OK, we've all heard the rumors, Ren and Stimpy, those loveable cartoon characters, are a male cat and dog who sleep in the same bed. Add to that Burt and Earnie sharing the same bedroom. And of course we know what the purple triangle on Tiny Winky's head suggests. However, these are old issues of alleged influence being transmitted to children regarding gender-based lifestyles and psychosexual development.
This is all old news. We've got a new problem. Harry Potter and witchcraft, or, better yet, Satanism!!!
OK, let me clear things up before I go on. Most of us probably never even had thought-one about any alternative lifestyles regarding Ren and Stimpy, Burt and Earie, or Tinky Winky of Teletubbies fame, until someone threw it in our face. I had seen all three many times over (and I must confess, mostly Ren and Stimpy, and only Teletubbies out of curiosity--but before the controversy) before I heard about their sexual orientation. And when I heard the news, I mearly shrugged it off as insignificant and unimportant. However, I heard it again and again and again, about one show than another and another, when I finally heard about the Harry Potter controversy (actually I heard about the controversy, but after much contemplation, couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was) I became more disturbed by the people bringing up the controversy than I was by the controversies themselves.
First and foremost, who are these people and why are they worrying about these issues? And if as adults--those allegedly more analytical, rational, and perceptive in their thinking--most don't ever even consider these perceived controversies, why should we think our children would see them never mind begin influenced in a detremental way?
This reminds me of all the politically correct gurus who define for others what they want. I heard of one case in which Redskins was being used by a mid-west high school team. Those in the know, the politically correct, decided that it was offensive to native Americans. When someone actually suggested that they should ask the native Americans in the region how they felt, low and behold, they discovered that they didn't find the name offensive. They said that it was a white issue and not really much of their concern. They didn't care one way or another.
That should make us re-consider where we stand with the issue of how children's entertainment is affecting them. Maybe by bringing it up as an issue is the only issue. I don't ever remember watching any show as a child and thinking, "Oh my gosh, Bert and Ernie are gay, I should be too!" or in watching The Wizzard of Oz thinking, "Oh my gosh, all flying monkies are evil. Next time I go to the zoo, I'm gonna bring my sling shot and take out as many as I can! Bad monkies!!!"
However, I do believe that the great minds that come up with these super-insights should spend their time more productively. I'd like to see our nations think tanks take in these great talents, solving the great issues of today, such as discovering ways to prevent senators from, say Alaska, from burning these great books or stoping these children's shows from being cancelled. We can only hople. We can only hope.
