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'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

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Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#111

Post by jmdeon »

HeinzStuckeIt wrote: post #7

IMO, Watterson stopped at just the right time to preserve his legacy and keep the strip associated with childlike wonder and innocence. In the last years of C&H there was a certain curmudgeonliness creeping in, as Waterson started to mock modern commerce and art. I think the cartoonist was naturally growing older and more disillusioned, and his strip faintly started to sound like Calvin’s dad instead of Calvin.

I'm sure it was also for his own sake/sanity. He took two ~9-month sabbaticals toward the last half, which was not the norm for cartoonists at the time.

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#112

Post by bell-cot »

mikkupikku wrote: post #88
next_xibalba wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Calvin was of a common archetype of that era. The sarcastic, mildly anti-heroic protagonist. And I think that archetype did all of us who grew up in that era and imbibed the culture were done a disservice. I, too, have found my way to respecting and admiring the pragmatic, the persistent, and even the earnest among us over the smart alecs and the sarcastic wits.

It could have been so much worse, and did become so. Late 90s / early 00s had Cartman being a role model to kids.

Vs. the fine, upstanding young Beavis and Butt-Head were from the early 90's...

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#113

Post by next_xibalba »

mikkupikku wrote: post #104
JuniperMesos wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cartman was not a role model for kids, he was portrayed as a lazy, fat, and stupid asshole in an edgy comedy show not intended for children.

He was, factually, a role model for kids. I was there. Everybody watched South Park, everybody thought Cartman was awesome. It's absurd to even deny it, Cartman was admired and emulated by a whole generation.

The bottom line is, Cartman got the biggest laughs. He modeled that a certain type of behavior resulted in certain outcomes. Kids aren’t stupid. They see right through the overt morality (“he’s a jerk and he got his comeuppance “) to the revealed truths: being an asshole, in some contexts, can be very funny.

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#114

Post by next_xibalba »

0xdeadbeefbabe wrote: post #90
next_xibalba wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Calvin was of a common archetype of that era. The sarcastic, mildly anti-heroic protagonist. And I think that archetype did all of us who grew up in that era and imbibed the culture were done a disservice. I, too, have found my way to respecting and admiring the pragmatic, the persistent, and even the earnest among us over the smart alecs and the sarcastic wits.

I am earnestly inclined to double down on smart alecs and sarcastic wits as a matter of pragmatism.

Ok, but will you do so persistently?

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#115

Post by MangoToupe »

JuniperMesos wrote: post #100
mikkupikku wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could have been so much worse, and did become so. Late 90s / early 00s had Cartman being a role model to kids.

Cartman was not a role model for kids, he was portrayed as a lazy, fat, and stupid asshole in an edgy comedy show not intended for children.

Whether or not he was intended as one is irrelevant.

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#116

Post by lghh »

kstrauser wrote: post #107

Someone wrote drew a one-off followup cartoon that nearly broke me: https://www.reddit.com/r/calvinandhobbes/comments/6vwll2/is_...

It nearly breaks me, too. It breaks me because it stigmatizes medication that has helped make me function in a world not designed for me. It breaks me because it stigmatizes medication that on average is going to let me enjoy being on this earth ~7 more years than I otherwise would be.

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#117

Post by kstrauser »

lghh wrote: post #116
kstrauser wrote: post #107

Someone wrote drew a one-off followup cartoon that nearly broke me: https://www.reddit.com/r/calvinandhobbes/comments/6vwll2/is_...

It nearly breaks me, too. It breaks me because it stigmatizes medication that has helped make me function in a world not designed for me. It breaks me because it stigmatizes medication that on average is going to let me enjoy being on this earth ~7 more years than I otherwise would be.

I'm there with you on that, but... there's a time and place for it. I hate that our schools are designed around "sit down, shut up, and toil in silence for a few hours straight", and treat those of us with ADHD as mutants which have to be medicated to fit in.

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#118

Post by paradox460 »

bombcar wrote: post #65
virgil_disgr4ce wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Some shows and movies seem harmless, initially, but then we noticed in so many kids movies (e.g., Zootopia, Sing), they're always yelling at each other, expressing anger, frustration, and hostility towards one another. Although there are definitely a ton of kids shows that I find 100% garbage and would never let my kids watch under any circumstances, none of the 'name-brand' kids movies I've seen in the past 10 yea…

Once you realize the "dead parent trick" you see it everywhere (with variations of single parent, etc). It makes things like Bluey stand out - wow, a show that is entertaining and fun where you don't have to kill one or more parents to make it work!

My mother used to call it the "Disney story," due to it's utter prevalence in their media. Be it death or divorce, seems like you cant throw a rock at the Disney catalog without hitting it

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#119

Post by jrussino »

throwworhtthrow wrote: post #99
complianceowl wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, your comment reminds me of something my wife and I were talking about. We have been starting to let our child have a little more screen time and choose what he wants to watch (within the parameters we set). Some shows and movies seem harmless, initially, but then we noticed in so many kids movies (e.g., Zootopia, Sing), they're always yelling at each other, expressing anger, frustration, and hostility towar…

Try the PBS Kids app. The shows are consistently cast with good role-model children and adults, without being preachy. Many episodes show how to resolve mistakes, frustration, and conflict in beneficial ways. In comparison, the behavior in the kids shows from other producers (Disney, Nickelodeon, etc.) sometimes presents nasty behavior and name-calling as either inevitable, or something that's "someone else's problem…

> Try the PBS Kids app

Great recommendation. Angela Collier has a recent piece on kids' television and PBS in particular that is worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DGyatqN63RZ4

Re: 'Calvin and Hobbes' at 40

#120

Post by lll-o-lll »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #95
robertlagrant wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Some shows and movies seem harmless, initially, but then we noticed in so many kids movies (e.g., Zootopia, Sing), they're always yelling at each other, expressing anger, frustration, and hostility towards one another. My kids are similar. Years ago I actually just unplugged the TV and put it behind some furniture for 3 months because I was so fed up. It calmed them down a lot (this was after Covid lockdowns, when…

> Bluey is the saving grace there I somehow had never heard about Bluey until TheOdd1sOut (YouTuber who does hilarious 10-15 minute video on slice-of-life topics) did a video about it. https://youtu.be/nEQHiJVH79o The TL;DW is that Bluey is a kids show that not only recognizes that the parents will likely be in the room while the show is on and therefore will occasionally have lines that are meant for them, but will…

> Bluey isn't reaching development milestones when he should be

She should be. Bluey and Bingo are sisters.

The show is extremely good, and when my kids were around that age, we all watched together. Hard to explain to your 6 year old why you are bawling your eyes out, but it does lead to some important conversations. It’s also an inspiration to be a better parent, particularly for Dads. Thank you Bandit.

I don’t know if any of this stuff will hit if you aren’t a parent. It hits right into the heart of all those things people tell you “you can’t understand if you don’t have kids”.

It’s an objectively good show though, I found myself watching it even when the kids weren’t around. There are still some episodes I can’t watch; but you’d need to have had those experiences to understand.

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