Cute, childish things like toys, children's books and TV, etc. make me feel incredibly sad, page 1

I feel an almost overwhelming sense of pathos and sorrow when I come across things meant for children, like toys or coloring books, or children's TV show. A deep, haunting sadness.

For a long time this puzzled me. I couldn't understand why these things made me feel so bad. After all, aren't they supposed to cute and bring joy and happiness to children? What could be happier? I love children, too, so this feeling has been all the more puzzling.

I think I finally figured it out, though. What makes me feel so sad. Because these things are used by children to create their first images of the world. It is a world of cute animals and friendly, kind adults. Mr. Rodger's neighborhood, say. It's a very happy place, where fun things happen and life is fresh and exciting.

And when I am reminded of that world, constructed for children with these toys and images, I am simultaneously reminded how cruelly different the real world is, and how growing up is largely a process of learning just how incorrect those childhood images of reality are. And there is also some deep pathos in the fact that these toys and media things for children are made by adults, who know how cruel the world really is. It's like this sad, desperate attempt to make the world seem like a happy place when it is really so dark. All these cute things that are supposed to be warm and reassuring ultimately fail to protect children from the sufferings and horrors of adult life. It's like the creators of things for children are fighting this uphill, ultimately impossible battle with the best of intentions, but it is doomed to failure because sooner or later the darkness of life will shatter every single happy childhood illusion.

What a profoundly depressing revelation.