Have you ever thought that toys could play a bigger role than just a form of entertainment in a child's life? Could toys serve as a reflection of the adult world and thus predispose children to what adult life should encompass? In 1957, Roland Barthes, a French literary philosopher, wrote an essay titled “Toys” in which he emphasized “that toys are essentially an adult microcosm; all are miniature reproductions of human objects. Barthes suggests that toys are not just frivolous distractions to keep children occupied, but are actually designed to prepare children for the future. Many toys that children play with reinforce the norms that are part of adult society and so, without realizing it, parents end up buying their children toys that influence their thinking and aspirations to align with the company. Currently, films and television shows are made about the toys that children play with and personify the toys, making them much more influential because children then have a character to imitate. “Avenger: Infinity War” is one of those films that presents many aspects of the adult world to young children as simple fact, thereby portraying a picture of the world that children should simply accept. Produced by Kevin Feige and released in 2018, “Avenger: Infinity War” is a film based on many superheroes who protect the world from evil. While characters such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Black Widow provide great entertainment and send a great message of moral duty to young children, they also encourage children to accept society's tendency to glorify possessions and wealth. superficial wealth, thus creating very problematic standards. of what men can look like, while holding women to incredibly unrealistic standards of beauty and body image. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIron Man is a fictional character from the film “Avenger: Infinity War” who wears a special suit and has a contraption in his chest that gives him superhuman strength and the ability to fly. One might think that a child being attracted to an Iron Man figurine or wanting to look like Iron Man is simply due to the colorful costume he wears or the heroic qualities he portrays in the film and is therefore completely harmless; however, the aspects of the adult world that the child learns and unconsciously integrates into his or her thinking may not be so harmless. Iron Man is revealed to be a wealthy and confident man with many possessions, including cars, jewelry, and houses worth a million dollars. Iron Man is also popular with women. A child who looks at his favorite figurine and wants to imitate it will learn that money and expensive objects can give him confidence and lots of attention; the desire to possess expensive things is implanted in the child without any real representation of how one should achieve this. In his essay, Barthe emphasizes that “the child can only constitute himself as an owner, a user, never as a creator; he does not invent the world, he uses it", and in the case of the character of Iron Man, the child does not invent ideas associated with wealth but will instead use those existing ideas described through Iron Man to propel future decisions. A little boy watching a scene of his idol, Iron-Man, wooing a woman and engaging in wealthy pursuits, will subconsciously learn that as an adult, he too must work to achieve the same lifestyle. A little girlwatching a scene of her crush, Iron-Man, courting a woman and engaging in rich activities, will subconsciously learn that as an adult, she too must look for similar qualities in her future partner. Young boys accept society's association between money and success and young girls accept society's association between money and a suitable partner. The action figure that children are accustomed to playing with is depicted in a specific way in the film and the effect of this extravagant depiction of Iron-Man on fans who are children goes beyond innocent entertainment; rather, it is an illustration of what wealth represents and how wealth should be used in our society. The Incredible Hulk is another popular toy figure personified in the movie "Avenger: Infinity War" that shows impressionable children the kind of temperament and physique of men. should generally have. In his normal life, the Incredible Hulk is a scientist, but when he loses his temper, he transforms into a massive, jagged green superhuman like no other. The character of The Incredible Hulk is a very problematic example for young children to follow, as they learn to uncritically accept a sad reality of our society: violence motivated by anger. If a child's favorite hero can become violent and unstoppable when angry, then why would the child question a video of an angry customer becoming violent with an employee? Such toys and their depiction in films have promoted the culture of violence as a form of entertainment to the point where young children can no longer critically analyze the moral differences between a professional UFC fight and a professional fight. street at the high school. This is the case because young children watch movie scenes in which the Incredible Hulk defeats another movie character named Thanos and a bystander character normalizes the entire act by stating, "Let him have fun.” Toy makers are releasing products such as Hulk's big hand sculpted into a fist shape that children can use to playfully smash objects. In addition to copying his actions, children may also be inclined to imitate the Incredible Hulk's short-temper. Barthes mentions in his text that a toy "delivers the catalog of everything that does not surprise the adult", which is also true in the representation of The Incredible Hulk, because an adult who watches a man lose his temper and acting violently cannot do it. be surprised because this act is, perhaps not overtly, but nevertheless an accepted aspect of the adult world. In fact, the normalization of serious issues like domestic violence may also be due to characters like The Incredible Hulk. It would be an exaggeration to say that a grown man would become violent or a grown woman would accept domestic violence after seeing the Incredible Hulk perform; However, it is undeniable that a young child, male or female, who is shown such characters definitely contributes to normalizing anger and violence, thus leading children to unconsciously accept erroneous, although true, aspects of the adult world. Black Widow is another character from "Avenger: Infinity War" who prepares young children to accept certain aspects of the adult world without much thought. In his text, Barthes mentions that "French toys literally prefigure the universe of adult functions [and] can only prepare the child to accept them all,” and gives examples such as girls playing with dolls, giving them milk, and cleaning their diapers so that “the little girl can be prepared for causalities. ?.