Posted on 12/09/2009 5:52:25 AM PST by Pharmboy
Most parents know to screen television shows for sex, violence or other negative messaging—but what about children's shows themselves?
Research by the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus contends that children's programming can carry underlying political themes that may surprise parents. After analyzing 23 episodes of Thomas and Friends, a show about a train, his friends and their adventures on a fictional island, political scientist Shauna Wilton was able to identify themes that didn't seem constructive for youngsters.
"While the show conveys a number of positive political values such as tolerance, listening, communicating with others and contributing to the community, it also represents a conservative political ideology that punishes individual initiative, opposes critique and change, and relegates females to supportive roles," said Wilton, an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Augustana Campus.
The Thomas and Friends TV series is shown in 130 countries around the world. Wilton noted storylines in several episodes that divided the characters into different social classes and punished those who tried to gain individual power. "Any change is seen as disrupting the natural order of things." As well, of 49 main characters listed in the show, only eight were female, reflecting a general trend among children's programming, Wilton said.
Parents, teachers and other experts such as political scientists would be wise to give children's shows a closer look, she added.
"We tend to think of children's TV shows as neutral and safe, but they still carry messages. Eventually these children will attain full political citizenship, and the opinions and world outlook they develop now, partially influenced by shows like Thomas and Friends, are part of that process."
Wilton presented her research findings earlier this year at a conference of the Canadian Political Science Association.
### For more information contact: Shauna Wilton, assistant professor Department of Social Sciences University of Alberta, Augustana Campus 780-679-1154 swilton@ualberta.ca
Step away from the bong.
Huh?
Hmmm. there are two sets of values: the "positive" ones and the "conservative" ones.
“a conservative political ideology that punishes individual initiative, opposes critique and change, and relegates females to supportive roles,”
Either the writer is not at all familiar with conservative ideology or he or she is outright misrepresenting.
I would love to see a leftist confronted on the attitude toward Sara Palin. Seems that they hate her because she is a powerful woman who supports the conservative ideology - that opposes women in positions of power.... Are they even capable of being logical?
But I thought it was just entertainment and watching TV characters indulge in casual sex thousands of times has absolutely no impact on a child’s moral development.
Odds on being a liberal?
99:1
Sorry.
Thomas rules.
This “research” is so silly and useless that it must have been funded through taxpayer money.
dat don't make no sense... :)
Seriously, though, I've talked to libs that INSIST that progressive taxation is not punishing achievement.
"It's NOT punishment! It's NOT!"
Thomas and Friends also has a problem with violence amongst the various trains. Roundhouse blows are brutal.
Sir Toppem Hat is an exploitative capitalist swine as well, with a one track mind.
Gen 2:18
18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."
While this is already known to anyone that saw "Sesame Street" for...oh, say the past 30 years, this lady's analysis (can you believe she probably got paid to do this?) is, as others have noted,specious or either terrible naive, or misinformed.
Agree, that "it also represents a conservative political ideology that punishes individual initiative..." represents a fundamental lack of understanding or simple ignorance.
Sir Toppham Hatt doesn’t take crap from the trains. As a result, they respect him.
In my opinion, that’s a good lesson for kids to learn.
It's not the warm fuzzy, "Lets all hold hands and bring the world together" type slant. That's annoying, but acceptable.
No, what gets to me is the "People that don't recycle are evil" or "People that aren't 'green' are evil" or "people who want to keep their money and not give it all to the homeless are evil" or "People that don't toe the current liberal party line are evil". That's when the TV goes off.
I should admit, though, that I do feel a little sorry for the researcher in this article. Watching Thomas the Tank Engine is about like watching paint dry.
99:1 ? That low?
Studies like this always overlook that most of the characters are rather ‘gender neutral’.
We dropped all tv about a year ago, haven’t missed it.
We watch some DVDs. Little ones love watching the same thing over and over again.
so I suppose there is a final episode where Thomas is decomissioned and sent to the scrap heap because his carbon footprint is just too large??
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