Pixar, a subsidiary of Walt Disney, continues to produce new ways to teach modern day children about social issues through brilliant computer animation. One of their recent releases “Zootopia” fearlessly addresses sexism and racism. This is accomplished through Judy Hopkins, a rabbit who follows her dream of being a police officer rather than joining the family business of carrot farming. The plot continues with Judy stuck in a colorful world littered with setbacks and oppression. Of people telling her shes too small, too slow, too stupid, too feminine. But as a theme in this film, we set our own goals, and through Judy’s persistence and relentlessness she overcomes the limitations and expectations set upon her by others, more specifically by society; and she continues to strive for more challenging projects.
The message is clear. Our destiny is not predetermined based off of our race, gender, or culture. It is created by us and the goals we set for ourselves. Just like in Trevor Noah’s book, Born A Crime, Trevor and his mom didn’t let their society’s biased point of view, and condescending judgement hold them back just because of their color, they went against the tide and did what they wanted to do. Trevor’s mom took writing classes and broke into the white collar field even if it was just at the bottom rung, holding a mere secretarial position, Through persistence, belief, and hard work you can overcome obstacles placed by society.
In Sophocles’s play Antigone, Antigone does what she believes is the right thing to do, and she goes out and gives her brother the most proper burial she can, given the present circumstances. Even though it is unaccepted and frowned upon by her peers, more specifically by Creon, she does what she knows is necessary. Because she knows that you cant adjust your preferences to society, you have to let society adjust itself to you, it may take some time and some imprisonment but slowly but surely, we can be thankful that we have reform.
The Past in Present Tense 