"There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." - Walt Disney

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

National Polka Dot Day, Gender Bias, and Writers


Today is National Polka Dot Day!



It's also the day Minnie Mouse finally received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame two years ago - a mere 40 years after her counterpart, Mickey. You can find out more about that here. I only mention this because the college class I teach is currently discussing gender bias. There are always polar opposites present on this issue, on whether this is still a concern today, and many students are somewhere in the middle or unwilling to take a side. However, the point of this class is research and persuasion. The Mickey versus Minnie tidbit has been brought up as a result of this research and discussion.

Many of my family members are Disney fans. As you can tell from the mention in this post, the cheesy picture here, and my social media accounts I'm a little obsessed with most of Disney myself. I've also passed the sickness along to my children. My husband has accepted, and loves us anyway ;-)

I'm from Southern California, and even though I live in Texas, we head back as often as possible to visit family and friends. I took my girls to Hollywood for the first time in July 2017. They loved it. Their favorite memories of the day there include lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe', seeing the famous Hollywood sign, and finding Daniel Radcliffe's star. You can see pictures here.

Another reason I mention all of this is because the original article I read announcing Minnie's big day led me down a rabbit hole of reading. I became curious about writers who have earned a star on that famous walkway. I knew of a few, but I was surprised at the number. Some of these authors I know have brought joy to many and will be immediately recognized: Raymond Chandler, Ray Bradbury, Stephen J. Cannell, Frank Capra, quite a few others I recognized, and a few I didn't. Here is a list the Los Angeles Times has comprised of all the writers who've earned that coveted star.

What are your feelings about gender bias - does it still exist? Have you been to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, or a Disney Park? Which authors are your favorites? Who would you like to see earn a star? Are you celebrating National Polka Dot Day?

3 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

You can also buy yourself a star on the Walk of Fame - Ryan Seacrest did.
I think the younger generation has done away with a lot of gender bias. It still comes up unfortunately but a lot of that is in the older generation. (And I've seen that in my own work.)
You should head east to Disney World sometime. It would blow your mind.

Sylvia Ney said...

Alex - that's insane! I didn't knw you could buy your own star. And, I have been to the Florida parks a few times. I think both coasts have something to offer that the other one doesn't. Love them both!

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