Looney Tunes Gets Bloody, Is it Too Much for Kids?

October 8, 2008

I just read about a new art exhibit called “Splatter” where Looney Tunes characters are taken to the next violent level – complete with blood and guts.

jCauty&SON copyright out of control 2008, courtesy of THE AQUARIUM

Artist James Cauty created the controversial exhibition with his 15-year-old son Harry Photo: jCauty&SON copyright out of control 2008, courtesy of THE AQUARIUM

According to the Telegraph, the exhibit claims to show your favorite Looney Tune characters in “unrelenting acts of blood and discomfort never previously witnessed on the Cartoon Network.”

The exhibit itself doesn’t bother me.  I’m all for free expression.  I don’t think my kids are mature enough to see that kind of thing yet, so I simply won’t take them.  Others are free to see the exhibit if it interests them.  The gallery even attached a parental advisory to the exhibit.  I’m fine with that.

What did upset me was a statement by artist James Cauty.

“I’m a parent myself, and if I saw pictures like that I would think of something kids would really love, because it’s no holds-barred violence.”

I find the statement terribly disturbing.  I’m a parent and I don’t want my young kids to be getting that excited about “no holds-barred violence.”

We should be teaching our children about limits, not “no holds-barred.”  We should be stressing the importance of right and wrong, not the bloodier the better.

What does it say about our society that we are encouraging our kids to get excited about violence, that blood and guts are “fun.”

I currently limit the amount of Looney Tunes cartoons my kids can watch.  They are extremely violent as is.  We have discussion after watching them about what is right and what is wrong.

I watched Looney Tunes growing up and I turned out ok.  But I was raised with a strong moral foundation.  Even so there’s a big difference between watching an anvil drop on coyote’s head and watching Jerry mutilate Tom.

There’s no way I’d let my kids into that exhibit until they were much, much older.  They need to be mature enough to understand what is “entertainment” only.  They should know why it’s really not fun when people get hurt.

But the idea that our kids are getting excited about extreme violence, that they find blood and mutilation fun, scares me.  Because too many kids are mature enough to distinguish between reality and entertainment and too many aren’t getting the moral discussions to distinguish between right and wrong.

What do you think are we as society doing too much to encourage this trend among our children that the more, bloodier violence is a good thing?  Are we setting up our children for trouble in the future?

2 Comments | art, Children's Programs, comics, Humor, Looney Tunes, Parenting, Pop Culture, Television | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Should Children’s Books Have a Rating System?

September 27, 2008

A recent article has me wondering if we should be taking a closer look at what we qualify as “children’s books.”

A recent article said that a bookstore in Shanghai is pulling the children’s book “Book of Bunny Suicides:  Little Fluffy Rabbits Who Just Don’t Want to Live Anymore’ after a rash of suicides by children and teens.

I had mixed emotions when I read this article.  In general, I’m against book banning.  Authors should be free to express their opinions.

And I don’t really believe that a normal, healthy kid read this book and then suddenly wanted to commit suicide.  I’m not even sure it even really gives a kid ideas for how to commit suicide since some of these illustrations are unrealistic — head in a DVD player for instance.

But what I am wondering is how this book got classified as a children’s book.  It’s definitely not age appropriate for young kids.

Suicide is a very sensitive subject that kids – and many adults, myself included – don’t entirely understand.  I can understand why there might be a book in the children’s section explaining to a child how to deal with it when a friend, family member or other loved one commits suicide.

But why would a book mocking suicide be considered a children’s book?  Because it has cute little bunnies in it?  If that’s the qualification, then we really need to look at how a book gets classified as a children’s book.

I recently read The Golden Compass.  When I went to buy the book, I found it in the children’s section.  Sure the story deals with the adventure of a little girl, but the book itself is a fantasy that deals with some pretty dark themes. 

While I wouldn’t call the book scary, I did have some very gloomy dreams when I read it.  And I wondered how it would affect a young reader.

After reading this book, I wouldn’t let my child read this book until they were well into their teens.  How did this book get classified in the children’s section?

