Adult cartoons whos to blame
Adult cartoons whos to blameAdult Cartoons: Who's to blame?
Over the years, cartoons have become more real and violent, which makes it harder for children to know what is real and what is “Ink and Paint”. The question is, are cartoons really to blame for the violent and negative behavior of children? Parents say that it is Beavis yelling “fire, FIRE”. Defenders of these cartoons would point the finger towards the parents. Either way, kids are imitating what they see, and something has to be done about it.
So what negative effects can an adult cartoon have on children? In 1993, a 5-year-old boy burned down the trailer he was living in, killing his 2-year-old sister. His mother, who was not home, blames MTV's fire-loving Beavis and Butt-head cartoon characters. In another case, a fire chief cited "Beavis and Butt-head" as the reason three young girls started a fire (Cava, par 8). It is obvious that children are imitating what they are seeing. The answer should be simple, “remove the adult cartoons, and the problem would stop”. Yet, after a recent school bombing by two fellow students, which killed at least 15 people, one has to question at what point the parents are to blame (LaMotte and Savidge par 1).
While the parents point the finger at cartoons, defenders of these animated anarchists will point the finger back at the parents. Just because something is on television, does not mean that is should be watched by everyone. The parents should monitor their child’s viewing habits, and take the time to help them understand . Even if the content is not appropriate, a child should not be watching if they can not determine the difference between right and wrong. Cedric Veilleuxx says that children should not be allowed to watch television after 11pm.
Cartoon violence is not a new thing, so something else must have changed through the years. Parents are more concerned now with what their children watch than ever before, but defenders of cartoons say that better parenting in the first place would allow children to make wiser decisions, regardless of what is shown on TV. Cartoons such as “South Park” and “Beavis & Butthead” glorify violence and death, but so did classic cartoons such as “Tom & Jerry” or the Looney Tunes. Years ago, you never heard of a kid hitting another kid on the head with a large mallet because he saw it on a cartoon. Patricia Fleming believes “A parent should be right there watching the television with their children’s until they are at least 14 or 15 years old”. Michael Allen from the LA Times wrote “I’m sick of parents blaming television shows for their own lack of parenting skills. Yesterday’s...
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