is not reflected in modern multiplication. Anyone who seemed to be the enemy and the embodiment of evil, upon closer examination, turns out to be either a victim in need of help, or a potential ally. In this specific, often repeated plot, it is not difficult to see the influence of postcolonialism as a direction of modern thought and public discourse. Illustrations of the formation, functioning and destruction of authoritarian political models in modern cartoons are analyzed. The relevance of the theme of the fight against tyranny in animated films is shown. Examples include Toy Story 3, A Bug’s Life and the animated series Watership Down. In the first case, the dictator imposes on society the ideology of a hostile external world, which forms the authoritarian political model’s ideological basis. Its organizational basis is represented by a repressive mechanism consisting of security, surveillance and a closed perimeter. This brings the presented model closer to totalitarian political regimes, because modern autocracies do not hinder the intention of those who disagree with leaving the country. This helps them maintain their power for as long as possible. In order to maintain this regime, a privileged caste is created, represented by the power apparatus (guards who are allowed gambling and additional consumption). In addition, the security apparatus has the right to carry out violence against all other members of society. The plot of A Bug’s Life also shows society’s struggle against tyranny, which is carried out through a combination of the direct threat of violence and propaganda. The method of intimidating the tyrant Hopper shows that he does not perceive himself as a legitimate bearer of power and recipient of resources. Internal recognition of its own illegitimacy provokes a reluctance to make concessions, reach a mutually acceptable compromise and negotiate, as the legitimate government usually does. Direct political content is also found in Watership Down. Within the framework of the narrative for children, the main attributes of the classic fascist dictatorship are politically realistic. The authors draw attention to the fact that the basis for the alternative to dictatorship is not atomization and chaotic violence, but civic organization and mutual assistance.
Keywords: horizontal ties, political regimes, cartoons, tyranny, social norm, information society, generational values
References:
Ashcroft, B., Griffiths, G., & Tiffin, H. (2000). Post-colonial studies: The key concepts (pp. 168–173). Routeledge.
Baumeister, R. F., Zhang, L., & Vohs, K. D. (2004). Gossip as cultural learning. Review of General Psychology, 8(2), 111–121.
Booker, M. K. (2010). Disney, Pixar, and the hidden messages of children’s films. ABC-CLIO.
Duckitt, J. (1989). Authoritarianism and group identification: A new view of an old construct. Political Psychology, 10(1), 63–84.
Feldman, S. (2003). Enforcing social conformity: A theory of authoritarianism. Political Psychology, 24(1), 41–74.
Griffiths, J. (1984). The division of labor in social control. In D. Black (Ed.), Toward a general theory of social control (pp. 37–70). Academic Press.
Huntington, S. (2016). Stolknovenie tsivilizatsiy [The clash of civilizations]. AST.
Inglehart, R., & Baker, W. E. (2000). Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American Sociological Review, 65(1), 19–51.
Jugert, P., Cohrs, J. C., & Duckitt, J. (2009). Inter- and intrapersonal processes underlying authoritarianism: The role of social conformity and personal need for structure, European Journal of Personality, 23(7), 607–621.
Lavine, H., Lodge, M., & Freitas, K. (2005). Threat, authoritarianism, and selective exposure to information. Political Psychology, 26(2), 219–244.
Leitner, S. (2003). Varieties of familialism: The caring function of the family in comparative perspective. European Societies, 5(4), 353–375.
Makenbaeva, K. E., & Pyshkina, K. A. (2016). Psychological analysis of contemporary children’s products (On the example of cartoon). Razvitie professionalizma, 1, 176–177. (In Russian).
McFarland, S. (2010). Authoritarianism, social dominance, and other roots of generalized prejudice. Political Psychology, 31(3), 453–477.
Nugent, E. R. (2018). The psychology of repression and polarization in authoritarian regimes. Middle East Initiative, Belfer Center Harvard Kennedy School. https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/2018-01-MEI_RFWP_Nugent.pdf
Passini, S. (2008). Exploring the multidimensional facets of authoritarianism: Authoritarian aggression and social dominance orientation. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 67(1), 51–60.
Shapinskaya, E. N. (2018). Practice of mass culture. Myths and Heroes. Kul’tura kul’tury – Cilture of Culture, 2(18). (In Russian).
Stellmacher, J., & Petzel, T. (2005). Authoritarianism as a group phenomenon. Political Psychology, 26(2), 245–274.
Talal, A. (2017). Mif i zhizn’ v kino: Smysly i instrumenty dramaturgicheskogo yazyka [Myth and life in cinema: Meanings and tools of dramatic language]. Al’pina Pablisher.
Tanner, L. R., Haddok, S. A., Zimmermann, T. S., & Lund, L. K. (2003). Images of couples and families in Disney feature-length animated films. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 31(5), 355–373.
Yoshinaga, I. (2019). Disney’s Moana, the Colonial screenplay, and indigenous labor extraction in Hollywood fantasy films. Narrative Culture, 6(2), 188–215.
Yu, A. B., & Yang, K. S. (1994). The nature of achievement motivation in collectivist societies. In U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S.-C. Choi, & G. Yoon (Eds.), Individualism and Collectivism: Theory, Method, and Application (pp. 239–250). Sage.
Zurcher, J. D., Brubaker, P. J., Webb, S. M., & Robinson, T. (2020). Parental roles in ”the circle of life” representations of parents and parenting in Disney animated films from 1937 to 2017. Mass Communication and Society, 23(1), 128–150.
Zurcher, J. D., Webb, S. M., & Robinson, T. (2018). The portrayal of families across generations in Disney animated films. Social Sciences, 7(3), 47.
Issue: 2, 2021
Series of issue: Issue 2
Rubric: ARTICLES
Pages: 81 — 95
Downloads: 1888