I've always thought children's television was demeaning and completely moronic. I don't see how talking down to children in any makes the show more entertaining -- at least for them.Rath Darkblade wrote:Something that annoys me right now... kids' TV.
AGH! They're so cloying and saccharine sweet! And they always grin like demented Cheshire cats and discuss things like yoga, tofu, and holistic living. How the heck are 3-year-old kids supposed to understand this?!? And to make things even worse, they never do ANYTHING without endlessly moralising about it! In one show I was forced to watch while babysitting someone, one of those grinning clone dumped a whole lot of feathers on the floor for no apparent reason, and another clone said to him, "Oh, you're bad - someone could slip on that and get a bruise", so the first clone started apologising frantically and cleaning up the feathers. It was the most pointless and boring half-hour I'd ever been subjected to. I seriously contemplated cutting my own eyes out with a spoon. Even the kid I was babysitting seemed nonplussed by it all. Whatever happened to real kids' TV, where the kids got scrapes and things, and went on adventures and foiled pirates and smugglers?
GRRRRR... *is NOT a happy camper right now*
I never liked Sesame Street, which surprises some people. Apparently "everyone" loved that show. I didn't. I thought it was idiotic.
The shows I did watch were far more interesting: Transformers, ThunderCATS, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tranzor-Z and others. They involved storylines, lasers, swords and all sorts of weaponry and could be considered quite violent (at least for cartoons).
I suppose we can't show those today. After all, we might "harm" our children by exposing them to violent activities. Anyone else see that idea as blindly stupid? Kids today have access to the Internet (and worst of all, YouTube and MySpace) where violence, not to mention sex, is shown on a minute-to-minute basis.
One thing I've always wanted to see is more realistic violence in cartoons. I realize that sounds weird, but look at how guns are shown in cartoons. A gun might destroy a building or a car, yet when it strikes the hero (or any other major character) all it does is "stun" them, possibly rendering them unconscious. I'd rather see a character that's shot experience pain. Lots of it. Maybe requiring the ER too.
The point isn't to traumatize children, but to make them understand that guns (and swords or knives) cause pain and suffering if used incorrectly. People aren't stunned, they're injured or killed. Maybe that'd actually sink in.