Wednesday, December 10, 2003 |
Sex and violence in children's TV? You better believe it!
I have mentioned before the push in England to ban Thomas the Tank Engine because of the supposedly traumatising effect it is having on children everywhere.
While of course it is a load of bull that it is traumatising children, if you actually sit down and watch the show with your kids, you will soon see that it is one of the most violent shows on TV.
I know it sounds ridiculous but in reality there are but a few episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine that do not contain the most spectacular train crashes, car crashes, truck crashes, trains crashing into cars and trucks, collapsed cranes and even decapitation inducing helicopter accidents.
For example, last Wednesday saw an episode where a "troublesome truck" maliciously pushed one of the Tank Engines off the side of a cliff to what would have been his certain doom had he been a real living thing.
Thundering to the bottom of the cliff the engine finally slammed into the ground with parts, dirt and debris flying everywhere. Luckily because he is a train and not a person or any other animal he was able to be hauled back up, taken back to the train yards to be repaired and checked over by the Fat Controller.
After being repaired, polished and given the all clear from the Fat Controller, he started to plan his revenge on the "troublesome truck" that pushed him off the cliff.
He made sure that the truck that pushed him off the cliff was right behind him. He then started to leave the station before the truck was ready so it put its breaks on. The engine then went even harder purposely trying to hurt the truck until finally he literally tore the "troublesome truck" in two as if it were drawn and quartered!
Whilst this may look a little worrying to adults, to kids it is great because they do not associate the same sorts of things with these actions as we do. They do not understand what death is and because a lot of the time they are over protected, they don't really grasp the concept of being servery injured.
This is the reason why the are not permanently traumatised by watching. They are able to seperate the show from reality. In fact without the images of rail cars full of passengers being flung down cliffs or "troublesome trucks" causing other major incidents and derailments, it is just a couple of boring model trains going around a track.
They ended up winning the competition of course and Bob offered to walk Wendy home. They got to her front door and it could have been a scene from any first date. The awkward silence, not knowing what to do or say, should they kiss, what would that mean if they did? It was all happening.
Eventually Bob left with no good night kiss. Wendy longingly watched him walk away and the show ended with them falling asleep thinking of each other.
This may sound like I am over exaggerating or reading things into it through an adults eyes. Yes there may be a bit of that but I assure you there is something going on between Bob and Wendy.
My wife thinks that their might be something going on between the writers and they are using the show as a metaphor.
I have mentioned before the push in England to ban Thomas the Tank Engine because of the supposedly traumatising effect it is having on children everywhere.
While of course it is a load of bull that it is traumatising children, if you actually sit down and watch the show with your kids, you will soon see that it is one of the most violent shows on TV.
I know it sounds ridiculous but in reality there are but a few episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine that do not contain the most spectacular train crashes, car crashes, truck crashes, trains crashing into cars and trucks, collapsed cranes and even decapitation inducing helicopter accidents.
For example, last Wednesday saw an episode where a "troublesome truck" maliciously pushed one of the Tank Engines off the side of a cliff to what would have been his certain doom had he been a real living thing.
Thundering to the bottom of the cliff the engine finally slammed into the ground with parts, dirt and debris flying everywhere. Luckily because he is a train and not a person or any other animal he was able to be hauled back up, taken back to the train yards to be repaired and checked over by the Fat Controller.
After being repaired, polished and given the all clear from the Fat Controller, he started to plan his revenge on the "troublesome truck" that pushed him off the cliff.
He made sure that the truck that pushed him off the cliff was right behind him. He then started to leave the station before the truck was ready so it put its breaks on. The engine then went even harder purposely trying to hurt the truck until finally he literally tore the "troublesome truck" in two as if it were drawn and quartered!
Whilst this may look a little worrying to adults, to kids it is great because they do not associate the same sorts of things with these actions as we do. They do not understand what death is and because a lot of the time they are over protected, they don't really grasp the concept of being servery injured.
This is the reason why the are not permanently traumatised by watching. They are able to seperate the show from reality. In fact without the images of rail cars full of passengers being flung down cliffs or "troublesome trucks" causing other major incidents and derailments, it is just a couple of boring model trains going around a track.
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3:25pm may supply a quick 4 min fix of TV violence but wait another 35 mins and you will view sexual tension between two leading characters that would rival Mulder and Scully on the X-Files.
Usually Bob the Builder and his business partner Wendy are a model for a reversal of the stereotypical roles portrayed by men and women on television. Wendy is not afraid to get the work belt on and go thrashing around the country side dangerously leaning out the side of one of their rather animated work vehicles. For the past few week however they have been giving off subtle clues that they might be interested in taking their currently plutonic relationship to the next level. One recent episode saw Bob enter a dancing competition with another women. Wendy was very hurt that Bob did not ask her and began to mope around the house trying to work out why Bob did not like her. Then the woman Bob was to take had to pull out so Wendy quickly volunteered to take her place. |
They ended up winning the competition of course and Bob offered to walk Wendy home. They got to her front door and it could have been a scene from any first date. The awkward silence, not knowing what to do or say, should they kiss, what would that mean if they did? It was all happening.
Eventually Bob left with no good night kiss. Wendy longingly watched him walk away and the show ended with them falling asleep thinking of each other.
This may sound like I am over exaggerating or reading things into it through an adults eyes. Yes there may be a bit of that but I assure you there is something going on between Bob and Wendy.
My wife thinks that their might be something going on between the writers and they are using the show as a metaphor.
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