Rockler Article - Erna p. 12

In her article, Rockler discusses students' reactions to proposed messages of racism, sexism, and classism in The Lion King. She highlights the "transmission paradigm," or the belief that media has certain intentional messages it portrays and that the audience is responsible for their correct or incorrect interpretation of said messages.

One student, Erna, suggested that in-depth critique of popular texts, like The Lion King, is unnecessary if the text was created for entertainment purposes only (Rockler 12). This student did not necessarily disagree with the critiquing of texts, but felt that trying to find a "deeper meaning" in something which was not written with such a meaning in mind was counterproductive.

Rockler found that this type of response was common, that the students generally believed messages within a text were of a concrete set and intentional, to be interpreted correctly or incorrectly by the reader. She argued, however, that this was a flaw in the education system under which the students had been taught. (Rockler 20) I disagree with this interpretation wholeheartedly. Belief in the transmission paradigm is not a flaw in one's education or understanding. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that a "message" need not be pulled out of thin air when there was no intentional message. I will agree that perhaps some unintentional messages could be interpreted from any text, and that it is possible for certain ideals to be gained from these unintentional messages, but there is a difference between analyzing the effects a text has on an audience and tainting the essence of a text because some message may or may not have been unintentionally represented in that text.
"I am responsible for what I say, not for what you understand."

Rockler, N. (2001). Messages between the Lions: The Dominance of the Transmission Paradigm in Student Interpretations of the Lion King. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 25(6), 12-20.