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| Comerford |
There was once a time when being a kid meant after spending a day playing neighborhood games, like capture the flag, you go home and turn on Nickelodeon.
And by Nickelodeon, I mean the Nickelodeon we watched in the 90s, not the over-dramatic, materialistic Nickelodeon of today.
I remember I would beg my parents to let me leave the dinner table so I would not miss shows like “GUTS,” “Legends of the Hidden Temple” and “Clarissa Explains it all.”
These shows have stuck with me, and probably most of you for years because they highlighted our childhood and provided us entertainment.
Through shows like “GUTS” and “Legends of the Hidden Temple,” we were taught to stay active and get out and play. “Clarissa Explains it all” and “Doug” showed us the importance of friendship. These were simple shows that focused on fun and innocence, rather than drama and social status.
Which leads me to the Nickelodeon children have today.
The shows I thought best represented the values of Nickelodeon today were “Zoey101” and “The Fairly Odd Parents.” In “The Fairly Odd Parents,” a boy has his own fairy godparents that give him anything hewants. Although things do not always work out like he plans, the show still promotes a materialistic way of thinking.
The need for “stuff” is prominent in most of Americas’ history; however, it is more focused in today’s society.
“Zoey101” focuses on social status. It teaches children to value popularity and social settings. These ideas are expected for teenage TV shows, however most likely the majority of this show’s viewers are 12-year-old girls and younger. No longer is Nickelodeon encouraging children to be active and just have fun, it is now pushing kids to grow up faster than they need to.
Our generation should work to promote “play” and “fun” so we can incorporate it into the upbringing of the next generation.
It will leave future generations with happier childhood memories and a more healthy value system.
Television was not perfect when I was a kid, but I think it had a more positive effect on children as opposed to television today.
Every generation has a “back in my day things were better” attitude, but I really think there are values that have been lost on the present generation.
Comerford, a sophomore psychology major from Greensboro, is an intern editorial cartoonist.
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