Erik's Blog

Protecting the young and impressionable

Auntie is reporting that old Tom and Jerry cartoons are going to be gone through with a fine tooth comb (not a fine toothcomb!) for examples of unsuitable smoking by the protagonists. Offending scenes will be cut out to protect their impressionable audience.

Clearly there's no problem with letting kids have their minds fried by endless hours of mindless or sadistic violence, but the sight of a cat smoking a cigar might make them slaves to nicotine for life. Is it silly to point out that cutting down to half a packet a day isn't going to redeem Tom and Jerry's ultraviolent, destructive behaviour? Probably it is, and since most of the newer junk they transmit on Cartoon Network is much worse, I guess I should be happy that those two antedeluvian happy slappers are being house trained so they can stay with us in the new millenium.

posted by Unknown @ 9:57 PM