So it seems like these last few years, and probably the next 10 at least, will probably be all about rebooting old series. Sad thing is I can't be happier. I'd rather see a rehashed version of the things I love, even if they're not as good as I remember than something with no thought or creativity. The "reality" or "unscripted drama" genre has dominated the field for a good while since it has the most profit to effort ratio. The next best thing is to remake something that is already loved, so you don't have to market it. Thus, we enter the year of the reboot. Everything you loved 10 or 20 years ago will make an appearance. You can count on it. I'm not entirely sure I'm completely against it, but I'm definitely not completely happy with the idea.
See, I loved X-men and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a kid. Two of my all time favorite shows. There was also Ren and Stimpy and Rocko's Modern Life and all sorts of great shows that really make me feel like today's youth is just being horribly deprived. The children's TV market is softening up on us, and I can't think of a good reason why. By the time I was watching TV as a kid they had pretty much replaced anything that could be "killed" with robots or something. The X-men didn't actually kill anyone really, they just tore up Sentinels and knocked out or mind-controlled any actual badguys. The Ninja Turtles would just cut up armies of foot soldiers while the actual badguys just kind of ran away or got tied up or something. And though those are mostly male-targeted shows, even My Little Ponies had a super badguy that would have his plans foiled by the ponies... I think they danced or something. Carebears would shoot beams of happy energy. In any case, though there was conflict, these shows were very well-monitored and safe for children.
What was actually wrong with these shows? Why did these shows suddenly all dry up and become replaced with... Bob the Builder and Dora the Explorer. Now maybe I'm a rarity, but I remember that when the Ninja Turtles or Ghostbusters or any show really, broke the fourth wall, I was a little frustrated. Every time I would get annoyed with the fact that they were referring to me in my world instead of their own world. Newer shows act like they have interaction with their TV audience. Does this actually help anything? Are these shows better at developing children then Ninja Turtles was? I say no. I was watching Thundercats and Voltron and pretended to use the Sword of Omens. Kids nowadays pretend to be... well nothing. They expect everything to be guided by something else. I remember playing house or cops and robbers as a kid. My cousins and the other children I'm in contact with don't really do these things. They don't have the same imaginative spark that we did as kids. I think that this is in part due to the reduced emphasis on creativity. I'd hate to think this is being done on purpose... I'd really rather believe that it's just happenstance that since the creators of TV are being less creative that children are less creative in return.
In either case, I think before this gets too far we have to restore some quality programming, so I'm sort of in favor of the reboot idea. At least kids will have a little something to whet their appetite in the world. Something to get them out there and dreaming about things again. I just feel so saddened when I see five-year-olds that don't have any sort of creativity.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just looking at the wrong test group. Maybe I need a wider research range and things will even out. But at the very least, bringing fantasy back into the lives of children, will be beneficial. Even if it's only a matter of time before they learn how wrong the world really is.
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Funny that you mention this. It's been a topic that's been rattling around in my brain for a little while. I've been wondering for a good four years, just why is it that kid's shows are becoming so tame? How did we go from Spider-Man to Dora the Explorer in 10 years?
ReplyDeleteThis is my theory:
Somewhere along the line, American's turned into a bunch of pansies. Freedom of Speech has segued to Political Correctness and this has saturated EVERY facet of media and entertainment, including kids television shows. If you say too much, you run the risk of offending some group so lets make Dora, a white washed Latina girl who says 2 Spanish words an episode, and stares at the screen for the other 13 minutes of her show.
It's not about protecting the kids, it's all about not threatening the parents.
But why would they be threatened or scared?
Because, other people see what the media is doing to itself and they make a TOTAL 180. Instead of being safe, they try to be as edgy as they can and push the envelope as far as they can. Parents, as a result, see South Park, so they cry out for brainless shows that are safe, clean and wholesome with no real sense of conflict, danger or intense drama.
I don't think this helps at all, it creates a cycle of insanity. Safe > Explicit > Safe > Explicit.
I don't think there's anything wrong with Dora, or Blue's Clues but when you take away everything that makes life life (conflict, the joy of overcoming conflict, the cost of making bad decisions, the joy a good decision brings) then what are kids learning?
Nothing, because they're being treated like fragile idiots.
It really does make me feel something when I see old reruns of X-men (a great example of an action cartoon properly executed for preteens) and see that all kids have now are shows that are usually canceled by episode 5.
Did ANY of that make sense? I've been up over a day, I can't tell. lol
Maybe this is proof that kids should just give up on TV and start reading books, before the insanity gets to them too.
I think that the desaturated TV of today is exactly what Star said above. People are desensitized and, at the same time, are being over sensitive. Killing, war, sex; It's all over prime time television for adults and, in return, completely drained any realism in children shows to prolong the "childhood stage" so kids wont have to grow up with the bullshit that the world holds.
ReplyDeleteBut then once they enter reality, they get shat on with the gritty existence we all know.
I remember sneaking around late at night to get to watch Beavis and Butthead because I thought it wasn't something I was allowed to see ( which was true ) and what was funny was I learned that I didn't want to be THAT stupid and so I WASN'T that stupid. Everyone is so afraid that their children will completely mimic what is on TV and blame it instead of realizing they never fully taught their child the difference between TV/Movies and the real world. Blame is never theirs, but always on someone else.