"Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, Thundercats, HO!"
Just this line alone made me remember all the shit-kicking cartoons on when I was a kid, and how nowadays it seems like we are now raising a generation of pussies. Back in the early 90's I had watched a multitude of character building cartoons comprising of He-Man, Transformers, Thundercats, Voltron, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. You see, not only did these cartoons comprise of intense battle sequences, but we also got a dose of life lessons as well. What could be a better combination? I get to watch giant robots blow shit up in Voltron and Transformers, as well as seeing He-man and Lion-O tear Skeletor and Mumm-ra a new asshole (respectively of course), and still learn what it is to be a leader, be a good friend, earn trust, or whatever moral value the episode is trying to get across. Call it Aesop's fables for hyperactive elementary school kids.
So what's wrong with today's children's entertainment? Sure it has all the same moral messages, but it just seriously lacks the balls. First one on the hit-list is Pokemon. Besides the fact that it was ripped straight from Japan, the show sends the message to kids that it's alright to be a wuss. How?The main character Ash Ketchum, does zero fighting for himself, but has his little pokemon do it for him. What kind of message is this sending to children? A bad one. Pokemon celebrates enslaving peaceful creatures, to do the bidding of their master, Ash. Ash simply uses these pokemon as a tool to fulfill his own glory.
Gotta Catch 'em All? More Like Gotta Enslave 'em All.
Now if He-Man or Lion-O had a problem, they would handle business themselves, championing the American ideal of making it on your own. Ash Ketchum here, seems to be preaching an older American ideal, but instead of catching pokemon, it was Africans, and instead of doing battle against other pokemon, it was picking cotton/indigo/any other cash crop. Could we be going into a regression?
Pokemon was the first Japanese cartoon (anime to the elite), transported here for children. But there were some saviors. Dragon Ball Z was also on TV's across America at the same time, but after watching it many times as a kid, it's over-the-top action places it among He-Man and Thundercats. Even Gundam Wing, has merits. While it has the same giant robot carnage, instead of teaching moral lessons, it gave kids a crash course in politics.
However, much like Pokemon, Naruto threatens to poison our children's minds. Simply put, the character of Naruto is just a bratty child. I wouldn't want my child to be watching a show that positively reinforces being a pain in the ass, to which I'm going to have to negatively de-reinforce with 5 across the back of the head. Not to mention, Naruton celebrates the wrong type of fighting. Being a ninja means waiting around for one person to come along, to which you'll stab once, then run away like girly-man. He-Man and Lion-O are out there in the thick of things, kicking ass and taking names. Do we want our children getting into a fight, laying down a sucker punch and running away? No, as this would only result of having their ass stomped in the next day, because unlike ninja, you can't hide at recess. If my kid was to ever get into a fight, I would want him to go out swinging. Even if he does get beat, at least he'll still get some respect for taking a punch instead of the Naruto wannabe, Timmy, who ran away and locked himself in the bathroom stall after giving Bobby a cheapshot in the gonads.
Stupid.
Now if He-Man or Lion-O had a problem, they would handle business themselves, championing the American ideal of making it on your own. Ash Ketchum here, seems to be preaching an older American ideal, but instead of catching pokemon, it was Africans, and instead of doing battle against other pokemon, it was picking cotton/indigo/any other cash crop. Could we be going into a regression?
Pokemon was the first Japanese cartoon (anime to the elite), transported here for children. But there were some saviors. Dragon Ball Z was also on TV's across America at the same time, but after watching it many times as a kid, it's over-the-top action places it among He-Man and Thundercats. Even Gundam Wing, has merits. While it has the same giant robot carnage, instead of teaching moral lessons, it gave kids a crash course in politics.
However, much like Pokemon, Naruto threatens to poison our children's minds. Simply put, the character of Naruto is just a bratty child. I wouldn't want my child to be watching a show that positively reinforces being a pain in the ass, to which I'm going to have to negatively de-reinforce with 5 across the back of the head. Not to mention, Naruton celebrates the wrong type of fighting. Being a ninja means waiting around for one person to come along, to which you'll stab once, then run away like girly-man. He-Man and Lion-O are out there in the thick of things, kicking ass and taking names. Do we want our children getting into a fight, laying down a sucker punch and running away? No, as this would only result of having their ass stomped in the next day, because unlike ninja, you can't hide at recess. If my kid was to ever get into a fight, I would want him to go out swinging. Even if he does get beat, at least he'll still get some respect for taking a punch instead of the Naruto wannabe, Timmy, who ran away and locked himself in the bathroom stall after giving Bobby a cheapshot in the gonads.
Stupid.
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