Monday, April 6, 2009

143 - Saying I'm 'too old' for cartoons

So I'm sitting on the sofa after school, watching Scooby Doo on TV. (I love Scooby Doo, as well as Popeye and Dexter's Laboratory and Avatar: The Last Airbender.) Then my grandfather comes out in to the living room, sees what I'm watching, and goes ballistic because it's unthinkable that a person my age would be watching such a silly program. Perhaps I should watch Bloomberg, or BBC/FOX News, and get educated on law, finance and politics, or so that I can perhaps learn about the murder of a family of four in Kentucky, or a case of food poisoning in Xian, or maybe I can find out about the deteriorating environment around the world, or get to know a little about the vast array of unnerving epidemics across the globe.

Jeez, what the Hell is wrong with me watching cartoons? Cartoons are fun to watch. Let's face it: the news, and most documentaries bore the crap out of everybody. Perhaps you would like me to watch some violent, gory, suspense drama instead?

Gosh, I love cartoons. The violence displayed when Tweety drops an anvil on Sylvester's head actually entertains me in a way that Jack Bauer never could: it doesn't increase the risk of me suffering from depression, it doesn't make me more prone to being a violent father when I grow up, and no, no, no, it doesn't make me hornier, it doesn't make me want to have sex more. (Those articles in the paper and on TV piss me off.) Obviously, this is because these cartoon shows are for children.

Actually, I think these shows are made for older people to watch, namely adolescents. It's not like a three-year-old actually understands what the heck is happening on Sesame Street, or really understands the wittiness displayed in cartoons like The Powerpuff Girls, or Teen Titans. Do you know how many great jokes there were in Finding Nemo? Paying for kids' movie tickets to see Pixar films is wasted money. They don't get all the quips, they don't understand what's going on, they don't comprehend the storylines, maybe only partially, but not all of it. Because they're too slow and stupid. Leave it to educated me to laugh at the seagulls repeatedly exclaiming, "Mate!". (The seagulls cry "Mate!" because they're Australian seagulls. Australians are known to refer to friends, and strangers, as their "mates". Hahaha.) (Don't you hate it when people explain their jokes/popular culture references to you?)

Teenagers can watch cartoons. And, in fact, so can adults. Humph.

13 comments:

Christine said...

I loveeeeeee cartoons.
Scooby is, and always will be my favorite!
Nemo, and Monsters is in my DVD collection.
And how many jokes did the children understand with 'Pinky and the Brain'!!!! That was a great one too!!

Randa said...

Scooby Doo!! I love Scooby Doo! I had all of his stuff back in the day and I still have a T-shirt with him on it [it's the only graphic T-shirt I own, now that I think about it].

I completely agree. Everything else but cartoon's and really soft/silly shows make me sad so I avoid them, which, seeing as here in the US that's all there really is, may be why I'm not a fan of the TV.

I say carry on, young man! Watch cartoons to your heart's content!

:0]

Douglas said...

I was raised on Looney Tunes and all the charactiers (Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweetybird, and so on), Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, etc. I absolutely think cartoons are essential to sanity.

Michael said...

Christine: Pinky and the Brain is genius. It was so clever and so original. This is making me all nostalgic now... I hardly remember the days in which I watched cartoons all day, every day.

Randa: Yeah, so happy that you totally see it the same way. Recently, I wrote an article for a local teen paper about how much more depressing television is nowadays. Since I watch so many television shows, I notice it a lot.

Douglas: Daffy Duck was my favorite out of all of them. He was hilarious.

Sophie said...

My personal favourite is the Pink Panther!

J.J. in L.A. said...

I love Finding Nemo! The scene with the little girl at her uncle's dental office had me laughing so hard I was crying.

I have that and Fantasia on dvd.

Unknown said...

We watch a lot of cartoons. Dexter's Lab is awesome and we're huge fans of Spongebob.

As for Scooby Doo, that is one I can do without. I get really tired of Scooby and Shaggy. Maybe it's because I've seen every single episode 1000 times each.

Everyday Housewife said...

Who says adults can't watch cartoons. I enjoy watching cartoons, and have yet to tire of Road Runner. I watched Finding Nemo twice. Psst, I think I enjoyed the RugRats computer games more than my children.

Anonymous said...

I'll never outgrow cartoons, animes and mangas. It'll always be my source of inspiration, in writing and in drawing. If even possible, I'd love to be a manga artist, but it's hardly possible here.

Jubilex said...

I love cartoons!

Disney movies rule.
I'm actually asking for a couple for my 18th birthday.

Michael said...

Sophie: I love Pink Panther! I love it how all of us, so versatile, can bond over cartoons.

J.J.: Finding Nemo is one of the best movies, in my 'professional' opinion. Really a classic.

Marcy: Dexter's Lab, Powerpuff Girls and Scooby are some of the best on Cartoon Network, but none beat Popeye.

Everyday Housewife: Rugrats was such an integral part of my childhood.

Ares: I can imagine you now, old and rocking on a rocking chair, watching anime. :)

Jacynta: I've watched all the Disney movies. Now, those are awesome.

Anonymous said...

I am not ashamed to say that at the age of 41, I will NEVER stop watching cartoons and I dare any idiot to critize me about it.

Miles said...

It can't work in reality, that is exactly what I suppose.
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