So my question is do we need to be more diligently in accurately classifying books (i.e just because it had cute little bunnies in it doesn’t mean it’s meant for children) or do we need to take it a step further? Do we need a rating system (like we have for movies, video games, music) for children’s books?

5 Comments | books, Current Affairs, education, Parenting, Safety, Teens, Tweens | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

WVA’s Idea To Teach Gun Training is Schools has Merit

February 1, 2008

Apparently, in an effort to fix a hole in the budget, West Virginia is contemplating teaching gun training in its schools, particularly 7th through 9th grade.

I’m not going to go into how a gun class can fix a budget.  You can read the AP article for that.

Instead I’ll like to comment on why I think that, budget crisis or not, gun training is not a bad idea, especially in a state with a lot of teens that hunt.

If a person decides they are going to handle and fire a gun, then they are going to handle and fire a gun.

Wouldn’t you rather that person knew what they were doing when they did?

How many deaths or injuries are related to people, in particularly kids, handling guns without knowing what they are doing?

You wouldn’t let a teenager drive without some training first.

In my opinion, one of the best forms of gun control is requiring people that want to own guns to go through the proper training before they can own one.  This training can talk about and discourage inappropriate uses of guns.

In fact I think people in a home where there is a gun should take a course in gun safety and learn to use it properly even if they never plan to use the gun.

West Virginia has a lot of hunters. These kids are going to be around guns.  Let’s make sure they understand that it’s not a toy. Let’s face it hunting is a life skill in West Virginia.

My father kept guns in the house when I was growing up. I was taught about gun safety since I could remember.  He could leave that gun on the table and I wouldn’t touch it because I was taught and understood that it was a weapon, not a toy. When he thought I was old enough, he taught me to shoot. I could shoot skeet at 12.

Teaching someone to shoot will not necessarily encourage them to own a gun.  In fact, it might discourage some of them — getting knocked on your ass with a little kickback can do that.

Today, I don’t own a gun. I’m not opposed to them; I just don’t have a need.  But you can be assured that I damn well know how to use one.  And when my kids are old enough, I will make sure that they can too.

I think if they understand what guns are, guns will lose their mystery.

In light of Columbine and other school tragedies, the idea of guns in school bothers some.  On the surface I can see where the idea might be difficult to digest.

But let’s think about it. The guns that are coming into schools and killing kids are coming there illegally from the street or without permission from home.

They are being held by gang members or by mentally unstable or emotionally stressed kids or by kids that have never fired a gun and think that it’s this cool, hip accessory that will get them some cred.

I don’t know how to stop the first two categories, but if a little training will prevent that third group, than it’s worth a shot.

And if a little training in school will help to ensure an increase in the number of adults (because after all that’s who these students will become) who own guns and can safely use them, then I’m for it.

Besides these aren’t mandatory classes.  And then guns will be loaded with blanks or disabled altogether.

Personally, I think it’s about time we start doing something to prevent these accidental deaths by firearms

2 Comments | Current Affairs, education, Teens, Tweens | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Taboo TV/Movie Hijinks and Your Childhood

January 26, 2008

I just finished reading the Dennis Hensley’s commentary on MSNBC about how kids today, with the help of DVDs, video iPods and YouTube, can see anything and everything. 

In order for me not to have a coronary or hyperventilate at the thought of how I’m going to monitor my children’s viewing habits in this high-tech age, I instead am reminiscing about the hijinks I pulled as a kid to see what my parents deemed inappropriate.

I wasn’t allowed to watch “Facts of Life” as a girl, but I can remember turning it on when I knew I should be in bed.  When my parents finally realized it was past my bedtime, I would dutifully go off to bed.  When I thought it was safe, I would sneak down the hall and peek around the corner to watch it if they hadn’t changed the channel.

On the weekends my parents played cards with their friends, alternating houses.  When we were at someone else’s house and it was considered past my bedtime, I would be sent to lie down on the couch.  I can remember waiting until my parents were distracted to roll over to sneak peaks at whatever “forbidden” show was on the television.  I think I even watch a late night show in a mirror above the couch once.

