I'm always careful about what kind of entertainment I let my kids see. I don't just filter out the big 3 (sex, violence, language), I also try to limit their exposure to mindless crap. And you don't need me to tell you how much mindless crap is out there. Avoiding shitty kids entertainment is like trying to run a minefield in clown shoes.
Still, there are few things I let them see because the "artistic merit" outweighs an occasional ass joke.
HomestarRunner.comHomestar Runner made a splash with it's famous Trogdor the Burninator clip years ago. Since then the guys behind the site have been chugging away, creating a steady supply of geek culture satire. It's basically clean stuff, but still not exactly appropriate for little kids. It's not even aimed at little kids, really. I mean what kid is going to get a Greatest American Hero reference? But when your characters look like South Park versions of Santo and King Kong Bundy, it's hard not to attract the little buggers.
The Simpsons The one. The only. The classic. My kids have been watching this for YEARS. The show is so thoroughly satirical, I find myself having to explain just about every joke. And that's good because that's like quality time with my kids, right? And it's educational. Most of what my kids know about humor and dramatic timing they learned from The Simpsons. And really, what better resource is there to teach them about such important things? Years ago I laid down the ground rule to my daughter- "Whatever Homer says or does is WRONG." I figure this helps her approach the show from the right point of view. Let it be known that her favorite character is Lisa. Although I find it troublesome sometimes that she identifies with her so well considering how Lisa regards the rest of the family. True story- My daughter once related to my wife something funny Homer had done. Except instead of saying Homer, she called him Dad. She didn't even realize her slip until we pointed it out. D'oh.
Archie Comics Digests Completely dated comic books that glorify every chauvinistic attitude from the 50's. The lead character sees women as nothing but sex objects. His best friend is a lazy glutton who's misogynistic behavior barely masks his repressed homosexuality. The two lead girls devote their lives to winning the honor of being the aforementioned lead character's girlfriend. One is a spoiled tramp who enjoys pitting potential suitors against one another, the other has such low self esteem she allows the boy of her dreams to continually mistreat her because she needs his attention. The stories are threadbare and repetitive.
But, hey, the art is great! Here's a slideshow of Archie through the years courtesy of Vanity Fair. Note- The panel in slide 6 is erroneously credited to Dan DeCarlo. The artist is actually Harry Lucey. Duh.
3 comments:
i like on slide 5 of the VF thing, the girl(Betty?) in the background, with her massive boobs pointing North, as if they were a compass of some sort.
and doug, if you didnt want Bella to mix you up with Homer, you should have never gone into space, became big-rig trucker, won a grammy, cheated with Michelle Pfeiffer, become a food critic, gave the voice to an animated dog, and gained 200 lbs to work from home.
I let my son watch The Simpsons because I was about his age when it came out (I think??). But still, it's harmeless and he knows that he should repeat the bad stuff Bart or Homer says (even though I did as a kid).
Just to solidify my mother-of-the-year award, I also let my son watch MXC on SpikeTV. He doesn't get the jokes, which can be quite raunchy at times, but he likes the stunts the people do.
As my brother has made me a huge horror movie fan and I spent many a sleepless night looking for Freddie Kruger, Jason, Michael Myers, etc. to come and kill me, I have tried to get my son to sit through a horror movie (the worst was the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre) but he won't have anything to do with it.
That's supposed to be SHOULD NOT repeat the stuff Bart and Homer say. (I should proofread)
P.S. Like the new look!!!
Post a Comment