#8

1) Watch the first part (at least) of Mouse Trapped 2010 and Mickey Mouse Monopoly, and explain USING SPECIFIC ELEMENTS FROM THE FILMS how they are good examples of the different approaches of political economy and cultural studies. Define each approach briefly, and CITE GROSSBERG’S ARTICLE IN YOUR RESPONSE. (100-150 words)

Cultural studies discusses the meanings and practices of everyday life, and how people react. Political economy discusses more about political science and economics being unified and behaviors. Grossberg’s article discusses a lot about Garnham’s inability to define cultural studies. Garnham criticized that it “celebrates popular culture and gives up any oppositional role” (626), and that it “ignores cultural production” which makes it “incapable of understanding real structures of power, domination, and oppression in the contemporary world” (626). Grossberg disagrees with his criticisms, believing that cultural studies did not reject political economy, but rejected how it was practiced by some political economists. With that, I believe both political economy and cultural studies were demonstrated in these films. Mouse Trapped 2010 refers more to political economy, whereas Mickey Mouse Monopoly refers more to cultural studies. In Mouse Trapped 2010, the workers were expressing their concern for what little pay they receive. Many of the workers at Disney do not receive enough to live off of – they need to have two jobs in order to do this. In particular, one man said that he has a 2-year-old granddaughter that means the world to him, and all that matters is that she eats – he’ll skip meals for her. In Mickey Mouse Monopoly, they were discussing how Disney is such a big part of the American lifestyle, that many corporations in America are frightened to say something against Disney because they have the chance of being sued, and since the outcome of Disney can affect many lifestyles.