Often in media, children are used as an instrument to demonstrate problems and other conditions of society. Filmmakers are able to bring up their ideologies, and by portraying children, they are able to emphasize their message, whether they are exploiting children or not. This can present a problem, especially because this takes away the children's voice, and the adults are saying what they want to say through the children. We viewed "Munro," a short cartoon, as one of our pre-class viewings. I think this is a great commentary on this issue of children's issues being ignored. Munro is four years old, and is drafted into the military. He is expected to be a soldier and perform intense work, but he is only a toddler. The other adults are blind to this fact, even though he repeatedly tells them "I'm only four!" This great cartoon illustrates how adults overshadow children, taking away their agency, and ignoring the fact that children have their own problems that make it hard for them to function in society, apart from bigger societal issues. Children don't need to be instruments in portraying disfunction in society for a filmmaker's benefit.

An example of a piece of media with societal issues is Happy Feet. In my opinion, this movie is a little manipulative. At least, I felt like I was being manipulated when I saw it. The first half of the movie has a nice story about penguins and families and singing and dancing. But as the plot progresses, it becomes more focused on the environment and the need to preserve this ecosystem. I thought it used the penguins (could be considered children in this case) as a way to show problem, and it manipulated the audiences' emotions. This is my opinion, though, because I have heard of other people who didn't feel the same way about the film.

Then how are we supposed to portray children in media without exploiting them, and giving them their own voice? I feel that Princess Mononoke does a good job of portraying children who are entangled in social problems, but they aren't used unfairly. The film has several important ideological themes, mainly how humans are hurting the environment, and how important it is to preserve it. I think this film treats the characters fairly. The film avoids character stereotypes, especially regarding gender, many different parties are represented, and the child characters have their own opinions and concerns regarding the issues. I understood from the film that although there are going to be inevitable societal conflicts, we can all coexist while still maintaining our beliefs. Additionally, children can be agents rather than victims.