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| | ''Dinosaurs'' touches a lot of liberal subjects, from gender confusion to feminism to even socialism. An episode even has a scenario resembling people coming out as homosexuals, only that Robbie wants to be more herbivore than carnivore and eat more vegetables, which Earl sees as going against the food chain. Another episode features an in-show TV show about a dinosaur admitting that he's a "cross-eater" and says that he feels like a carnivore in an herbivore's body, which seems to be a metaphor for being transgender or a cross-dresser. The biggest subject the characters discuss throughout the series is environmentalism, from leaving forests intact to avoiding the eradication of endangered species. Sadly at the end of the series, wiping out a certain species of beetle that depends on a certain species of flower leads to the eventual extinction of the dinosaurs, who face certain doom from the resulting Ice Age. | | ''Dinosaurs'' touches a lot of liberal subjects, from gender confusion to feminism to even socialism. An episode even has a scenario resembling people coming out as homosexuals, only that Robbie wants to be more herbivore than carnivore and eat more vegetables, which Earl sees as going against the food chain. Another episode features an in-show TV show about a dinosaur admitting that he's a "cross-eater" and says that he feels like a carnivore in an herbivore's body, which seems to be a metaphor for being transgender or a cross-dresser. The biggest subject the characters discuss throughout the series is environmentalism, from leaving forests intact to avoiding the eradication of endangered species. Sadly at the end of the series, wiping out a certain species of beetle that depends on a certain species of flower leads to the eventual extinction of the dinosaurs, who face certain doom from the resulting Ice Age. |
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| − | But while the show features a lot of liberal subjects, there are also some conservative moments as well. Earl tries his best to act as the father of the household in spite of his bumbling ways, while Fran makes sure to keep the house running from the homestead. There are times when Robbie and Earl clash over ideas (like Robbie wanting to be a vegetarian instead of a carnivore), but they make up at the end of the day and support each other. At his tree-pushing job, Earl works under the supervision of his boss B.P. Richfield, a ''Styracosaurus'' and the tyrannical and greedy owner of the WESAYSO Corporation. Friendship is even upheld in "The Howling", where Robbie helps repair the friendship between Earl and his co-worker Roy (a ''Tyrannosaurus Rex'') by getting them to howl so that they can get rid of their aggression; in that same episode, Roy even gives Robbie a pencil box as a present - the same pencil box that his father had given to him on his Howling Day - because he wanted to pass it on to someone in spite of not having kids of his own, thus him seeing Robbie and the other Sinclairs as family. | + | But while the show features a lot of liberal subjects, there are also some conservative moments as well. Earl tries his best to act as the father of the household in spite of his bumbling ways, while Fran makes sure to keep the house running from the homestead. There are times when Robbie and Earl clash over ideas (like Robbie wanting to be a vegetarian instead of a carnivore), but they make up at the end of the day and support each other. At his tree-pushing job, Earl works under the supervision of his boss B.P. Richfield, a ''Styracosaurus'' and the tyrannical and greedy owner of the WESAYSO Corporation. Friendship is even upheld in "The Howling", where Robbie helps repair the friendship between Earl and his co-worker Roy (a ''Tyrannosaurus Rex'') by getting them to howl so that they can get rid of their aggression; in that same episode, Roy even gives Robbie a pencil box as a present - the same pencil box that his father had given to him on his Howling Day - because he wanted to pass it on to someone in spite of not having kids of his own, thus him seeing Robbie and the other Sinclairs as family. Another episode called "Earl and Pearl" has Earl eventually reconciling with his country music-playing sister Pearl, even singing "Leaves and Trees" together at the end of the episode. Drug use is even condemned in a few episodes. One called "Steroids to Heaven" has Robbie eating little spiked creatures called Thornoids, to which his ''Polacanthus'' friend Spike - himself being a delinquent - calling him out for it and trapping him with his newly-grown spikes to wait until the effect wears off. The second called "A New Leaf" involves a plant that makes dinosaurs deliriously happy; Robbie even ends the episode by giving a speech warning against the use of drugs as well as humorously warning against the dangers of preachy anti-drug episodes. |
