There are actually a lot of characters I don't allow in my house. Bratz, Hello Kitty, Yo Gabba Gabba... Sponge Bob got added to the list a few years ago.
Hubby was sitting watching TV with DQ one sunny afternoon. Sponge Bob was on. No problem right? Well the show had a disturbing twist. See Sponge Bob and some other character thought they had accidentally killed someone. They dealt with this by trying to bury the character. That was the topic of the show. Trying to bury the "dead" guy. Turns out he wasn't really dead. I guess in the writers mind, that made it all right. My husband, on the other hand, did not find it even remotely entertaining. My husband saw all the corrupt morals of the show not to mention the crime of conspiring to cover up a death. Needless to say he was livid, and THAT was the end of Sponge Bob.
I had to agree with him. I never liked the show to begin with. I never saw any good morals or education in it. So I had no hard feelings when it was cut out of our list of acceptable TV.
As for the other shows... I refuse to pay into any character who encourages kids to act... well... Bratty. I get enough of that, I don't need any help. Hello Kitty brings about images of nearly grown women at raves carrying Hello kitty clutches and what not. And Yo Gabba Gabba.... Come on? Could there be a more irritating show on television? It makes me cringe. I can't justify having this fruit loop piped into my living room...!
Yo Gabba Gabba makes me want to vomit :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't that Ernest Thomas? From What's Happening!! Or perhaps his evil twin???
ReplyDeleteI can understand your concern. My kids (and myself as well, I'll readily admit) went through a Powerpuff Girls phase a few years ago. There was no one more despicable than Mojo Jojo, nor a father more bumbling yet well-meaning than The Professor. Thing about that show was how, in the end, the good guys (or gals, in this case) always saved the day.
Sponge Bob has those sorts of moments as well, where things work out by the time the credits roll, but there is more than enough crazy antics along the way. And there comes a time when you have to consider . . . what will they hold onto when it's done?
I think this is where we, as parents, have to step in and reinforce the point. Shows like these don't wear the moral on their sleeves. They need to be nuanced out and illustrated in daily life, for none of us are sponges or superheroes.
When all they remember is a theme song, then there are problems afoot.
Great post. Yesterday was fun! I look forward to more of that . . .
For sure most of the shows eventually have some theme I don't want my kids to see. And they suck too!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad my days of Blues Clues are over. I always thought there was something alittle off with Steve. (At least I think his name was Steve...it's been a few years)
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