On December 8, America celebrated the anniversary of E.C. Segar, the cartoonist who created Popeye the Sailor.
That cartoon, along with other classics such as Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, and The Jetsons epitomized the American way of life.
Yesterday, I turned on the television to watch what I assumed would be the glorious cartoons that I remembered from the halcyon days of my youth.
To my dismay, I was greeted with the uninviting, crack-addict appearing cartoons that children from the 21st century are growing up with.
The particular cartoon that I saw was Phineas and Ferb, a cartoon from what I saw is about two insane children watermelon-sized eyes, and some sort of mind blowing platypus-looking animal, surfing around the ocean.
How is this helping prepare our youth for the horrible future that awaits them?
At least in our cartoons of old, we learned that the little guy could always win, as Popeye proved to us with just enough spinach.
With old cartoons, we learned that with enough hard work and determination, no mystery was too tough to crack, ala Scooby Doo.
With old cartoons, we were assured that bad guys would get what was coming to them in the form of a guardian, like the dog, Spike, in Tom and Jerry.
With these new, ‘improved,’ modern cartoons, we are learning purely that lying and child neglect are positive.
In Phineas and Ferb, the children are left at home alone by their mother, watched only by their teenage sister who is on the phone with her boyfriend throughout entire episodes.
Because of this, the young boys are able to run away from their house, traveling to exotic locations such as Africa and the moon.
Do we really want to teach our children that it is okay to escape to the moon, where there is not even oxygen? Not only is this irresponsible, but it is dangerous.
Need more examples of how much time new cartoons are wasting? Take Dora the Explorer.
The girl rattles off some foreign jargon that our youth obviously cannot understand. If I cannot comprehend her babbling, how can we expect a five year old to get it?
Next time you walk in on your kid glancing at the brain-washing cartoons, break the television, or turn it onto a more classic cartoon channel, because these modern cartoons are a waste of all of our time.
Will Bennett is a remarkable staff writer who was recruited from his early days. In fact, before Bennett could even speak, the Mycenaean took serious interest in him. While many consider this practice to be unethical, the Leesville editors disagree. Alex Stewart claims that his contributions to the staff have been “Pullitzer Prize” worthy.
In addition to his writing, Bennett enjoys animals, Freshberry Frozen Yogurt, Hip-hop music, and long walks on the beach. He can often be found on his seaside estate composing original music, writing moving poetry, and balling with old basketball greats like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.
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