Whatever Happened To The Mind-Opening Cartoons I Used To Watch As A Kid!??!!

What easier way to indoctrinate a generation and generations to come, than through the universal medium. They want a group who is not going to think for themselves and follow orders. The cartoons we grew up with taught us that if you work at something you can accomplish anything, team work is good, share with others, good defeats evil. If they don't have these basic tenants instilled in them they will be good automaton for there masters to control.

One other thing of note on the imagination aspect. Using imagination tends to lead to thinking. Independent thought leads to independency which is quite the opposite of dependency. Not a position to have the masses be in now, is it?

Far worse than the stereotypes portrayed in the old Warner Bros. cartoons is the amount of butchering that has been done. If you happen to catch a Tom and Jerry with the black maid, the voice has been redone with a new voice actress to remove the sound of her speech patterns. Gone is the "Now you go on in t'ere an' git t'at mouse or I'll put you out, O-U-W-T. Out!"

While the changes are understandable, I am offended in the loss of the original voice actress. And honestly, it makes her sound more like Jasmine Guy, which is to say that the voice does not match the image of the person presented. This makes it more noticeable that a change has been made.



[edit on 2-2-2009 by Ahabstar]

reply to post by SantaClaus

Does anyone remember the cartoon with the dinosaur drawings that came to life in the beginning? I remember that beginning so well but can't remember what show it was to.

Maybe you're referring to The Land Before Time?






[edit on 2/2/09 by Majorion]

I liked Exo Squad as a kid.
That was pretty complex for "kid" show.

They have some good toons now though. Star Wars Clone Wars actually is not a bad show; remember it is a kid's show before you lambast me. Avatar is not bad either. And I imagine some around here might appreciate Ben 10 alien force even though I don't. Samurai Jack... My niece and nephew watch all those shows. So I guess I'm saying the OP is suffering from confirmation bias. I remember the smurfs, the snorks, tiny toon adventures...as if they were mind opening?

reply to post by Threadfall

I remember the smurfs, the snorks, tiny toon adventures...as if they were mind opening?

With respect, if you happened to look at all the videos I posted; none of them were smurfs, snorks, or tiny toons.

Cheers

Originally posted by bigvig316
What easier way to indoctrinate a generation and generations to come, than through the universal medium. They want a group who is not going to think for themselves and follow orders. The cartoons we grew up with taught us that if you work at something you can accomplish anything, team work is good, share with others, good defeats evil. If they don't have these basic tenants instilled in them they will be good automaton for there masters to control.

This message is only for people who leave their children to be educated sitting in front of a television, as opposed to instilling values and beliefs that matter themselves.

If you have to rely on cartoons to teach your children life lessons, then you - and they - are already doomed, I'm afraid.

yeah those were the good old days when cartoons were actually worth watching, nowadays I think they just put on whatever idea comes into there head. and how can you cliam to the love the 80's when you forgot one the greatest 80's shows of all time?

GHOSTBUSTERS

HE MAN WAS EFFIN NAZI PIN UP BOY!!!, blond hair blue eyes, little nazi symbol on his chest, c'mon, cartoons are as cartoon were brainwashing devices for the younger generation, with a moral or point that suits the powers of the time, and spongebob is awesome, c'mon, its got all sorts of inuendos and hidden messages, and underwater gorrillas

- OH NO THEY'RE ONTO US!!

Why is it that every time I try to post a YouTube video through the "YouTube VIDEO" button it adds a back-slash to the end?

Anyways, here are the ones that I grew up on...

The Busy World of Richard Scarry
www.youtube.com...

David the Gnome
www.youtube.com...

Gullah Gullah Island
www.youtube.com...

The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
www.youtube.com...

Little Bear
www.youtube.com...

Reading Rainbow
www.youtube.com...

Shining Time Station
www.youtube.com...

God, what beautiful memories this brings back. The simplicity and innocence of childhood, oh how I miss it.

Am I the only one who thinks the stuff kids watch these days is garbage? Surely I am not.

God bless PBS!