R-rated movies were an absolute no no at my house.  I can remember going through school and not knowing what movies like The Last American Virgin and Porky’s were about when all my friends did.  But when I was a freshman in high school we moved next door to a family that had seven kids from 4 to 19.  There was always so much going on in that house, no one ever noticed which VHS movie you were watching.  So I went over there for movie night all the time.

What did you do as a kid to bypass your parents’ limitations of your television and movie viewing options?  What were your must see that were tabooed by your parents?

Leave a Comment » | Movies, Parenting, Television, Tweens, Twins | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

Letter to Yourself at 17

January 25, 2008

I had the radio on the other day when Brad Paisley’s new song “Letter to Me” came on and as I listened to the song I contemplated the merits of a letter like Brad’s.

For those of you not familiar with the song, Brad contemplates what he would say to his 17-year-old self if he could send a letter back in time.

Can you imagine how your life might have changed if your youthful self could benefit from the knowledge and experience the older, wiser you has?

So I’ve got a couple questions for you.

  1. If you could send a letter back in time to yourself, would you?  Why or why not?  And what age would you send it to?
  2. Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your teenage self?  Advice, warnings, reminders, encouragement, something else?
  3. Do you think that if you gave yourself advice that changed a regret that it might change other circumstances and a good thing in your life might not then happen?

For instance, I was married and divorced in college.  Not exactly the proudest moment of my youth, but going through the experience made me a stronger person.  What if by preventing that marriage, I actually remained the shy, timid person I was before the divorce?  And would I have still eventually met my husband now?

I’m not actually sure if I would send myself a letter if it was possible.  But if I did, 17 or 18 would be a good age.

I was a very determined girl who was focused on the future and always doing the “right” thing, so I would have told myself to not be in a hurry to grow up.  I would have told myself that I should take time to enjoy life and live a little.

And no I wouldn’t have warned myself about my first marriage.  Despite the downsides of the divorce, there were a lot of things I gained and learned from that experience.  I think it not only helped me grow as a person, but it also prepared me to meet and appreciate my husband and be in a healthy relationship.  Sometimes the benefits of going through a painful experience far out weigh the pain in the end.

1 Comment | Memories, Music, Parenting, Teens | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

The Challenges of ‘Growing Up Online’

January 23, 2008

I tuned into the PBS documentary “Growing Up Online” last night on Frontline for two reasons.  As a member of Generation X, I’m just on the outskirts of this technologically suave generation and am striving to keep up with them.  And as a mother of toddlers, I will be faced with raising children smack in the middle of this generation.

When the Internet came out and everyone wanted to regulate it, I remember thinking why?  It’s a form a free speech.  Let people say what they want and if I don’t want to hear it, I won’t visit their site.

But now the thought of my twins venturing online has me freaking out.  How can I ensure their safety?  How can I control/monitor what they see and do?  How can I prevent them from making stupid mistakes that become a permanent part of the World Wide Web for all to see and mock?

But I think the show described it best when it talked about the Internet as a social network for kids.  When I was a kid, we hung out at the mall or the rec center.  My parents hung out at the malt shop (I’m guessing).  For this generation, the hang out is electronic.

According to the documentary, kids go online to express them, to complain about parents and to communicate with each other.  All the things I did at my favorite hang out.

And just like my parents had concerned about me at the mall, I’ll have concerns about my children on the Internet.  But instead of blowing these fears out of proportion, parents need to adjust with the times to appropriately address the issues.

And to do so, parents need to understand the terminology and the reason for their child’s interest in the Internet.

The documentary showed some teenage girls defining “friends.”  They would have contests to see who had the most friends, numbering in the thousands, on MySpace.  But according to these girls, they understood that they only “really knew” about 200 of these so-called friends and only about 50 of them were “best friends.”

I don’t know about you, but growing up I had one, maybe two, best friends.  And I’m not sure that I’ve ever really known 200 people. 

In addition, according to the show, these kids are more comfortable being more public with their lives.  Since we live in a world where anyone’s private live could end up on the nightly news and the escapades of the latest pop princess is headline material, it’s no surprise to me that today’s kids aren’t shying away from the spotlight.

