He's a Tramp But We Love Him

Wikipedia (the most reliable source online, of course) tells us that a tramp is a long term homeless person. There is another definition used in current times, that a tramp is a harlot or a slut. While watching Disney's Lady and the Tramp I was thinking critically about these definitions. At times it could be argued that I have the mind of a 15 year old boy, especially when it comes to dirty jokes. So naturally I have always thought, even as a kid, that Tramp was the kind of dog that had lots of female dog "friends" for a short time, often only one night, and he finally met the one that convinced him to settle down in Lady. But actually I think Walt and his pals over at Disney were using the first definition when they named our young, male, canine lead. Lady and the Tramp was released in 1955, before the word was regularly used to describe floozies. But then again we hear in the dog pound about how Tramp has been around the block a few times... I just cannot decide. But I suppose that a double meaning to something is exactly what Disney and Pixar are known for- an adult line of humor built into family friendly films. 

The film follows Jim Dear and Darling, our faceless human owners of Lady, a loyal and beautiful Cocker Spaniel puppy. We see how Lady grows up and falls in love with the neighborhood mutt, Tramp. There are some lovely other characters in this film as well, Trusty and Jock are the older dogs next door. There is Aunt Sarah and her Siamese cats and a whistling Beaver in the story too. 

This is another Disney classic where animals sing, dance, and eat spaghetti. Peggy Lee did some of the voices in this movie, including Peg, one of the dogs in the pound. Peg sings the famous song "He's a Tramp" and since rewatching Lady and the Tramp I cannot get it out of my head! When doing some research about the song I learned that Peggy Lee also did the voices of Darling, and the Siamese cats in this movie too. That explains why all the songs are so great!

RA programming with Disney movies is my favorite thing to think about! Even though I am convinced I would be the only person in attendance. It would of course make sense to have a program about love or family as those are primary themes in the movie. But instead I think we should look at the importance of the dog licenses in the movie. Lady is so proud, and so is Tramp for that matter, when they get their licenses that prove they are proper adult-dogs. That can be compared to the "real world" things that a college student is soon to receive that also resemble adulthood. Things like an apartment lease, the first utility bill, their first mattress and box spring can all be considered shiny examples of growing up. Having a program where the RA brings the Sunday paper ads and maybe a laptop for some Craig's List so that your residents can plan out their adult budget. Researching the real costs of rent in their ideal city, the average cost of living and utilities in that area, as well furnishing that apartment would be a valuable lesson for all college students. It could be a pleasant reassurance that students have realistic expectations or a rude awakening!