With all the angry children that are now adults, WWMRD?

In May of 1969, Fred Rogers testified to the Senate Subcommitte about what children see and hear on TV. This is what he said.

What children see today in cartoons or SitComs could be the root of some of our sociological problems, manifested in some adult behavior.
The TV or ipad has become the new babysitter.

Non verbal physical reactions to adverse environments. Screaming and violent behavior appears to give the "best" resolution.
Have the cartoons really changed?
From my time:

What would Mr. Rogers do?

originally posted by: Violater1
The TV or ipad has become the new babysitter.

I think this is the primary problem. We are a full generation now into an economy in the US that pretty much requires that both parents of most households work outside the home, just to survive. This leaves parents with inadequate time and resources to properly raise their children.

If our economy wasn't dedicated to further enriching the already wealthy (they have to eat too, ya know), such that parents could viably choose to have one - either one, mom or dad or one mom or one dad - stay home with the children and raise them properly, we'd likely have fewer problems along these lines.

Well, they knew this long ago. Then they invented violent video games and the internet social media with very little accountability and they wonder how kids and adults are now so messed up.

a reply to: Violater1

I grew up watching the Three Stooges and Bugs Bunny, both very violent. I am not a violent human being. Both my wife and I work full time and have since my children were young. None of my children are violent or have any emotional problems beyond the normal angst during teen age years.

I think the large majority of parents show much more care for and communication with their children than when I was young (I'm 50). Of course there are individual data points, generally from a poor family. However, I would submit that we are far less violent in every phase of our lives, work, play and home. Violence isn't tolerated at really any level but entertainment anymore. When I was in junior high school there was a fight between two boys or other almost every day after school. That isn't tolerated anymore.

a reply to: Violater1

oddbods are great

originally posted by: Open_Minded Skeptic

originally posted by: Violater1
The TV or ipad has become the new babysitter.

I think this is the primary problem. We are a full generation now into an economy in the US that pretty much requires that both parents of most households work outside the home, just to survive. This leaves parents with inadequate time and resources to properly raise their children.

If our economy wasn't dedicated to further enriching the already wealthy (they have to eat too, ya know), such that parents could viably choose to have one - either one, mom or dad or one mom or one dad - stay home with the children and raise them properly, we'd likely have fewer problems along these lines.

I completely agree with you.

Also, I would add that kids born from the mid 90's on only become more and more isolated. Part of that is the rise of social technology, and the other part of that is that it is pretty much illegal now to let your kids go out and explore on their own.

When I was a kid, we ran around in a pack on our own, for most of the day. We learned social skills. We learned the value of cooperation and we learned self-sufficiency and self confidence.

These kids are now bombarded with violent or inappropriate content and have little chance to learn adequate social skills to become well-rounded or even stable, adults.

pop culture is robbing the younger generations of their common sense and human decency. children are now trapped between the constantly morphing social justice movement that turns almost any opinion into an example of hate and degradation, and a mutated james dean/elvis presley trend-generating philosophy that dresses up a boorish and uncouth disposition as "hip and edgy". kids dont know whether to run or crawl.

guess im the only one that digs the odd bods
courage the cowardly dog is another good one
and uncle grandpa

originally posted by: TinySickTears
guess im the only one that digs the odd bods
courage the cowardly dog is another good one
and uncle grandpa

the fact that you can enjoy these with all the adult humor in them kind of solidifies the OP's point.
It's like letting your 5 year old binge watch South Park. It's a cartoon, but not for kids.

