The old cartoons sent the message abuse is comical
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Tom and Jerry
P.Error — 5 years ago(February 27, 2021 09:46 AM)
I used to watch these, but looking back on these old cartoons, I'm stunned I didn't notice how they made light of abuse.
There isn't anything remotely funny about a cat being tortured scene after scene. There isn't anything funny about Tom's guardian blaming him for a mishap that Jerry was behind.
There was one skit where Tom was conducting an orchestra, and in comes Jerry trying to sabotage it. In this particular skit, Tom wasn't after Jerry; Jerry was the aggressor. The humour is in Tom's miscues and the orchestra playing pieces differently than he expected. Oh how hilarious!
Same with the Roadrunner cartoons: A coyote getting hit on the head with an anvil wandering off a cliff that he didn't see and falling to his cartoon-death. Ha Ha Ha?
These ideas get planted in children's impressionable minds and they grow up to become enablers and abusers.
I'm not one of those people who think violent video games/shows cause mass shooters. Quite the opposite. This is very different than a violent video game: when children play a first-person shooter game, or Mortal Kombat, whatever, they already know shooting people is wrong. The game/movies are based on the idea that this premise is already wrong and we shouldn't be doing this at home.
But
Tom and Jerry
disguises itself as harmless, family-friendly entertainment for children. It sends the message subconsciously that this is normal. It normalises this behaviour as a status quo element and people slowly adapt it in their behaviour and choices.
I think children's TV and video games should actually be more violent on the surface as to be obvious - not pro-patriarchal and xenophobic subtext disguised within a general audience surface.
Hopefully the movie with rectify this.
Never lose your desire.