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| | |''FBI'' | | |''FBI'' |
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| | |An anime adapted from a series of hugely popular trading cards and video games. The later seasons cut out the more conservative messages to promote more liberal agendas, including having the various female characters starting with May (most of whom are ten years old and thus still children) essentially act as sexual fanservice according to then-director Masamitsu Hidaka (and, at least in the case of the female leads of AG, DP, and XY, their goals of acting as Pokémon Coordinator and Showcase Trainer seemed to promote fashion industry values), as well as later on the story's refusal until ''Sun & Moon'' to allow Ash to win a league despite it being necessary to have him become a Pokémon Master (with the most infamous example of this being the Ash vs. Alain fight in the final round of the Kalos League, which had Ash losing against Alain despite the series, including the actual Japanese episode title for the battle in question, all but strongly implying the exact opposite), and eventually by Sun and Moon delaying having Ash resume his goal until nearly 40 episodes later (as well as ultimately winning in that saga), thus initially resulting in a more nihilistic view of Ash's goal. In addition, a running gag since Hoenn and to some extent Johto has Brock constantly chasing women and trying to ask them out, depicting him as a womanizer in a more comedic light. Moreover, the concept of friendships that was strongly emphasized in prior seasons eventually got phased out due to them essentially dropping characters after each season with barely a reference to them. | | |An anime adapted from a series of hugely popular trading cards and video games. The later seasons cut out the more conservative messages to promote more liberal agendas, including having the various female characters starting with May (most of whom are ten years old and thus still children) essentially act as sexual fanservice according to then-director Masamitsu Hidaka (and, at least in the case of the female leads of AG, DP, and XY, their goals of acting as Pokémon Coordinator and Showcase Trainer seemed to promote fashion industry values), as well as later on the story's refusal until ''Sun & Moon'' to allow Ash to win a league despite it being necessary to have him become a Pokémon Master (with the most infamous example of this being the Ash vs. Alain fight in the final round of the Kalos League, which had Ash losing against Alain despite the series, including the actual Japanese episode title for the battle in question, all but strongly implying the exact opposite), and eventually by Sun and Moon delaying having Ash resume his goal until nearly 40 episodes later (as well as ultimately winning in that saga), thus initially resulting in a more nihilistic view of Ash's goal. In addition, a running gag since Hoenn and to some extent Johto has Brock constantly chasing women and trying to ask them out, depicting him as a womanizer in a more comedic light. Moreover, the concept of friendships that was strongly emphasized in prior seasons eventually got phased out due to them essentially dropping characters after each season with barely a reference to them. |
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| − | However, the first few seasons showcased several conservative messages, including the strife to succeed even when the odds are considered insurmountable, as well as showing parental neglect and abandonment in a negative light in regards to the characters Brock and Misty, and to a certain extent one of the main villains Jessie. In addition, in the first season at least, there were also a few Christian references from Brock and Misty, and to some extent James. Pro-family values are present due to Misty becoming a mother to Togepi, and Brock also intending to aid his family when his parents weren't around due to the latter abandoning their children (or, in the case of the dub, the father abandoning them and the mother dying), only joining Ash after his father, Flint, returned and encouraged Brock to pursue his dreams. Was also anti-Hollywood Values as well, as the episode "Go West Young Meowth" showcases the more depraved nature of Hollywood, including at least one bickering couple, and does not treat it in a positive light, nor does Meowth's sweetheart, Meowzie, an epitome of Hollywood values, come across in a flattering light, with it also being heavily implied that this was the reason Meowth turned to villainy. Similarly, another episode during the first season dealt with a condemnation of fashion industry values as Team Rocket created a salon that heavily dolled up various Pokémon without taking into account their nature, which Suzie, Ash, and Brock condemned, and Misty initially supported to an extent only to pay the price later on when she tried