[edit on 2-2-2009 by walman]

reply to post by Majorion


No sir, I would've definitely gotten that.

This show started with a black and white representation (sketched animation) of a velociraptor skeleton in a museum that came to life. I thought it was dino riders, but its definitely not.

I think the reason why kids won't watch anything that inspires them is because the childish behavior of society and school.

Ok this might be a bad example, but pokemon is actually full of good morals and teaches kids that being wrong or losing isn't actually a bad thing. Of course though, if they go to school and admit watching it, they are automatically called "gay" or "soft explitive* so it pretty much dampers it. Since that was such a bad experience, the average child would stop watching good cartoons and instead turn on trash like dragonball where they can learn the all important lesson of.. the louder you grunt, the more powerful you are.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by LeTan]

Here are two shows that kids get the pleasure to watch on Cartoon Network

Reality TV hits cartoons... wow

www.youtube.com...

Here is another disgrace of a cartoon.

www.youtube.com...

[edit on 2-2-2009 by TooManyHumans]

Darn, I can't believe I left out this;

MASK


And this;

Dino Saucers



The list is endless, nothing short of pure quality

[edit on 2/2/09 by Majorion]

Originally posted by scorpionxx
yeah those were the good old days when cartoons were actually worth watching, nowadays I think they just put on whatever idea comes into there head. and how can you cliam to the love the 80's when you forgot one the greatest 80's shows of all time?

GHOSTBUSTERS

Links a little borked but the question is which one, the one with the Ape or the one based on the Movies .

Both had merits but I liked the one based on the movies more.

As a 30 year old who watchs cartoons even now (Heck i watched Rockos Modern life this afternoon since theyve been repeating them here in NZ) I can admit alot of them these days are pretty shallow, BUT as an artist the quality of work is FAR superior to most of those 80's cartoons... hell then there was that dark dark dark period in the early 90's where every American cartoon looked like it was produced in a single day with crayons and 12 chained korean slaves in a basement.

Anyone remember 'The mighty Ore Bots'? single handedly one of the best of the 80's bunch, heck it even had a conclusion in its final episode.

Anyway to the OP, i wouldn't bash Sponge Bob to much since its got some pretty subversive stuff in it (or at least the earlier series, 'I want to touch.. your.. art?' .. granted thats not a good example but gave me a chuckle) you just have to look closely, and yes the American dub's of alot of the Japanese cartoons are pathetic plot and morales wise beyond 'collecting em all' or 'Arrrrrrrrgh!!! **boom boom*' but for the most part that's due to the American translators altering the context to much or rewriting episodes plots to 'appeal' to what they think the kids want. I was reading and watching anime and having it translated by a friend through out the early 90's and on back when anime was fringe culture in the west and lets just say its a travesty what the American media does to some of those shows states side. And i hate it when they choose to bring anime over to the west that is purely for marketing a toy or game... theres alot of non merchandise based corporate slanted anime that just gets passed over unfortunately

Will admit it was a great time for watching TV as a kid in the 80's but i wouldnt bash every kids show now days, some haven't completely sold out to 'merchandising' and **boom boom* . Avatar as one example comes to mind, and say Samurai Jack... loved series 1.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by BigfootNZ]

Most of these types of cartoons were scrapped not by liberals but, from socially conservative church groups which were bipartisan. This was also done with music labeling and such in the late 80's-early 90's with musicians facing off against Al Gore's wife Tipper and other wives of politicians (bipartisan). Even so far as to seeing a comic book with Lita Ford fighting Tipper and her church group of demons. Funny era.

Dungeons and Dragons cartoon was boycotted by religious groups because if had sorcerers and such and the exaggerated claims of death told by churches about the D&D games. (claimed people that played this game became demon possessed and killed themselves)

Even down to smurfs where it was claimed that Gargamel and Papa Smurf dove into the dark arts to battle each other. As a child I had to listen to an hour sermon on the evils of the Smurfs.

Anything that was too realistic or imaginary was targeted. My parents even got newsletters from these groups on which programs to not let your children watch with boycott lists of sponsors of these programs.

