TV!
Yes that’s right. I, like millions of others, spent a considerable amount of time in front of the TV as a kid. Why? What good could it possibly have brought my life? Well… I’ll tell you.
I consider myself to be an extremely family-oriented person. I’m sorry, but under normal conditions I would leave the best of friends to be with a family member in need. Now, you might be thinking ‘what the fuck are you trying to say man? That I wouldn’t?’ Well… no I’m not saying that, but I’m not the kind of person who spends a lot of time away from the family, you know? And I believe true happiness lies within your family and the relationship you have with them.
Now, how does this tie into what I was discussing before? TV? Well, I remember the shows I used to watch back when I was a wee lass. They were great. In fact, they were fantastic for children. Believe it or not, they stressed the importance of family, respect for the elders, sensibility, kindness, and being lover rather than a fighter, a believer, an honest person… all the things parents have so much trouble teaching their children nowadays! These shows were specific to Eastern, Middle Eastern, and European countries (Iran in my case), originating from Japan, of course. They refrained from exploiting subjects such as fornication, technology, money, and violence and instead delivered a sense of self-respect, ethics, and even sustainability! Amazing really. Frankly I feel bad for those of us who did not have the privilege of bonding with these cartoons.
In my last post I slyly hinted at just how much respect I have for Hayao Miyazaki. Well, it was only a few years ago when I realized that he is also responsible for most of the childhood shows I used to love so much. He was one of the key animators/directors for Nippon Animation back in the early days of his career. A few years ago I would have given anything to be his humble wife.
Hayao Myiazaki
With a father hard at work in at Miyazaki Airplanes – a company which produced pieces for fighter planes – and a creative and unconventional thinker of a mother, he became an artist early in life and developed a premature fascination for aviation (perhaps this could explain why Antoine de Saint-Exupery was one of his favourite authors). Many of the movies produced by Studio Ghibli were written and directed by Myiazaki, and some were based on personal life experiences – a fine example would be My Neighbour Totoro. I’m starting to think that maybe Porco Rosso was a result of his childhood fascination as well.
Daddy Longlegs was probably my favourite show. I’m sure you’re already familiar with the story line, since it happens to be based on a very popular novel by Jean Webster (1912). Oh! One thing I failed to mention was that most of the shows I’ve been bragging about were adaptations of historical novels. Don’t worry, I’ll be talking about them in upcoming posts!
Judy Abbott!
Judy! My favourite gal. All this reminiscing has left me hungry. Yes I’m talking about actual food not… theoretical food like watching DDL, though I would probably enjoy that more.
Here is a picture of ALL of the characters of Nippon Animation series. With enough concentration, I could probably name every character!
World Masterpiece Theatre
American cartoons dating back to the 80’s were mostly based on violence, even awesome shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Don’t get me wrong it was an absolutely amazing show and as a life-long fan I can truly say that its completely fit for kids – well, the original show is. And now, they have decided that it’s the decade for sex, drugs, and reality tv shows.
It’s rather terrifying just how quickly the society is lowering its standards. TV shows such as Gossip Girl – which I DO NOT watch but have seen a few minutes of – stamp the idea of underage sex on the forehead of kids with orgy scenes between three teenage girls. Or something.
I feel sorry for those born a few years after myself and for what they’ve had to endure so far. You may not realize it now but man you missed a good show. I wouldn’t change my early days for the world, and I mean it with every inch of my being. Also, I am so fucking glad to have been born in Iran.
Mind Over Anner 