How Our Kids’ Cartoon Shows Have Gone from Educational to Moronic
How many remember Schoolhouse Rock? The popular learning series played from 1973 to 1985, with revival from 1993 to 1999, with additional episodes released on DVD in 2009.
The series, played during the all-important Saturday morning cartoon line up, taught math, grammar, economics and aspects of the Federal government, to name a few topics.
The repetitive, catchy songs were often a great help to students. An aid in learning that was subliminal. It seemed more like fun, than instruction.
These short sketches played between the cartoons that drew the middle school and under crowd every weekend.
Not only did Schoolhouse Rock educate and entertain, most of the cartoon line ups had wholesome, family oriented fun with a moral to go along with the story.
Crime doesn’t pay or go unpunished was the Scooby Doo theme.
Johnny Quest reveled the value of lifelong friendship, adventure and learning in a family atmosphere.
Hong Kong Phooey showed the value of secrecy in fighting the evil in the land. It gave rise to the underdog, so to speak, as well. No one could have suspected that a dog who was the janitor for the police station was really a crime fighter.
The Looney Tunes can’t be left out of the scenario, as they found humor in defeating your enemies by using your wits and your head.
The bad guys who did sneaky, dirty deeds were always exposed for their works, even Tom and Jerry could work together if it was for the common good.
There were so many more, but the underlying purpose of each one was that good conquers evil, hard work propels you forward and being true to your values is very important.
Today’s cartoons show characters who pass gas, belch and vomit for humor. They don’t teach morals. The shows, even on Disney, are geared to children schooling their elders with disrespect, and talking to their friends harshly. The programming has changed the landscape of the youths’ influences in a world where children often get minimal guidance at home.
These youth oriented shows promote bad manners, vulgar behavior and inconsideration for their friends and family.
Common Core has been instituted in many schools which seems geared to confuse and confound the efforts of the students to learn.
The United States’ public schooling has left us lagging behind other technologically proficient countries in the fields of math and science.
A great deal of tax revenues is set aside to fund the public education. Why is so much money spent to so little avail?
It is time to bring back true family viewing or completely cut the television off.
The reality shows, vulgar “cartoons” and overly graphic programming is to the detriment of our children.
Now more than ever, reading a book is preferable to the drivel that is fed to our youth on the television.
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TomandJerryTitleCardc.jpg; fair use; copyright holder Warner Bros.