Cartoons

[Ohdanigirl]

This just popped in to my head while reading another post, but here goes.

 

Do any of you watch the cartoons that your kids do. Wenever my dc show interest in a new cartoon I watch a few to get a feel for it, or dh kindly volunteers to watch it with them, LOL. I have noticed that the language in many cartoons as gotten pretty bad, is it jus me. Am I out of touch with what is generally ok for children to hear? Am I being silly?

 

Examples of words I feel should not be in childrens cartoons are: Stupid, crap, butthead.

 

I just don't get it. I am not that old, only 30, but I do not remember hearing these things in the programs I watched. Please someone help me out here.

 

Danielle

[littlemomof3]

No, I've noticed it too. Especially in Spongebob. Mine aren't even aloud to watch Cartoon Network unless its Tom and Jerry on. Mostly Noggin and Disney. But then again, we really try to limit TV. Sometimes Momma just needs a break tho.:lol:

[ElizabethB]

We were TV free for 4 years when we lived in Germany (we got international CNN in English for some of the day, and German channels we didn't speak enough German to understand.)

 

We noticed a big difference in both cartoons and commercials in the 4 years we were away. (We came back in 2002.)

 

We now don't have a TV in the house, but we do watch DVDs on our computer.

 

Interestingly, my husband and the kids watch more car and Apple commercials than anyone we know! (We also get the very funny other commercials e-mailed to us.)

[Rosie_0801]

I don't allow that sort of stuff, less because of the language and more because of the pace. It's all so fast pace and whizz bang. If they want to watch that sort of rubbish they'll have to do it at their grandfather's house where it won't bother me. If we need the telly on (and with a baby and a tot I really, really do, even though I don't like to) we mostly watch videos of Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, Bedknobs and Broomsticks and Zorro (dd has a crush.) There's enough nice stuff, we don't need utter "butthead"rubbish driving us bonkers.

 

Rosie

[elw_miller]

I don't remember such atrocious language being on TV when I was a kid either--and I'm 31. I also don't remember commercials or previews during the day being quite so violent or vulgar, either.

 

When we did have TV the kids watched some PBS, but even some of those shows had behavior I didn't like.

 

We effectively do not have TV; we have bunny ears but those will die (have died?) with the change to all digital broadcasting. We have lots of movies for the kids--from things like Old School Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and Grammar Rock to Pixar to Disney to various musicals. My MIL DVRs Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for the kids to watch at her house.

 

When I need a break (like during supper preparation), I plug them in to a movie like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or Singin' in the Rain or Lady and the Tramp. I don't even let my kids watch all the Pixar or Disney movies we have yet--some are just too scary and confusing for 4-year-olds, in my opinion. My 4-year-old gets very upset when Trusty gets hurt in Lady in the Tramp, so I don't think she's ready for Malificient (sp?) in Sleeping Beauty.

 

Why has coarseness and vulgarity and bad language on TV become so acceptable?! Ack!

[elw_miller]

Gotta add--we love finding excerpts from Old School stuff on YouTube. My husband downloaded a huge string of vignettes from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show that the kids watch on the computer sometimes. Excerpts like "Ladybugs' Picnic", "The Alligator King", Johnny Cash singing with Oscar the Grouch, and R.E.M. singing about "Furry Happy Monsters" on Sesame Street.

 

YouTube lets us pick the best of the best for the kids to enjoy.

 

I agree that so much goes by so fast on TV. Two books that I've really enjoyed discuss research on how TV affects the brain and learning: Endangered Minds by Jane Healy and Einstein Never Used Flashcards by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek.

[Ohdanigirl]

Dh has started finding older stuff on youtube, which the kids love. They have always watched PBS, but since we currently live in Mexico, it's either all Mexican channels/shows or cable/sat. The language isb't so bad in the Spanish speaking cartoons, but the children like to have a choice. What a surprise when I saw the stuff on the American channels. It's not just the language either, the cartoon women have more curves than real ones!

 

I don't mnd the fantasy stuff (we've discussed real vs not) or weird annimation, but just make the other stuff age appropriate. I don't want my boys watching cartoon women in short shorts, midriffs or with the "camara" only pointed at their chest. Why is society introducng sex to children at such a young age? Whatever happened to expecting children to use respectful language and not hear/use foul language? My children don't watch much TV, only in the evening, but I just never though we had to screen through so much trash. Even dh, who is much more laid back than I, agrees.

 

I won't even get started on the comercials they play. (as someone mentioned)

 

Danielle

[Kate in Arabia]

I second YouTube; my kids are totally addicted to Dogtanian, lol. Fortunately and unfortunately here, the internet is censored, so the kids have a harder time clicking on an inappropriate video.

