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2003 War in Iraq begins, 1734 Thomas McKean is born, 2005 Maverick auto exec John DeLorean dies, 1865 Battle of Bentonville North Carolina, 1949 East Germany approves new constitution, 1999 Bodies found in Yosemite serial killer case, 1971 Peruvian town wiped out, 1916 First US air combat mission begins, 1931 Nevada legalizes gambling, 1953 DeMille wins Oscar, 1953 First Academy Awards telecast on NBC, 1842 Balzac botches a publicity stunt, 1957 Elvis Presley puts a down payment on Graceland, 1864 Artist Charlie Russell born, 2003 Bush announces the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 1966 Texas Western defeats Kentucky in NCAA finals, 1966 Seoul agrees to send additional troops, 1970 National emergency declared in Cambodia, 1916 First US aircombat mission begins, 1945 General Fromm executed for plot against Hitler,

Essays

Adults and Cartoons

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Personally, I feel it is a very wrong notion that cartoons are only for children. In fact, I shall venture further to say that adults can enjoy cartoons much more than children. When Walt Disney made the first animated movie, he expected full – grown people to pay to watch it. The television show Looney Tunes was intended to be watched by adults. There are a large number of cartoons deemed inappropriate for children and if we were to include Japanese cartoons in our count, this would exceed the number of cartoons appropriate for children. Let me suggest a cartoon for adults.

Tom and Jerry and the Looney Tunes, if I may. Apart from the mindless violence which perhaps appeals to children, these shows were full of cultural references and a pun or two in the right place. As children, we do not understand many of these because of our limited knowledge of the world. Certainly, if one watches a “children’s” show or movie again, which one had seen years ago, they may find the dialogues greatly funnier because on growing older we understand hidden meanings, malapropisms, ironies and parodies.

The world of cartoons is full of gems and I should recommend everything that Hanna – Barbera ever produced for fear of missing out on anything. Then, of course, apart from these, there are cartoons with more mature content. I will mention Generator Rex as an example. The plot is very deep, the characters have shades of grey and are not invincible like those in Tom & Jerry. This is similar to the difference between a book by R.L. Stine and one by Sidney Sheldon.

However, we cannot truly find shows that appeal to adults only in America. For that we must travel westward from America, where cartoons are called ‘anime’. Resisting personal opinion, American and Japanese cartoons both have charms of their own and cannot be compared to one another. In Japan, cartoons are not moderated for children and adults can find content made specifically for them. To name a few, Naruto, Bleach and One Piece are popular anime.

All in all, I, one day would like to see that people shed this belief that cartoons are for children, because in the process they are losing on some great literature.

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