to have Psyduck dolled up. One episode of DP also has an implicit condemnation of the homosexual agenda due to Brock calling Pikachu and Piplup (both of whom are confirmed male in an earlier episode) having an attraction to each other "unnatural." In addition, some episodes implicitly condemn the concept of Social Darwinism by showing various trainers who care only about Pokémon who are powerful and instantly abandon them if they show any sign of weakness in a very negative light. | + | However, the first few seasons showcased several conservative messages, including the strife to succeed even when the odds are considered insurmountable, as well as showing parental neglect and abandonment in a negative light in regards to the characters Brock and Misty, and to a certain extent one of the main villains Jessie. In addition, in the first season at least, there were also a few Christian references from Brock and Misty, and to some extent James. Pro-family values are present due to Misty becoming a mother to Togepi, and Brock also intending to aid his family when his parents weren't around due to the latter abandoning their children (or, in the case of the dub, the father abandoning them and the mother dying), only joining Ash after his father, Flint, returned and encouraged Brock to pursue his dreams. Was also anti-Hollywood Values as well, as the episode "Go West Young Meowth" showcases the more depraved nature of Hollywood, including at least one bickering couple, and does not treat it in a positive light, nor does Meowth's sweetheart, Meowzie, an epitome of Hollywood values, come across in a flattering light, with it also being heavily implied that this was the reason Meowth turned to villainy. Similarly, another episode during the first season dealt with a condemnation of fashion industry values as Team Rocket created a salon that heavily dolled up various Pokémon without taking into account their nature, which Ash, Brock, and character of the day Suzie condemn, and Misty initially supported to an extent only to pay the price later on when she tried to have Psyduck dolled up. One episode of DP also has an implicit condemnation of the homosexual agenda due to Brock calling Pikachu and Piplup (both of whom are confirmed male in an earlier episode) having an attraction to each other "unnatural." In addition, some episodes implicitly condemn the concept of Social Darwinism by showing various trainers who care only about Pokémon who are powerful and instantly abandon them if they show any sign of weakness in a very negative light. |
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| | |''The PowerPuff Girls'' | | |''The PowerPuff Girls'' |
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| | |One of the most influential cartoons of the 21st century, centered on an energetic, anthropomorphic sea sponge (who more nearly resembles a kitchen sponge) and a diverse cast of his underwater friends, is decidedly one of the most politically ambiguous. | | |One of the most influential cartoons of the 21st century, centered on an energetic, anthropomorphic sea sponge (who more nearly resembles a kitchen sponge) and a diverse cast of his underwater friends, is decidedly one of the most politically ambiguous. |
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| − | On the one hand, the series suggests that capitalists are inherently malign or simply obsessed with money, as the main character’s crustacean employer, the fast food restaurateur Mr. Krabs, is inclined to put money before others’ interests, sometimes at the expense of others’ well-being. In addition, SpongeBob and his dimwitted starfish best friend Patrick Star have a habit of annoying Squidward Tentacles: a quick-tempered, cynical octopus who lives between them, behaves apathetically on his job as a cashier, and may be a copy of ''Sesame Street'' character Bert because both characters have interests that others find mundane. They tend to not face comeuppance for their childish actions against Squidward (though there are exceptions), which may teach that being annoying is “acceptable” adult behavior. Specific episodes have controversial overtones, too. For instance, “Rock-a-Bye Bivalve” is infamous for depicting SpongeBob and Patrick raising a baby scallop like a homosexual couple; and a handful of episodes like "The Jellyfish Hunter", "Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful", and "SpongeBob's Last Stand" touch on themes of environmentalism. Moreover, one of the series’ worst-received episodes, “One Coarse Meal,” tries to make bullying look humorous because it centers on Mr. Krabs driving his microscopic arch business rival Plankton to suicide by appealing to the copepod’s secret fear of whales, a fear not present in any other episode. SpongeBob himself even displays some flamboyant tendencies that can be seen as gay, though Stephen Hillenburg had stated that SpongeBob would reproduce asexually like normal sponges (splitting into newer sponges); 2020 has Nickelodeon disregard this information to push SpongeBob to be a "queer icon".