The times have changed since I was a kid and the Internet is new territory for us all. 

The documentary called the Internet “the new wild West,” adding that no one is really in charge. 

Therefore we as parents, family members, friends and teachers of today’s youth need to help guide them through this new terrain.

I think that stay-at-home-mom Evan Skinner expressed my fears the best when she said that she wasn’t afraid that the Internet would make her kids bad, but that her good kids would make a bad decision on the Internet and would have to pay for it permanently.

Kids don’t realize the impact of their decisions, the consequences of their actions and the overall permanence of the Internet.

If as a teen I had decided to flash a group of friends, once the act was over it was done.  There was no digital photography, no camera phones and no YouTube.  I could do something stupid and the knowledge of my act was limited to who was ever in proximity of me and lasted only until somebody else did the next stupid stunt.

Today, if a teenage girl flashes a group of friends, photos and YouTube videos are on the net before she can pull her shirt down.  And while it might seem like fun and games when she’s 16, how will she feel when that photo or video is still being viewed when she’s trying to run for Congress 10 years later?  Will she still be happy when her future husband stumbles across her hijinks on the Internet?  Or her own children?

Once it’s on the Internet there is no turning back.

Aside from this big lesson, the other issues facing teens and their parents on the Internet are the same issues that have faced them in the past, but just with a twist.

Cheating

The Internet offers another way for students to take the easy road when doing homework.  While Spark Notes might be the latest craze among those behind in their literature class, the concept is not new.  We had Cliff Notes when I was in school.

But schools are adapting and adjusting to the newest way to cheat.  According to the documentary, some teachers are requiring writing assignments be done in class to ensure its original work.  Others accept assignments through turnitin.com, a site that scans for plagiarism

Image Issues

The documentary gave several examples of teens who escaped the feeling of not fitting in by recreating themselves with online alter egos.

One father who had made his daughter delete her online site later let her put it back up after he discovered that she created that online identity because it’s where she felt comfortable.  I’m not sure I agreed with his decision entirely, but I do support the idea that we need to talk to our kids to find out why they are doing it.

The Internet also lets some teens bond with others in support of an addiction.  The example given was a girl battling anorexia.  Rather than finding help she dove deeper into the obsession getting encouragement and tips from other pro-anas.

My mother recently told me about a teen who was gambling big money on ball games through the Internet.

Bullying

The last story of the documentary was the sad story of Ryan Halligan.  Ryan was not only a victim of school yard bullying, but of cyber bullying.  Other kids would start online rumors about his sexuality.  Some mocked and threatened him online.  One girl flirted with him and then told him it was all a big joke.

I can’t even imagine how psychologically defeating that had to be, especially for tween caught in that awkward age of adolescence.

But the bullying isn’t the sadist part of the story.  Without his parents’ knowledge, Ryan began an online friendship with another boy where they talked about suicide.  He visited “how to” sites and one site that let you plug in your personality traits and it told you the best way to kill yourself.

This story was the scariest of all.  But his parents openly admitted and obviously regretted that they didn’t know, or try to know, what he was doing online.

I think that’s the best thing a parent can do – get involved in a child’s Internet experience and teach them how to use it responsibly.  Skinner suggested putting the computer out in the open so that you could monitor their use.

Predators

According to the survey done for this show, one is seven kids reported being sexually solicited online.  But most of these were discounted as teenage boys saying “hey baby” as opposed to a real predator.

The show also said that most kids that got email messages from people they didn’t know just deleted them.

It reported that most online meetings were when the kids went looking for them, adding that if a child is engaging in risky behavior online, they are probably engaging in even riskier behavior offline.

Kids don’t see the internet as something separate they go to.  Instead it’s just a continuation of their life, according to the documentary.

The show called the Internet “the greatest generation gap since the advent of rock ‘n roll.”

And as parents, teachers, friends and families it is our responsibility to bridge that gap.

What ways do you suggest doing so?

You can watch “Growing up Online” at PBS.com.

1 Comment | Current Affairs, education, Internet, Parenting, Pop Culture, Reviews, Teens, Television, Tweens | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by vacelts

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