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In the past, children’s cartoons seemed harmless, having fantasy lands, immortal characters, continual punch lines, and simplistic or sometimes moral plots. Even adults enjoyed many of the most popular, enduring cartoons, such as Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny. Today, however, cartoons have evolved, incorporating more adult themes along with the animation and bright colors — even some of the ones marketed to children, should really only be shown to adults. While some of these cartoons are limited to cable networks or late-night television, others, such as Family Guy, are aired during prime time (8 –11 p.m.) on network television. The most troubling of these new cartoons are the imported “anime,” which include violent, occult and sexual themes. With imported cartoons for children, youth have fictitious lands that are depictions of the underworld. The immortal characters are demons or supernatural men/creatures who perform spells and incantations. The only funny thing about them may be the characters’ foreign names. The plot in most every feature is to exact revenge. The goal for anime (Japanese for “animated show“) and manga (Japanese for “comic book“) is to capture and/or control. Many parents of children who become fans of such features as Bleach, Naruto, Yu-Gi-Oh and Death Note complain that the children become obsessed with the storylines, withdrawing from usual activities, spending more time on the computer and drawing violent images of mutilations and torture. Many children are immune or never become fixated on these images, as it usually captures the minds and hearts of boys who are more or less introverted, socially inept or alienated. Some psychologists and therapists say the children’s behavioral changes aren’t harmful and can actually lead to careers in art and design. Well, if this is okay with child experts, some would say, parents should be okay. However, parents should not stand by and watch an animated pied piper lead our children to an unknown place. –annette johnson Annette Johnson is the owner of Allwrite Advertising and Publishing (www.e-allwrite.com), and the author of “What’s Your Motivation?: Identifying and Understanding What Drives You.” She is the host of Allwrite Radio at www.blogtalkradio.com/allwrite. |
