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
Oh my...somebody need to contact reality.
Evenings, TV is used as a reward. My oldest likes Alton Brown on the Food Network, or "Modern Marvels" on History. They had something or other on cannons the other night, and he's still talking about it. :-)
My youngest could care less about TV, and that's fine with me.
I'd love to get rid of the #$#@$%%@ TV, but Mrs WBill needs to have her #@$#@%T#$% shows. I told her that instead of paying 60-70 bucks a month to watch a bunch of fake reality drama, she can just come in where I work and watch the faux drama and overly theatric drama queens we have here. I thought it was a good idea...she didn't agree.
Most shows you can get post-season on DVD.
If she’s patient, she could wait and pay 60-70 bucks for the whole season of the show she wants instead of 60-70 bucks A MONTH for the 4 shows per month.
Same with Good Eats and History.
This reminds of an account by one of the creators of the "Dungeons and Dragons" cartoon of the 1980's. From his blog:
http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL145.htm
Dungeons & Dragons was a series about six kids who were transported to a dimension filled with wizards and fire-snorting reptiles and cryptic clues and an extremely-evil despot named Venger. The youngsters were trapped in this game-like environment but, fortunately, they were armed with magical skills and weaponry, the better to foil Venger's insidious plans each week.
The kids were all heroic — all but a semi-heroic member of their troupe named Eric. Eric was a whiner, a complainer, a guy who didn't like to go along with whatever the others wanted to do. Usually, he would grudgingly agree to participate, and it would always turn out well, and Eric would be glad he joined in. He was the one thing I really didn't like about the show.
So why, you may wonder, did I leave him in there? Answer: I had to.
As you may know, there are those out there who attempt to influence the content of childrens' television. We call them "parents groups," although many are not comprised of parents, or at least not of folks whose primary interest is as parents. Study them and you'll find a wide array of agendum at work...and I suspect that, in some cases, their stated goals are far from their real goals.
Nevertheless, they all seek to make kidvid more enriching and redeeming, at least by their definitions, and at the time, they had enough clout to cause the networks to yield. Consultants were brought in and we, the folks who were writing cartoons, were ordered to include certain "pro-social" morals in our shows. At the time, the dominant "pro-social" moral was as follows: The group is always right...the complainer is always wrong.
This was the message of way too many eighties' cartoon shows. If all your friends want to go get pizza and you want a burger, you should bow to the will of the majority and go get pizza with them. There was even a show for one season on CBS called The Get-Along Gang, which was dedicated unabashedly to this principle. Each week, whichever member of the gang didn't get along with the gang learned the error of his or her ways.
We were forced to insert this "lesson" in D & D, which is why Eric was always saying, "I don't want to do that" and paying for his social recalcitrance. I thought it was forced and repetitive, but I especially objected to the lesson. I don't believe you should always go along with the group. What about thinking for yourself? What about developing your own personality and viewpoint? What about doing things because you decide they're the right thing to do, not because the majority ruled and you got outvoted?
We weren't allowed to teach any of that. We had to teach kids to join gangs. And then to do whatever the rest of the gang wanted to do.
What a stupid thing to teach children.
At least in the UK (for all its faults) we still call the boss “The Fat Controller” rather than the PC “Sir Topham Hat” which was insisted on for US distribution
“...including Sesame Street.”
That’s when the Leftist philosophy got started in children’s programming (pun intended). I was young when it started, and most of us thought it was a sissy show, because of its messages.
Very true, from Sesame Street to Captain Planet, it seems every kids show — and even commercial — has to hit the multicultural checklist. White male, check. White female, check, Asian, check. Black, check. Hispanic, check.
Interesting. I hadn’t picked up on that, and I do remember that particular cartoon.
A question for fellow FReepers: Can we compile a list of children’s television programming which bucks this trend? Where there any shows directed to kids which were (or are) generally positive in message?
Aside from the PSA’s which were included in the show, I generally remember G.I. Joe and Transformers which clearly presented good vs. evil. I’m sure there were others, like the re-edited/dubbed Robotech series which came out in the 80s.
It certainly wasn't GI Joe! It was the coolest cartoon of the '80s.
It is amazing how widespread the double talk is. Extreme left whitewashing every part of our culture with doublplusgood language and constant efforts labeling the worst of their far left thinking, actions and behaviours as “Conservative” or “Republican”. In other words, blaming and defining as “conservative” what is the very nature of the far left. CONTROL, POWER, REPRESSION!
I can’t understand how they get away with it.
It helps with their agenda of total control to confuse the sheep and then draw them in with emotional promises.
ExACTly...see my post just under yours.
Does anyone remember the Linda Ellerbee programs on Nickelodeon? So totally Leftist it was shocking. Nickelodeon, with it’s promotion of Rosie O’Donnell, went by the wayside in our house. Is it still on TV??
Let’s not even mention Handy Manny.
I have the first two parts of the series on DVD. Looking back, while there are a few parts that definitely seem childish, the show dealt with a lot of more complex themes that you typically didn’t find in children’s fare back in the 80s.
It was a rare treasure to see that on TV. The novelizations of the series are rather fun to read as well.
"an assistant professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Augustana Campus"
(yawn) Some silly kid going for an advanced degree. Clueless.
Lost me here. Punishing individual initiative is part of left-wing ideology.
They're railway engines! They don't breed, for them gender really is a social construct, you stupid bint.
Glad you're part of our Anglosphere...
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