Indeed

If any possible left, right, up, down social opinion was taken out nothing would ever get written or made. Whatever is presented will be a reflection on the authors opinions or of the current thinking of the time. Enid Blyton is a good example, perfectly acceptable at the time maybe not so much now.

I don't see why it's such an issue, kids are impressionable yes but if that's the only moral reference they have then they've got bigger bloody issues from crap/lazy parenting than iffy tv!

That said, i did watch a Thomas episode recently where they bricked an engine up in a tunnel for being naughty which struck me as a bit harsh!

Clearly.

That kind of thing is endemic these days, on the left and right. A bunch of busybodies reading way too much into things and deciding that just because there appears to be content that they don't like, that the whole thing has to be completely shut down, which seems rather an overreaction.

Children aren't watching it and thinking anything other than 'Oh look, talking trains'.

There is too much time wasted on worrying if some minority or other is being offended by something else. It's rather patronising as an attitude and quite honestly, WGAF if someone gets offended anyway, that's life. Grow up and move on.

Of one thinks a kids' TV show is 'oppressive' then one needs to get out more.

Well said, though maybe the "going outside" idea is a bit extreme.


My childhood was filled with Famous Five, Secret Seven etc. I don't give a crap what people think of it now... I loved it, and still mostly do. Oh, and the mention of the early Thomas books earlier... yes, they were beautifully illustrated.

Anyhow.. back to trains.

Ok, go into another room, then

Yes but the point is more about how they affect girls/minorities. Obviously if you are the target audience, you will relate to them fine.

At the end of the day, it's only a TV show. Amazingly, literally millions of people are able to choose to not watch a TV show without wasting column inches pontificating about it in the oh-so-right-on, preachy, wrapped up in comfortable middle-class outrage, kind of way that the linked article was presented in.

Shit like that pisses me off way more than a bunch of demographically desirable groups being offended by things

Sure. But kids are hugely imitative.

I think we're giving the writers wayyyyy too much credit if we think kids, however perceptive they are, are going to pick up on a bunch of esoteric things that may or may not even be in there.

Kids will imitate their parents, so god help us when this bird's children grow up and start whining, too

That's what you are doing in this thread, isn't it? (Just the other side of middle class outrage)

It's not esoteric at all.

They will imitate everything they see.

I don't personally object to Thomas the Tank Engine but one can still have an awareness of the issues that kids' role models throw up.

Not really. I'm more annoyed than outraged. The main difference for me is that I don't give the slightest hint of a shit if someone gets 'offended' by something.

I start off with the premise that everyone is a cnut until they prove otherwise. That is true equality.

Only the adults worry about the issues, the kids don't care one bit. They get to watch their silly little shows that they eventually grow out of and get on with the rest of their lives.

Honestly though, if society put as much effort into important things, instead of worrying about what poor, huddled oppressed mass might be offended because they accidentally saw or read it, we'd have eliminated disease, solved the energy crisis, reversed climate change and we would all be living on the moon and driving flying cars ...

And get the pissiest when they're challenged. Aherm.

Well I hardly even read the original article to be honest, having seen others and guessing what the issues are from seeing loads of episodes with my daughter. But isnt the issue more about being aware what you are exposing your kids to (rather than anyone being offended), just like salty and sugary snacks. Most parents dont just let their kids eat whatever they want, neither do they forbid crap completely. They know how much crap they allow their kids. TV should be the same. Although to me it seems clear that Thomas has issues (The debate being does it matter) and as I have said earlier you have to be media illiterate not to see that. To me Thomas in isolation is not a problem, but it would be a problem if that was the only world view a child was exposed to. Parents who have an awareness of what their kids get exposed to on TV, kids friends, kids friends parents, grandparents, all of those places, those parents are in a better position to give balance. I wouldn't limit Thomas. But we have put limits on Disney and Nickelodeon crap that our daughter likes to watch on Netflix, you can almost see it happen before your eyes, the sponginess of kids brains, they just suck in what they are exposed to, that's a kids job when growing up to suck in the world around them.

It's not 'accidental' though.

You think we have total equality now, and some people are just overreacting. I think there is still a way to go. Classics have their place, but let's not pretend it doesn't matter what kids see and hear.

Yes.