But then, you would have to have kids to understand why this is important.

a reply to: network dude

my 5 year old binge watches odd bods and courage with me

go ahead and talk # about me now

hahahahaah

oh and the very evil sponge bob

a reply to: TinySickTears

not talking #, you raise your kids however you wish, they are yours.
I hope they grow up to be wonderful people. I really do.

originally posted by: network dude
a reply to: TinySickTears

not talking #, you raise your kids however you wish, they are yours.
I hope they grow up to be wonderful people. I really do.

well i do appreciate you not talking #

thanks

it will come from someone soon though

I miss Thundercats, G.I. Joe and He-Man. My brainwashing was so much better than yours (theirs).

originally posted by: JinMI
I miss Thundercats, G.I. Joe and He-Man. My brainwashing was so much better than yours (theirs).

hey im with you there too
hong kong phooey
grape ape
magilla gorilla

those are some shows

and my boy underdog even though he was a druggie



hahahaahahahah

not into uppers myself

I was raised up in the 1970's with Sesame Street, Mister Rodgers, Captain Kangaroo and Looney Tunes and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom when I was a bit more mature. It definitely laid some foundations alongside my family lessons. Most of the kids in various neighborhoods were tuned in to more "violent" television broadcasts, and some of them were absolutely cruel and barbaric, mimicking the actions and recreating the images and actions they saw on their televisions.

The worst I ever got was mimicking Wile E Coyote trying to create cardboard box machines to catch Roadrunner, but other kids were absolutely terrorizing the neighborhoods trying to put the beat down on the more vulnerable kids.

When I look at childrens programming today, there is a lot of high paced action and various types of imaginative combat scenarios. Fortunately, all the kids in my neighborhood playing under my window are more the gentle sort, light sports and paper airplanes with their siblings. Thank heavens for that.

But it's real for more impressionable young minds, especially children who are more receptive to television fantasies from the magic light box than they are listening to non-present parental supervision and real life lessons.

The last time I saw the newest incarnation of Sesame Street I was somewhat disheartened because it didn't speak clearly and intelligently to children like I remember the shows from the 70's....it was almost all Elmo being infantile and there were no real human characters present showing the importance of community values.

And it's not just limited to Childrens Programming.....Adult Programming has become even more sex-centric and viscerally violent than decades previous, and more graphic in detail than ever thought passable.

And the people consume it with the same veracity as ever.

I haven't a solution other than monitoring childrens ability to change channels.

Were it up to me, and I were a parent, I would be writing letters to my cable company demanding to be able to purchase only Documentary channels and Educational Channels, and be EXTREMELY involved in the level of content publishing these channels produced.

For those of us with more sensible outlooks when it comes to the influence of mass media on the minds of the general populace, it would be nice to have more agreeable options available for Family Friendly Environments.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Careful there TST, your age is showing!!

Cartoons today are odd in the sense that they don't make any, IMO. I've tried to watch my older sons favorites and they are so very A.D.D. Having ADD/ADHD myself, there is something to be said about that. I don't think it carries much weight however if parents are more verbish than nounish regarding the term.

Children of Darkness

originally posted by: Violater1Have the cartoons really changed?

The cartoons have changed a lot. Vintage cartoons are something of a hobby of mine, I wouldn't say I watch them devoutly, but every few months if I have free time I'll binge on a bunch of them. They have definitely changed over time.

A bunch of cartoons used to involve a lot of outright racism. While there wasn't any nudity (just like now... that's a different type of cartoon), sex was much more blatant in the 40's and 50's. Drugs were there too, besides the usual alcohol and tobacco... I've seen a lot of cartoons where the characters are hanging out in an opium den. We probably all know the usual cartoon fighting style that was common.

In old cartoons you had stories about characters committing suicide by sitting on the railroad tracks, and reminisce about their life as they see the train approaching. You had stories where Jerry screws with Tom over and over, until he goes crazy and kills himself just to get away from it. These things are really messed up, they've gotten much more tame over time.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Well, they knew this long ago. Then they invented violent video games and the internet social media with very little accountability and they wonder how kids and adults are now so messed up.

I've got a long rant on video games, it's not the violence screwing people up. The violence really only applies to a small number of games anyways. It's actually the microtransaction system, especially in mobile games. It's creating a whole new type of gambling addiction, and the companies are all about promoting it because whales are a great way to keep a small shop in business.

a reply to: JinMI

Oh i loved Thundercats