"Cartoons are just for kids."

[SadakoMoose]

Sadly, one time when I was watching some local news station cover a big bootleg hentai bust, I came to a very disheartening conclusion.

Apparently, racist generalizations are o.k. if you're making them about the Japanese.
Not the Chinese, because that's "racist"
Not the Vietnamese, because its "in poor taste"
Not any other South East Asian nationality, because that'd be "insensitive."
Maybe Koreans, since most Americans don't even know where it is on a map anyway.
But making big marginalizations about the Japanese is just fine, apparently, since they were never "oppressed by anyone".
Don't get me wrong, I think racism is one of the most foolish ways of thinking.
And I think that your average person would agree.
But it's hard to avoid even the subtle racism in the news media.
The coverage regarding Rapelay, the artificially inflated Toyota failure rates, or the way Anime is covered by most media outlets.

It's easier for the mainstream media to believe that the Japanese are sex perverts than it is to believe that cartoons could be made for people over the age of 18.

Sad

 

[Jumplion]

Pshaw, I've seen Stickfigure animations dark, gritty, and mature in theme (though mostly just bloody and gory sadly, but that will change one day....oh yes, one day it will change...)

[sup]Spooky foreshadowing into the future![/sup]

Though I must admit, I do get a bit embarrassed watching anime on the TV when my dad is around which is why I tend to lower the volume when I'm watching those shows.

 

[the Dept of Science]

I don't think I've met anyone like that. I mean, the Simpsons has been going for 20 years, pretty much anyone under 30 has to some extent "grown up" with the Simpsons.

What I would say though is that the majority of (western) cartoons are written with children as the target audience. However, the good ones realise that kids might be watching it with parents and so can be appreciated on 2 levels, with slapstick and adventure for the kids, and more high brow jokes, themes and references for adults. A good example is the Incredibles, which on the surface is a fun adventure about a family of superheros, but has a lot of references to objectivist philosophy. Or something like Futurama, which is thickly laced with pop culture references that I just wasn't aware of when I was a kid (Soylent Green, 2001: A Space Odyssey).
There are tonnes of cartoons I enjoy now probably more than I did as a kid.

 

[dfphetteplace]

I love cartoons, but lately they have been pretty lackluster. Nothing has really been catching my attention. Then again, I don't have too much time and I watch more stuff like Team Umizoomie then anything else anymore.

 

[dfphetteplace]

Sadly, one time when I was watching some local news station cover a big bootleg hentai bust, I came to a very disheartening conclusion.

Apparently, racist generalizations are o.k. if you're making them about the Japanese.
Not the Chinese, because that's "racist"
Not the Vietnamese, because its "in poor taste"
Not any other South East Asian nationality, because that'd be "insensitive."
Maybe Koreans, since most Americans don't even know where it is on a map anyway.
But making big marginalizations about the Japanese is just fine, apparently, since they were never "oppressed by anyone".

Sad

Except us. God bless America, right? One of the best things I ever heard was a quote from a man that was held in the internment camps. "They said we were there for our own protection. But if that was true, why were the guns in the gun towers pointed in at us?

 

[Enigma6667]

It depends on who the cartoon is being targeted at. Some cartoons like Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues are targeted at Toddlers only, while animes are mostly targeted at teenagers, and then shows like The Simpsons and South Park are basically for teenagers and adults alike, while Family Guy is for retards

 

[Kortney]

Arguably the most controversial television show of our times, if not all time, (South Park) is a cartoon. Anyone who tries to claim they are solely for kids is an idiot.

 

[likalaruku]

As a child, I watched horror movies & cartoons.

As an adult, I watch cartoons & horror movies.

 

[crazyfoxdemon]

Ugh.. all of my family have this mentality... The worst part is, when I tried to explain to them about more adult themed cartoons and anime like Bleach or Death Note, that got my sister to google 'Adult Cartoons'... Which obviously led her to hentai.. So of course she tells everyone in my family what she found... So now my whole family thinks I'm some kind of perverted freak <_<

 

[harvz]

it really depends,i do watch most anime (yes, im addicted) and yes some american made cartoons but you wont catch me watching a cartoon/anime aimed at 5 year olds.

it has gotten to the point (mostly with anime and the occasional cartoon), where the audience stops caring about how the show was made (animation or real life) and enjoy it for what it is, a well crafted show with a good story (hence why you will find less zombies, done to death, literally).

 

[baseracer]

Nope. Just because of South Park.

South Park is the only cartoon that is still funny.

The Simpsons, Family Guy and Spongebob (the old episodes are funny as hell) now suck.

 

[ZehGeek]

Cartoons are epic. There like with Movies, we can have fun, enjoy ourselfs, and go to a different world. I still watch Megas, Gundam, etc etc.

 

[Mjolnir36]

I was in Suncoast, when a parent was looking for "Cartoons" for her kid, searching in the Hentai section. Obviously wasn't looking at the boxes very closely...

People with the idea that cartoons are only for kids haven't watched a lot of cartoons themselves.

Lucky kid.

 

[Kirch Libre]

Oh yeah. But that was before I showed my family The End of Evangelion.

Sigh... Good times.

What did your family do to you to make you hate them so much?

I Think it was the crudely drawn penises in my sketch book that kinda irked me. But hey they think La Blue Girl is pure comedic gold now. My sis cries during Haibane Renmei. And my mother thinks the world will end by giant robot, so I say it's worth it.

 

[AvsJoe]

My entire family has that mentality. I have to hide my cartoon watching. It's gotten a lot easier since I moved out.

 

[Booze Zombie]

People who think cartoons are for kids should look for cartoon porno movies, cartoon gangster movies... cartoons not intended for children in general.

Yeah...

I have not met one of those, I think they've died out where I live.

 

[Artina89]

No-one in my family have ever said that to me, possibly because my parents have seen snippets of "Aqua teen hunger force", "Ren and Stimpy" and "Lucy the daughter of the devil" when I was watching them with my brother. No-one else in my family really pay attention to my viewing habits.

 

[mr perki]

sorry to post this up but how do you start a thread on the excapist

 

[mr perki]

escapist