I Don’t Think Watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!” Will Turn My Sons Into Bullies.
Linus gets disappointed by the Great Pumpkin, Charlie gets a rock, and Sally gets mad. Aaaaand, that’s childhood!
Just read a blog post on Babble.com that decries the latest danger that must be kept from our kids. Ready? It’s Charlie Brown. Well, specifically, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!”, because this 46-year-old* piece of beloved Americana threatens to turn your kid into a bad-mouther at best, and a bully at worst. Or something.
The writer, Buzz Bishop, describes in the post, titled “It’s Time to Retire, Charlie Brown,” that when he and his Halloween-mad wife sat down for their annual viewing of the show with their five- and 12-year-old sons, they suddenly realized that, uh-oh, this has to go on the trash heap of history, along with smoking sections in planes and cars without a five-point-harness car seat.
Okay. Deep breath. Here goes.
I feel bad for poor old Charlie, who gets rocks in his candy bag on Halloween. I feel bad for Linus’ continual disappointment, and even for Sally, who forgoes trick or treating to stick with Linus in the pumpkin patch (choosing love over candy!). I feel bad that Charlie is sneered at by friends and adults, as he does in every Charles M. Shulz comic strip and TV special. I felt bad for him when I was a kid, too (even though I also laughed because, you know, it’s funny). But it was then and still is clear to me that actually calling someone a blockhead is not nice. It was also clear to me then, as it is now (and as it is to my sons, who thanks to the fact that we own the DVD have now seen the show many more times than I ever did), that watching kids be mean on TV doesn’t automatically translate into them being mean in real life.
Unless Bishop’s sons live in a bubble (and judging from the few comments I read on his blog post, he’s been amply accused of trying to keep them bubble-wrapped, which is possibly unfair), they’re heard worse than “blockhead” in their young lives. And if they’re like my sons, they’ve lobbed worse than blockhead at each other. My boys call each other dumb-ball and idiot about as often as they use each other’s given names. They’d also rise to their dumb-ball brother’s defense in a hot minute, should someone else threaten. They are also, I’m quick to add, admonished and told they’re being mean when they are, you know, being mean.
That’s my job – to tell them that that sort of speech is not right. But it’s not my job to keep them from ever hearing kids call each other bad things. Especially when it’s fictional and animated! Was it not clear to Bishop or his wife that Charlie has good friends who love him, even if they call him a blockhead?
If we can only let our kids consume entertainment that’s bathed in hyper-niceness, all we’re left with is Caillou.
One other thing: Bishop says that Charlie Brown has nothing of value to offer our kids. Does everything have to have social value? Does everything have to be a school assembly about bullying? Can we give our kids the benefit of the doubt and assume that (especially if we help them) they can understand the difference between Lucy calling Charlie a blockhead, and how calling real-life kid a blockhead is not cool?
* I looked it up: “It’s the Great Pumpkin” first aired in October, 1966. I was four months old!
October 26, 2012 @ 10:40 am
I wish Charlie Brown would go off the air, but not because of bullying concerns. I hate the Peanuts, always have, don’t think they are funny and never did. Charlie Brown is a stuffed shirt and Lucy is a heinous bitch.
My husband thinks it’s unAmerican to hate the Peanuts. Luckily the “great pumpkin” has been on past bedtime the past few years.
October 26, 2012 @ 10:45 am
You ALWAYS routed for Charlie Brown. You disliked Lucy. You thought Schroeder was smart. You knew Linus was brave but still needed his blankey sometimes. You couldn’t wait to see what adventures Snoopy and Woodstock got up to. Wait a minute…they are only animals…
Calliou is friggin’ annoying and whiny. LOL
I totally agree Denise, why must adults INSIST children are idiots? They are not idiots they are very smart, capable people if you only guide them and allow them to develop within the world they live in not keep them outside it or hide them from it. Teach them. Do YOUR job as a parent. Heavy sigh.
AND kids will make mistakes and so will parents. but then you teach them again and we all learn lessons and move on.
October 26, 2012 @ 11:04 am
Caillou is obnoxious, whiny, and sucks thumb. And sucks other things, too, like donkey balls.
I’ll take the Peanuts ANY day.
October 26, 2012 @ 1:25 pm
I agree with Renee Anne on this one. Give me Charlie Brown. Maybe Mr. Bishop could take the time to discuss appropriate behavior with his children, then choose something else. Then maybe he could remember that he’s not the ever-persecuted blockhead he clearly feels as victimized as, but the adult in his home, with the power to change the channel, or even better, turn off the TV.
October 26, 2012 @ 5:17 pm
Great article. We just had this conversation in our Humor Academy study groups through AATH (Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. One of our advisors will be writing an article on sarcasm, teasing and bullying behaviors….and humor of course. Do check out our amazing humor family. Would love to have those who have a sense of humor—or those who want one—to join! http://www.aath.org
October 26, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
I’ll admit, there are a few banned shows in this house (including Caillou!) because ya know what? They’re ANNOYING. Caillou is such a whiner.
But Great Pumpkin? Never! It’s one of the FEW shows children can watch that doesn’t try to moralize at them. It just presents the story. As a bullied kid, I identified with Charlie Brown. It was nice to see another kid in my situation.
October 27, 2012 @ 8:04 am
Hey all, thanks for continuing the discussion. I’d encourage you to read the original post instead of just one author’s take on it.
http://blogs.babble.com/kid-scoop/2012/10/20/its-time-to-retire-charlie-brown/
Remember, my kids are 5 and 2. The age where dumb, and stupid are as harsh as f-bombs.
My take is the show does not have appropriate themes for them. I think a reboot of the franchise is in order.
We used to think Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s was appropriate. People used to think blackface was hilarious.
