As I was doin' my thing on the computer today, my dad and I were watching Tom and Jerry. Because this is what we used to watch --- my brother and I --- when we were very little, and even now, all these years later... I still remember the feeling of what it was like to be just 5-years old, and brand new in America.
So then, the commercials come on. And as it is Cartoon Network, all these toys are advertised. Pretty standard stuff... Play-Doh craft basket... Ya' know...
Then this one Barbie ad comes on that both causes me to raise an eyebrow and feel completely horrified. (Oh yeah, this post came to mind after I read my man jake3751's post, also about spoiled children...)
It is a Barbie brand, life sized, electric pink Throne. That's right, a throne, with the high back, and royal looking accoutremonts.
So you can teach her (or him... Nowadays you never know....) what, exactly? To sit on her little booty, feeling superior to everybody?
Haha, this new culture, man... There were cute things about the Barbie brand spoiled brat chair though. Little thumb sized dolls with cute large faces that were hidden in the chair's armrests...
But the part where I just felt... It was starting to go out of control, was when they introduced all the glittery plastic rocks, sprinkled throughout this tribute to creating an Army of future Paris Hiltons.
It zooms in on these colored gemstones, and it goes, "Cuz You can Never Have too Much Bling!!" And I think (or maybe I'm just creating this memory in my mind...) These big, blue letters flash on the screen: "BLING!"
What in the world are we teaching these children. Should I move to a quaint little European country? Goodness.
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I read this post...
I laughed, and then I almost cried. You are right, it's almost painful. I don't watch a lot of TV, but I'm sure I would also be amazed at the commercials. The Bratz dolls scare me.
Wow. It worries me that this is what society is using to cater to little kids. Perhaps the next generation will be a mob of Paris Hilton's, wondering waht Walmart is and not doing a day of hard labor in their lives.
I think it's hilarious, but we won't know the long term effects for quit some time.
I wonder, do these things seem risque' to us just 'cuz they're new? I mean, we grew up on Monopoly, Mystery Date, and Girl Talk boardgames... We were trained to stalk New Kids on the Block, the Ninja Turtles, and Disney Princesses... Some kids (me included) also had unhealthy addictions to NES, candy and soda...
Maybe these seemed ridiculous to the generation before us?
It hasn't impacted us that badly... Has it...?
There are a lot of "new" things that we as a generation have accepted, but the fact still remains that is it "healthy" for kids to perceive themselves as miniature royalty? As it is, some parents spoil their kids in the way that they are miniature royalty. Is it necessary to plague the minds of other children with these ideas? Hardly.
It just occurred to me the other day, maybe most of these parents out here don't even want to spoil their kids.. They might just get guilt-tripped into it by that age old... "But Tommy's parents gave HIM a bike!!"
It's really sad. Cuz no one really appreciates anything these days..
Bt even so, parents should not be "guilt tripped" into anything. They should not feel guilty about depriving the child unless they are depriving the child of something necessary. These parents are simply taking the easy way out and giving into their child's every whim instead of being a responsible parent. It's okay to indulge once in a while, but some parents are over the top.
I agree with what you're saying because its like they're teaching little girls that if they buy this Barbie throne and they sit on it, then they'll think that they won't have to do anything for themselves because everybody else in their families will do things for them, even though who died and left them boss, you know?
I mean, perhaps it will just teach materialism, and greed for expensive things?
...And not necessarily the laziness?
But I dunno... On the other hand, this outcome may also be likely. Did you read that guy Jake's post that I linked in mine? Parents nowadays are asking themselves, what can they do to make sure their child is never angry or dissatisfied...
Why do you think there's this shift in attitude now, that parents will do anything to cater to children?
I wonder if they are aware that children are still forming their emotions and views about the world and themselves. I wonder why kids' unreasonable desires are now being taken so seriously...
I think it's hard to find people of this generation to stand for what's right when it comes to morals and justice, I can't imagine what the next generation of youth will be like, I honestly think Armageddon rests in their hands, haha.