Are Charlie Brown Specials Too Mean For Kids Today?
Gathering around the television and watching It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a tradition for a lot of families. However, one dad deems it necessary to retire the classic cartoon because of it’s unkind words and taunting messages.
According to TODAY, Buzz Bishop finds that the classic movie is a bit too mean for kids to be watching.
“The show is riddled with the kids calling each other stupid, dumb, and blockheads. There is continuous teasing and bullying. Charlie Brown is supposed to be the hero, instead he is kicked and demeaned at every turn, even by the adults giving out candy,” Bishop wrote at Babble.com recently.
As a father of young kids, Bishop believes that the movie has nothing of value to offer today’s kids. He believes that the Charlie Brown special’s use of words like “stupid”, “dumb”, and “blockhead” are a negative influence on kids.
“Charlie Brown is always an outsider, the cool kids continue to play tricks, and nobody is ever held to account. In an era of hashtags like #RIPAmandaTodd, these types of attitudes are no longer appropriate,” Bishop wrote.
Bishop may think that it’s time for a change, but not all parents think the same way as Bishop.
“Next, where is the line drawn at sheltering children? The moment those children go to school, or are out of your control they are going to deal with issues like bullying. What’s a better way to first encounter it, Charlie Brown or alone in the playground? Bullying exists and comparing calling a kid a ‘blockhead’ like in Charlie Brown to the abuse that Amanda Todd had to put up with is like comparing a fender-bender with vehicular manslaughter. The scope is nowhere near the same. Bullying is a serious problem when it reaches serious levels such as with Amanda Todd, but at lesser levels it is an unfortunate fact of life, one which I can’t imagine will ever disappear. Avoidance of a problem will only hurt you when the problem must be confronted,” a commenter by the name of Allan stated on Babble.
Do you think the same way as Bishop?
