What's Up Doc? A Bloody Outrage, That's What

What’s Up Doc?  A Bloody Outrage, That’s What.    

                Katherine Ellison writes about how violence in shows can make younger kids and teenagers more violent and aggressive.  She goes on a rant about the internet cartoon called Happy Tree Friends, and how young children should not be watching shows like it.  If smaller children are watching shows like these that have so much violence and no penalty some of the kids may start to think it is okay for them to act in the same way, monkey see monkey do.

  The details that Katherine gives are supported well enough so that we as an audience know that she is a credible source.  Ironically, the whole point of the flash cartoon was to show the negative side of media aggression and help stop it.  Katherine was able to get in contact with the producer John Evershed, who happens to have 3 children of his own.  When asked if he would let his own children watch the flash cartoon he said no, but he also argued that the show was harmless and is closely related to Tom and Jerry.  Quickly Katherine writes about how Tom and Jerry is indeed much different from Happy Tree Friends.  She starts with saying that Tom and Jerry “had creativity, with surprising plot twists and a richly emotive score… Routinely, Tom attacks Jerry and is punished for his aggression.”

 The understanding of free internet usage and that everyone is equal to the same rights is something that the author agrees with, and also that parents have the responsibility to prevent their kids from watching shows that have bad influences.  She goes far and wide to find information about this subject and works hard to get in contact with some people who are putting shows like this one out there; Katherine is clearly against the idea of all this violence so close to the hands of children but for now she leaves us with two suggestions.  “Why can’t summer camps and afterschool programs more closely supervise internet use?  And why can’t Kaiser and other big companies start crafting contracts that specifically stipulate that their ads never, ever end up on sites like Happy Tree Friends.”