In this compelling TED talk, Colin Stokes would like to see more movies that send positive messages to young boys, compared to how mainstream Hollywood films currently do. He suggests that filmmakers imbed more ideas communicating that "cooperation is heroic", and "respecting women is as manly as defeating the villain" by juxtaposing the films Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz.
During his talk, Stokes lays out the criteria of the Bechdel Test -- named after cartoonist Alison Bachdel -- to assess the validity of the female charcters in a film. The three very simple questions which make up the Bechdel test may intially evoke a chuckle from the audience, but then prove to be quite poignant. Seemingly, many of the female characters in recent movies are rarely the protagonists in their stories, have nothing significant to say, and have no friends.
Perhaps my only issue with this talk is when Stokes -- who is the director of communications for the non-profit Citizen Schools, a non-profit that reimagines the school day for middle school students in low-income communities in eight American states -- states his belief that Disney princess movies leave positive impressions on young girls.
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