Feel-good PC Bullshit has really ruined children's programming.

[DipDipDive]

So it's Sunday morning, and I just got to thinking about how a lot of the TV shows I watched as a kid were enjoyable for both me and my parents, Pee Wee's Playhouse, You Can't Do That on Television, and Looney Toons specifically. Most of the content in both of those shows could never be pulled off now because of the sterile, PC approach to pretty much every aspect of present-day children's programming. You would never see a drunken, sketchy vagabond running an arcade or a sexual assailant of a skunk on a tv show for kids nowadays without Tipper Gore getting her undies in a bundle, or some lame parent making a stink about it.

There are few, if any, forms of entertainment presently that appeal to a variety of age groups. It's sad, really, and it's just one of many reasons that generational gaps seem to be getting smaller and smaller.

[Dorothy Wood]

YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON TELEVISION!

the adults were all ugly and gross and the kids called eachother fat, and there was slime everywhere. I wanna watch that show now. and Pete and Pete.

[DipDipDive]

YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON TELEVISION!

the adults were all ugly and gross and the kids called eachother fat, and there was slime everywhere. I wanna watch that show now. and Pete and Pete.

Fuck yeah. I'm really in the mood to watch Ren and Stimpy, which is what started this whole train of thought.

[jabumbo]

my little sister definitely made the jump from little kid tv to regular stuff pretty fast when she realized she didnt like any of it

[Schmeltz]

it's just one of many reasons that generational gaps seem to be getting smaller and smaller.


How do you figure? Generation gaps are widening, not narrowing. Parents and kids seem to find it more difficult to relate than ever, on every level.

[M.C. Guevera]

Ren And Stimpy rocked. So did Rocko's Modern Life. When I get into the cartoon business, I hope to never work on a PC, sterile lame kiddy show.

[DipDipDive]

Don't fire until you see the bites in their thighs!

[DipDipDive]

How do you figure? Generation gaps are widening, not narrowing. Parents and kids seem to find it more difficult to relate than ever, on every level.

I meant in terms of gaps existing between age groups. I'm 23 and I can't relate to the average 16-year-old.

And, uh, did you read my original post? I'm pretty sure we agree.

[M.C. Guevera]

I'm 19 and I can't relate to the average 16-year-old.

[Schmeltz]

I meant in terms of gaps existing between age groups.


Ah, intra-generation. I see.

I am also 23 and my brother is 16. He's actually an alright kid, but whenever I see him hanging out with his douche nozzle friends I think "Christ, I hope I wasn't like that in high school."

[na§tee]

rocko's modern life! man, that theme tune rocked. i loved nickelodeon. we had sky television in germany because the forces television sucked balls and i didn't want to watch german freaking SMURFS (seriously, they love their smurfs.. and gummy bears) for my whole childhood. i also loved the ewok cartoon.

but my heart belonged to teenage mutant (hero) turtles. it really did. obsessed to the max.

i remember when we used to travel back to england and safeway would have these crazy tmht pizzas with, like, chocolate and marshmallow on them for teh kidz and my mum would never ever allow me to try them. bitch!

looking back, it was probably for the best. haha.

[na§tee]

oh yeah, and i know it's not technically children's programming but i was pretty obsessed with quantum leap when i was younger. and star trek the next generation. yup.

[M.C. Guevera]

rocko's modern life! man, that theme tune rocked.

I always liked the original theme song the best. Never cared for the B-52's version.

My favorite Nicktoon was Doug. I freaking LOVED Doug, both the Nickelodeon version and the Disney version. I felt like Doug was the cartoon version of me. I cried watching the series finale.

[DipDipDive]

i remember when we used to travel back to england and safeway would have these crazy tmht pizzas with, like, chocolate and marshmallow on them for teh kidz and my mum would never ever allow me to try them. bitch!

^ That's exactly the type of shit I'm talking about. You would never see a show today where the characters lived in a sewer and ate something as malnourished as PIZZA (gasp!).

P.S. FLASHBACK! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0m1boCVMYg)

[afronaut]

I'm 20 and I can't relate to the average 20 year old. hows that for a generation gap.

[Schmeltz]

That's not a generation gap. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/generation%20gap)

[afronaut]

yeah well you're not a person who doesn't suck.

[Schmeltz]

:(

[ms.peachy]

LOL stuff like Pee Wee and YCDTOT was on "when you were a kid", hah, boy do I feel old now :D



Oh, wait :(

[saz]

well, i have no clue about children's programming today, but demonstrate how this is so. personally i don't see 'pc' as some sort of threat against pop culture in general, considering the phenomenon of gaming and the internets, ditto the massive influence of hip-hop and hip-hop culture, ie reaffirming stereotypically defined roles for males and females, sexual and violent imagery et al. i see kids everywhere who think they're eminem or fiddy.

and, there's south park as well. it's not necessarily children's programming per se, but it's a cartoon and i'm sure kids watch it.

[Jitters]

I was a kid a little after the whole great decade that was 80's cartoons so I missed out on a lot of the things that people on this board love.

All I watched was that great Batman cartoon and Mr. Rogers, that man was awesome (y) :) (y)

[Miho]

I agree that most children's television shows today, are watered-down, and politically-correct, however then you have exceptions like Spongebob Squarepants, which can most certainly entertain adults and children alike.

I have to object to something, though: In the future, perhaps twenty years from now, we will see almost every adult able to relate to some popular past-time, such as video games. In the children's programming case, however, that doesn't necessarily apply, as what was aired years ago, is what will likely stay in the past.

I forgot who said it, but there was an interesting quote I read somewhere: "Twenty years from now, the president of the United States will be a gamer".

Edit: Damn typos, misspelled Spongebob.

[TurdBerglar]

growing up i spent a lot of time at my aunts' and uncles' houses over the weekends. i was usually there to entertain my cousins that were my age but they all had older siblings. and since the older siblings have first say, we usually did the things all the older siblings and older sibling'd friends did. so i grew up being into things that kids 5-10 years older than myself were into(music/television/videogames). so i grew up with a different "generation" than what i should have been in. and this has stuck with me. i have a very hard time relating to "kids"(3 years younger and more) than i do with people 10-15 years older than me. i always had older friends(2-3 years older) growing up and people younger than me always seem to be over sensitive pussies and i think this has to do with all the pc shit that started up during the nineties that i didn't really notice much because of the older things i was into.

[Randetica]

yeah spongebob is the only newer awesome kids show these days

i could write down an endless list about the old good kids shows but im too lazy and no one cares anyway