 

I have also in the past been really strict about the cartoons, but now I've become lax as long as the cartoon is in Arabic; they have Nickleodeon and Cartoon Network in Arabic here, and I'm finding myself allowing cartoons I never would have in English -- SpongeBob actually speaks very proper Arabic, not slang, lol.

Edited May 6, 2009 by Kate in Arabia
fixing the phraseology

[Ravin]

DD still watches mostly Noggin, Sprout, etc. She has been watching more Boomerang, though. I don't let her watch Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon. Boomerang is a CN channel, but they play all the old cartoons, from the 70's, 80's, early 90's at the latest. She also likes a few of the cartoons on Discovery Kids, particularly Growing Up Creepie. Spongebob is banned in our house.

[AndyJoy]

nt

Edited May 6, 2009 by AndyJoy
double post

[AndyJoy]

I remember being shocked to hear a 6th grader tell another boy to "shut up" when I was in 2nd grade (1989). That kind of language was not allowed in my home! My sister and I thought this was the "s word.":lol:

 

I think there are a lot more rude words in kids' programming because a lot more rude language is tolerated in our culture. A boy was sent home from my elementary school in 1988 for wearing a Bart Simpson shirt with "Eat My Shorts" on it. I doubt he would even get a second glance today.

 

I am dismayed at the language of the teens at the Christian school where I substitute. "Crap", "freakin", "frickin", "gay" etc. are used commonly. My mom did even let us use euphemisms, such as "shoot" or "darn."

[Ohdanigirl]

s word, LOL:D Yeah my boys flip out if any kids say dumb or dimmy. They go silent and look like this :001_huh:, as they look at the adults to see what will happen. ds10 was shocked that one of his friends said this and the parent didn't even react.

 

"Don't be so dumb you dummy" Parent didn't even correct his namecalling.:001_huh: I guess it's because they don't hear this language on a daily basis, and we are just shocked when we spend time with other children. Although ds8 has been picking up some colorfil words that I have had to correct, and haven't gotten to the bottem of.

 

Danielle

[Catwoman]

Ok, confession time.

 

I like The Fairly Oddparents. I also like Phineas and Ferb.

 

There, I've said it. I've admitted it. It's off my chest and I feel better.

 

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

Cat

 

PS. We watch cartoons -- all of the standard "nice" ones like Scooby Doo and Tom & Jerry, but also Spongebob, Fairly Oddparents, Spiderman, Batman, Star Wars Clone Wars, etc. DS also likes the old Garfield and Friends DVDs. We have all of them. I am so sick of Garfield!!!

 

I do try to avoid the ones with the super-voluptuous female characters, though. I find it very disconcerting when they look and act overtly suggestive.

[FO4UR]

I am selective of the stuff they watch. Dh let them watch some cartoon the other day and I was disgusted at the tone of the thing. It's not even the language as much as it is the attitudes and temper of the characters. :glare:

[Ohdanigirl]

Star wars the clone wars is a big hit here. Also Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, Dora la exploradora (span) and Diego. I can deal with Fairly Odd Parents but not Drama Island, Sponge Bob, and Ed, Edd, and Eddy. I hate those others...Simpsons, American Dad, etc.

[Catwoman]

I can deal with Fairly Odd Parents but not Drama Island, Sponge Bob, and Ed, Edd, and Eddy. I hate those others...Simpsons, American Dad, etc.

 

I agree completely about those, too! Well, except for Spongebob... ;)

 

Cat

[Ohdanigirl]

Hey we are all entitled to our little guilty pleasures. My husband used to let them watch Bob, but they lost interest. I think I just didn't get it. :confused:

[Jill- OK]

Ok, confession time.

 

..."...and I think that many inappropriate cartoons are hilarious."

 

Now, I try and avoid the voluptous cartoon ladies, too, and I don't like foul language, but my main drive for directing viewing for the littles has to do more with...I dunno...cynicism? Dark wit? Sarcasm? Modern shows are innundated with it.

 

It's hard, because I have two teens. And many of the things they find to watch are howl-out-loud funny. (To me. I'm not known for being especially high-brow, though. There's one show called Chowder that had a bit of dialogue about women and feelings that we still quote, lol.)

 

But I find myself guiding the smaller kids (and as a result, their older siblings) towards oldies but goodies and some more wholesome fare (we love Charlie and Lola), because I don't want their little worlds to be too overrun with smarmy one-liners and sarcastic quips.

 

They get enough of that here, just with their elders around.:blush: