Thomas the Tank Engine is EVIL (apparently)
 

Thomas the Tank Engine had to shut the hell up to save children everywhere | Tracy Van Slyke | Comment is free | theguardian.com

:sarcasm:No wonder I grew up the way I am. Or maybe the author has some issues she needs to work through with her therapist.

Re: Thomas the Tank Engine is EVIL (apparently)
 

some of the comments are good ...

"You're alright in my book, kid. What do you make of Peppa Pig?"

To which someone replies

"Bacon"

:rofl:

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This is not old news, its often commented on. Its an old story written by some reverend decades ago, and so reflects the views of the time and author. Its not going to ruin any kids in isolation, but the stories contain lots of elements that would not be written today. I have seen many many episodes with my daughter.

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Puh-lease! :rolleyes: If it hadn't been in the Grauniad I'd have mistaken it for satire!

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What I find alarming is that this is even news, why so many peoples critical faculties turn themselves off when it comes to children's media I do not know. There is a lot of media illiteracy out there. The same people who may review adult media think that kids media is less worthy, when probably it is the reverse. Its how Disney and Nickelodeon manage to get away with all the crap that they broadcast. Stick the kids in front of it, cause it says its for kids, never mind the quality.

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Now that's a load of bollocks and a waste of bandwidth if ever I saw one. I watched Thomas the Tank Engine all the bloody time when I was a kid and all I remember it as was a fun show about talking trains.

Christ on a bike, people need to remember that these things only take on negative connotations if you attach those connotations yourself.

Once again, I'm embarrassed to be alive in these arse-bogglingly banal times :rolleyes:

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And you grew up to be a normal, rational, well-adjusted adult. :lol:

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Bloody right I did. If more people were like me, the world wouldn't be so full of insufferable little self-important twats as it is.

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Steady now. Peppa Pig is one of the best things on TV. Well, George is anyway. :nod:

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My grandson lives and breathes it! ;) :D

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Weird how she thinks that "train engineer" is supposed to be a profession for anyone to aspire to, and that the lack of female steam engines on tv is not encouraging girls to do it. If modern electric trains were anywhere near as complicated then she might have a point. Pays really well for such a mundane job though!

It's funny how the old episodes had the trains doing bad things with no consequences beyond a minor mishap. The newer episodes actually have a more moral conclusion. The whole thing annoys me anyway, certainly not one of the better children's shows.

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I was wondering if this was not some sort of leg pull, but I fear it is genuine.

I wonder what her view would be on Bill and Ben. Always wondered about their sexuality.

Little Weed should be OK, well in Colorado anyway.

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Those bloggy things they have in the Guardian now are just to provoke comment.

They had one the other day about how women don't get less attractive as they get older.

Sorry I haven't even read it, but I also think there are some issues about stuff we show children, as Kim says.

It's not just about pulling "Little Black Sambo" but also providing a positive balance. A lot of the girls' stuff is still very much about looks/dating.

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The thing I liked about it was how the trains were mostly vicious maniacs practising all kinds of workplace harassment :rofl:

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When I was a boy, Thomas was just in beautifully illustrated books, not the shitty TV show narrated by Ringo. My daughter's well into trains, and while I stop short of letting her see Thomas with an American accent (the horror), I note that many of the later shows bore no resemblance to the books at all.

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Funny, Bill and Ben the flower pot men sprang to mind when I read this thread too. Surprised I've got so far in life having watched that show as a kid and reading books such as Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" or that warmonger Biggles. I guess I could easily have grown up to be a sadistic marauder after reading Treasure Island.
I still have a small Thomas the Tank Engine book from 50+ years ago, it was fun to read again to my kids when they were little and they loved the pictures. Must have had an awful effect on my son who's now half way through UF studying biochemistry.

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Coughs and sneezles spread diseasels. Good advice to a small boy growing up that's still just as relevant today.

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Who can forget Ivor the Engine?

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On the other hand, I enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom at the time, but it was on TV the other night and seemed incredibly crass and disrespectful to Indians.

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As a rule we don't have the TV on at all when my 3-year old daughter is up, but as an occasional treat I've downloaded a pile of Ivor the Engine, Mary Mungo and Midge, Mr Benn, Bagpuss and Paddington onto a memory stick for her to watch. I know I'm messing her up for the time that she starts to compare notes with her friends. Just trying to preserve the British accent for as long as I can!

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I just dug up the similar thread from 2011, several people replied with "It's just a kids TV show" or similar. Like that makes the conservatism more palatable. That kids brains are not sponges that suck up all sorts of influences. I said then that:

and I think my opinion has not changed. Thomas, the show, is unquestionably conservative. Does it matter for a child exposed to a variety of influences and discussions? Probably not.

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Must admit I do not remember every seeing a Loco having an abortion.

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... because Emily knew her stuff apparently.

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Where's the thread?

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BERT IS EVIL - The Only Official Evil Portal

I reckon Bert got to them. The bastard.

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Racist because of the color of the smoke....? FFS........:huh:
Sometimes I wonder whether the folk bleating on about racism everywhere are a tad too "involved" and exacerbating the problem because they are looking for it everywhere...

A quick google came up with those images as first hits.....


Should I now head off to sue yahoo (ok, it wasn't google, but I just "yahoo'd" something just doesn't sound right...) for blatant racism in its presentation of locomotives.

Or maybe first I should track down the owner of the last wonderfully balanced locomotive, who presumably has a female engineer on the footplate, and will be perfectly willing to paint it pink for the unbiased viewing pleasure of generations to come.....unless of course, pinkstinks objects.......oh me, oh my, what to do.....

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I do kind of get the white=good bad=black thing. It made me think of Muhammad Ali :lol:

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http://files.solidworks.com/Internal...gn%2Fgould.jpg

Nice

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Excuse me while I go get a magnifying glass. :rolleyes:

Yes, in deed, very nice, perhaps 1880's era, and narrow gauge, unless I'm much mistaken. :)

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They are still written today.

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Thanks.

Seems like kids' books are definitely a good cover for political material. In fact hasn't Dr Seuss been criticised for being too liberal?

I liked the Butter Battle Book, used to read that to my kids a lot. Two factions hate eachother depending on whether they butter the bottom or top of their bread. Nothing has changed then.

http://www.longbranch.k12.nj.us/cms/...3/butterup.jpg

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Indeed. When I first came across them as a boy, there were only 3 or 4 books.....I read the covers off them! Now there are dozens. I don't think the diesels even featured in the original stories? And the very first one didn't really feature Thomas much at all...I think it was about the "big" engines...Henry, James, Edward?

I'm just surprised that the, err, "journalist" didn't bring up Annie and Clarabelle....I mean, the 2 main female characters don't even have power, need to rely on a male character so they can get anything done, spend their days going where they're told, doing what they're told, and carrying what they're told...by a male engine! Unless that's how the natural order is supposed to be....;):eek::wave::scarper:

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Ps...teed that one up for you...now let's see who has read/remembers the books....:sneaky:

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Girls didn't read them in those days.

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I dont know if the books we had were original stories or new (his sons books). Probably a mix of both.

Edit: I just checked our bookshelves, and the only ones to survive the book-culls are books free with the Daily Mirror that were sent over by my parents.

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Quite right too...far too many barbies.......