Times change, and while this may be a ‘classic’ of Americana, try watching it with kindergarteners and see if you don’t cringe a little.
Remember, my parenting lens is watching this with YOUNG kids, and that’s the perspective I offer.
And lest you all think I’m a crazy helicopter dad, far from it. I am actually LOUDLY complaining at parents who are “wussifying” society by holding their kids back from things like Halloween. Check this post out:
http://blogs.babble.com/kid-scoop/2012/10/24/please-dont-be-the-parent-that-kills-halloween-video/
October 27, 2012 @ 9:59 am
Buzz,
Thanks for weighing in. And — I’m so sorry! — though I did read your post a couple of times, I somehow read 12 instead of 2 for one of your boys. I do agree, and said so in my post, that the subset of negative commenters on your Babble post possibly unfairly branded you a helicopter dad. Anyway, to each his or her own, but it’s my take that the kind of teasing in Charlie Brown is not the same as bullying, and in fact is a way (while my kids are still even entertained by watching it every year) for us to mention — not make a giant lesson out of, but mention — that Lucy is so mean to Charlie unfairly, or that “blockhead” and “idiot” are not nice to say. I do think that’s a very far cry from blackface. And I don’t like children’s entertainment that tries so obviously and strenuously to be perfectly nice to everyone all the time, in part because it tends to be boring, and in part because it’s not reflective of real life.
Thanks again for sharing your perspective with my readers!
Denise
October 27, 2012 @ 8:44 am
I think we have hit an all time high swing on the crazy parent pendulum. Banning Charlie Brown? Completely insane. Not watching because it’s not your cup of tea. Perfectly fine. I personally love the concept of The Peanuts, but I must admit, I’m to the point where I’ve seen them all enough that I now fall asleep during the watching. But my teens & husband still love them! Win/win for all!
Great article Denise!
October 27, 2012 @ 11:13 am
I went to his Mr. Bishops blog after the tried to defend himself. Not impressed. Skip through a few of his other blogs. He IS a whinner! Take care of your own; do not try to fix the world to match your views. Your views are not everyone’s.
October 27, 2012 @ 3:08 pm
Hi Traci.
Yup, my views are my own. I write about them in hopes of creating discussion on topics. I don’t just merrily float through the day, I take pause and think about different things.
But I’m confused, did you think I was a whiner or a winner?
I’m not out to impress anyone, just sharing my thoughts and feelings like anyone else with a keyboard and an internet connection.
October 28, 2012 @ 3:16 am
Sometimes, the times we live in remind me, just a little bit, of Victorian times. Think about it. Children must be protected, and taught through moralistic tales in which right is always rewarded, and they can’t think for themselves, the darlings. Of course the irony is that the Victorians were also rather strict, in most ways.
October 28, 2012 @ 1:59 pm
Thanks for your post, Denise, which, as always, couldn’t be more to the point.
It also reminded me of The Peanuts, the existence of which I had totally forgotten. Since we neither have a telly nor Halloween, I might get the dvd for my kids.
Btw, I agree with the previous commenter. After all, the Victorians were known for their double standards – all that virtuousness couldn’t have been real…
Bee
October 29, 2012 @ 9:27 am
I like Charlie Brown now but I always felt bad watching it as a kid. I think I agree with BOTH of you (if that’s possible?)
October 29, 2012 @ 10:57 pm
So because you prefer that your kids not watch, the “franchise” should be “rebooted”? Maybe a more appropriate solution would be to change the channel, or turn off the television.
I have a five-year-old son too, and we do a couple of crazy things–if his dad and I think something is inappropriate for him to see, we don’t let him watch it. And if he watches something that includes something we don’t want him to emulate, we talk to him. It works, and a heck of a lot more effectively than trying to sanitize the world for his benefit.
October 30, 2012 @ 3:49 pm
I’m confused. Is Buzz new to the Peanuts “franchise”? Did he sit down with his 2 and 5 year old and think that it was an appropriate cartoon for them both to watch? Surely he wasn’t surprised by the characters’ behaviours/language/themes of the show? Perhaps he thought he was watching a newer updated version of an old “classic” where everyone was nice to Charlie and there were some adults in charge? Seriously, as Denise said, it is our job as parents to monitor what our kids are watching and guide them in what they come away with.
If you don’t think Charlie Brown getting bullied is appropriate for your 2 year old then don’t sit him/her down in front of it to watch. We all remember certain stories and shows from our childhood that we can’t wait to share with our own children someday – but also need to revisit those shows BEFORE we present them to our kids to remind ourselves of whether they are age appropriate. I don’t remember sitting and watching Peanuts when I was 2, I remember it from when I was 9 or so and found it tongue-in-cheek amusing.
Oh – and Caillou IS a whiney little annoyance – but if my 4 year old is going to watch it then it’s an opportunity to teach him what kind of behaviour will or won’t be tolerated in our home 😉
November 4, 2012 @ 1:36 pm
Late to the game here as usual…
In our first world culture we tend to overthink things. We have that luxury.
It seems to me that this overthinking creates a really stifled, paralyzing environment where we worry about every influence that may not be entirely wholesome, educational or completely controlled by overbearing parenting.
As Denise and a couple of other posters said it IS boring, bland and dare I say as phony as it comes.
We certainly do have our job as parents to educate our children about bullying – no argument here. I have had that discussion multiple times with my girls- not just teaching them about what to do if they are bullied themselves but also how wrong it is, how words and actions can be cruel and what my expectations are about how they treat others. Here’s the thing though – banning everything under the sun does not teach them about what is right and wrong.
I don’t want my kids growing up in a vacuum where everything is perfectly sanitized for them. They will never learn to think for themselves if we or the government do all their thinking for them. We set theses high standards….and then we take away their opportunities to actually figure out how to meet them.