<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/06/15/nickelodeon-celebrates-pride-month-with-queer-icon-spongebob-bisexual-and-trans-characters/</ref> | + | On the one hand, the series suggests that capitalists are inherently malign or simply obsessed with money, as the main character’s crustacean employer, the fast food restaurateur Mr. Krabs, is inclined to put money before others’ interests, sometimes at the expense of others’ well-being. In addition, SpongeBob and his dimwitted starfish best friend Patrick Star have a habit of annoying Squidward Tentacles: a quick-tempered, cynical octopus who lives between them, behaves apathetically on his job as a cashier, and may be a copy of ''Sesame Street'' character Bert because both characters have interests that others find mundane. They tend to not face comeuppance for their childish actions against Squidward (though there are exceptions), which may teach that being annoying is “acceptable” adult behavior. Specific episodes have controversial overtones, too. For instance, “Rock-a-Bye Bivalve” is infamous for depicting SpongeBob and Patrick raising a baby scallop like a homosexual couple; and a handful of episodes like "The Jellyfish Hunter", "Keep Bikini Bottom Beautiful", and "SpongeBob's Last Stand" touch on themes of environmentalism. Moreover, one of the series’ worst-received episodes, “One Coarse Meal,” tries to make bullying look humorous because it centers on Mr. Krabs driving his microscopic arch business rival Plankton to suicide by appealing to the copepod’s secret fear of whales, a fear that is not present in any other episode. SpongeBob himself even displays some flamboyant tendencies that can be seen as gay, though Stephen Hillenburg had stated that SpongeBob would reproduce asexually like normal sponges (splitting into newer sponges); 2020 has Nickelodeon disregard this information to push SpongeBob to be a "queer icon".<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/06/15/nickelodeon-celebrates-pride-month-with-queer-icon-spongebob-bisexual-and-trans-characters/</ref> |
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| − | On the other hand, many episodes where SpongeBob works in his regular job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant teach young audiences to appreciate hard work and persistence as SpongeBob eagerly strives to make the most out of his rather ordinary vocation. Most episodes where Plankton appears draw a clear distinction between good and evil, showing the errors of stealing and conducting business through illegitimate means as Plankton’s schemes to outcompete Mr. Krabs, the more competent businessman, or steal his Krabby Patty recipe always backfire. In addition, depending on the writer(s), Krabs can serve as a surrogate father-figure to SpongeBob, teaching him to stay out of danger and not to act so impulsively as he usually does. Lastly, the episode "SpongeBob, You're Fired!" has gained fame among conservatives for advocating self-sufficiency while lampooning the concept of the welfare state, mainly the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program: as Patrick tries to show SpongeBob the "benefits of being unemployed" by taking SpongeBob out to a free lunch with Sandy, SpongeBob quips, "Unemployment may be fun for you, but I need to get a job".<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2013/11/04/spongebob-mocks-welfare-state/</ref> | + | On the other hand, many episodes where SpongeBob works in his regular job as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant teach young audiences to appreciate hard work and persistence as SpongeBob eagerly strives to make the most out of his rather ordinary vocation. Most episodes where Plankton appears draw a clear distinction between good and evil, showing the errors of stealing and conducting business through illegitimate means as Plankton’s schemes to outcompete Mr. Krabs, the more competent businessman, or steal his Krabby Patty recipe always backfire. In addition, depending on the writer(s), Krabs can serve as a surrogate father-figure to SpongeBob, teaching him to stay out of danger and not to act so impulsively as he usually does. Lastly, the episode "SpongeBob, You're Fired!" has gained fame among conservatives for advocating self-sufficiency while lampooning the concept of the welfare state, mainly the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program: as Patrick tries to show SpongeBob the "fun of unemployment" by taking SpongeBob out to a free lunch with Sandy, SpongeBob quips, "Unemployment may be fun for you, but I need to get a job".<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2013/11/04/spongebob-mocks-welfare-state/</ref> |
| | |} | | |} |
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