Personally I liked:
Dungeons and Dragons-Sorcery, Magic, Evil, Demon Possession
Battle Of The Planets- Never heard a sermon against this
Voltron -Witch Hagar and her creation of (demons), Violence
He-Man-Too much sorcery and magic, Violence
Thundercats -Believed to show evolution of humans from cats
She-Ra -Too much Sorcery and magic, feminism, Violence
Jem and The Holograms- Rock Music, Evil, Convinces children it is ok to listen to rock music.
Pole Position -Talking cars, a sign of the Mark of the Beast!
Transformers-Sentient machines, takes away from God's Creation
Jace and the Wheeled Warriors- Sorcery from his ring, Evil monsters,

Just many others I can't remember.

Come on, you guys are starting to turn into your own parents... maybe even your grandparents. "Kids these days... when I was your age, blah blah..." Where's that 80's free-thinking spirit? Every generation has its goods and bads. Just because there are some crappy cartoons on right now (and I agree, there are some pretty lame toons) doesn't mean they're all like that. And if you honestly think all the 80's cartoons were da bomb, I think you're giving some of them far too much credit.

Sure, you gotta love the old TMNT and Transformers shows. But seriously... Dungeons & Dragons, the cartoon show, as a "Mind Opening Experience??" That show was riddled with more cliches, shoddy writing, and cheap plot devices than anything I've seen before or since. It had so many plot holes you could mistake it for swiss cheese.

If you move into the early 90's you get brilliant shows like Animaniacs and Tiny Toons from WB, or TailSpin and Darkwing Duck from Disney. And as for today's kids' shows not having morals... have you tried sitting down and watching an episode of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends? What about Kim Possible? Some of these shows are quality, if you ask me. And there are plenty of fast-paced action / sci-fi type shows to go around, especially with all the anime craze.

P.S. Well said, BigfootNZ!

[edit on 2-2-2009 by Magnus47]

Ahhh for the good old violent days of Looney Tunes cartoons, where dismemberment and death were common place.

ASTRO BOY and Ulysses has got to be up there too....
TMNT is the only one still going, my nephews and nieces are obsessed with them, they do cycles of being cool.

"Flying high in the sky,
he may be small but only in size, ASTRO Boy, ASTRO Boy
He is brave and gentle and wise.
Stronger than all the rest, this mighty robot will pass the test.
He will befriend us, he'll defend us, the amazing ASTRO Boy"


I actually sang that as I typed!

I now let my 2 chiildren 3 1/2 and 5 watch very little TV and their behaviour has improved dramatically, they may get to watch a DVD if its raining outside, but the less the TV is on the better their own imagination seems to be working again.
I watched a few of the cartoons with the kids and realized that cartoons are more about advertising the latest toys and have no real entertainment value at all.
There are still a few kids shows on that are good for kids to watch, one called lazy town which encourages kids to eat healthy and play sports, but they are few and far between.

I have noticed that most of the classics that have been posted involved the good guys versus the bad guys, a lot of fighting and usually the moral was "it's ok to blow up the bad guy because no-one really dies no matter how much TNT is strapped to them"
and the good guy can destroy his own town and buildings in the process of defeating evil.

I must admit I enjoy Spongebob. Luckily though my children could care less about television. They would rather be outside playing or building a playhouse or drawing/coloring etc. I grew up watching cartoons like Tom & Jerry, The Flintstones, G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe among others. Seems to me most cartoons today are anime and personally that is just crap and my kids hate it as well. Luckily I have plenty of old VHS cartoons from my childhood years and they actually enjoy watching them. Nice topic and very interesting to see the responses!!

reply to post by Majorion



If I could star your mask and dino saucers post a hundred times I would and than I'd do it again those two shows were AWSOME!!!!!! I'm going to go get my boglin's and my thungercat claw and sword of omens now!!


[edit on 2-2-2009 by alyosha1981]

[edit on 2-2-2009 by alyosha1981]