Monday, September 19, 2011

Bug Bunny Was a Fag

Tommy Woods:
So what, then, am I so tweaked about? I’m a father of three children; ages six, eleven and thirteen. For years, it has troubled me that a selection of children’s shows were laced with strains of propaganda and amoral thought. Some suggest they have scientific proof that modern children’s programming dumbs one down. But, it has the potential to be much more dangerous than that. No matter what side of the political fence you are on, there is one thing upon which I think we can all agree. We don’t want our children exposed to certain subject matter before they are ready, much less have someone else’s opinion subconsciously embedded in their minds.

I’m guessing by now you would like an example. I’m cool with that. As funny as the show can be, one of the repeat offenders is Nickelodeon’s iCarly. They follow the standard “aimed at tweens” obsession with first kisses, gross-out gags, rebellion and celebrity status. The show is full of small desensitizing moments that include a half-naked chubby boy, made up “cuss” words and disrespect for adults. Not too long ago, an episode called iWant MY Website Back aired. Spencer, Carly’s crazy adult brother, dressed in elderly drag in order to hoodwink the grating Nevel. The affable Jerry Trainor, who plays Spencer, sold the gag and yes, it was funny when an older man was mistakenly taken with her… I mean him. If it stopped there, fine. Of course, it did not. Later in the episode the doorbell rings, and it’s the old man. With a desperate tone, he tells Spencer to put the wig back on, and they can try again. At a minimum, this brings into question sexual orientation. So many issues are layered in that moment that we almost have to applaud the writer’s skill at subtext (just kidding). Still, should this content be couched in a primetime kids’ show on a kids’ network?

Don’t answer yet.

I have an even more unsettling example.

13 comments:

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

...much less have someone else’s opinion subconsciously embedded in their minds.

I suspect that's exactly what the reich-wingers are all about.
~

J— said...

Dude, "iWant My Website Back" is from Season 2, so, so long ago.

Adding insult to Tommy Wood's injury, they put Spencer in a dress again this season with "iLost My Mind." Consider me desensitized!

Dragon-King Wangchuck said...

iCarly? Really? iCarly isn't conservative safe enough, despite having the highest profile purity ring worn by someone not named Jonas? A show that despite being set in Seattle, has had like three asian characters on screen in five seasons - including an episode where they go to Japan.

Geez, I hope d00d's kids find Degrassi soon.

Uh, I mean - whut's all this about kids shows?

Substance McGravitas said...

At a minimum, this brings into question sexual orientation.

For an adult, watching the show, who is a ninny. I mean, he claims to have kids: hasn't he noticed how clueless they are? Maybe the old guy just wants the pretty girl back.

mikey said...

Dammit.

I don't know who the fainting girl is. If I did I bet I'd get it.

Substance McGravitas said...

Is it really that opaque?

J— said...

he claims to have kids: hasn't he noticed how clueless they are? Maybe the old guy just wants the pretty girl back.

This was my participant-observation experience with the group I have studied. They just think it's funny and ridiculous the older guy thinks Spencer is a woman. Plus, his showing up at the door at the end fits in a pretty stock sit-com trope to reference a humorous episode that's peripheral to the central plot and to elicit one last laugh.

J— said...

that include a half-naked chubby boy

This is Gibby. Gibby likes to take his shirt off. It's just something he likes to do. I thought it was pretty innocuous.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

I don't know who the fainting girl is. If I did I bet I'd get it.


Mikey, I think he's referring to the model, who's fainting on "America's Next Top Model," a show I'm sure a lot of young girls watch, because when I was a teenager I would have eaten that shit up with a spoon. Anyway, I think the fact that she fainted...due to a lack of food/exhaustion/stress/whatever is probably a lot more disturbing than anything on iCArly. (Although I've never seen iCarly. It could be worse than a 1000 Hitlers playing coroners on a graphic crime procedural show for all I know.)

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

True!

Malaclypse said...

No matter what side of the political fence you are on, there is one thing upon which I think we can all agree. We don’t want our children exposed to certain subject matter before they are ready, much less have someone else’s opinion subconsciously embedded in their minds.

He has a point. Religion can be pernicious. I'm glad to see he agrees it has no role in public schools.

I mean, that's what he is talking about, right?

mikey said...

Is it really that opaque?

Nah. Likely not.

There was just a minimum of information that was necessary to decode it, and I was coming in under the minimum.

Again.

Thanks, VS!

M. Bouffant said...

I was hoping she'd be nekkid in the next shot. Must be the vile children's programming I watched 50 very odd yrs. ago.

Or Some Like It Hot. "Nobody's perfect."

And it might help mikey if you took the parts not from Tommy (Fine thing to call oneself when one has three spawn. Grow up, asshole!) out of the blockquote. Hell, I was a little confused at first.