I might have confirmation bias so I'd like to get you're opinion on this, have cartoons gotten stupider?
I don't meant stupider in the storytelling department I mean stupider in that they lack semi-educational material.
For example you can pick out almost any kid cartoon from the 80' or 90's and they'll have an episode that involves at least one historical figure or movie or an episode that revolves around that historical figure, like Shakespeare or George Washington Carver.
Some cartoons from the 80's and 90's would also have some random trivia thrown in as well, like cats and dogs are color blind or heat helps things rise, large words used in correct context, real world landmarks etc.
I'll give you a few examples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvq_Ha3PPsc
https://youtu.be/pmrakS2VO7g?t=488
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaiFl6djtf4
https://youtu.be/IEmycVM_BQE?t=241
This isn't something that you see a lot of today or at all in many kid cartoons.
The only shows that still have this sort of stuff in it that I can think of are Family Guy and to a lesser extent Adventure Time.
Am I mistaken?
A reminder to everyone in this thread shit like SpongeBob and Adventure Time is allowed to remain on television not because of "ratings" but because they're "merch draws"
Adventure Time appeals strictly to retarded females
SpongeBob appeals to autistic man children
In the 80's and 90's there was a lot of emphasize on cartoons needing to cover certain subjects or themes, often forced upon them by an editorial department or focus groups. It's just in recent times they been forced to do this less and less, depending on the audience of the show.
Kim Possible, I recall, was forced to do a "healthy eating" episode. The writers didn't want to really do it, but it was a management decision, so the best they could do was have some fun with it. Or as much fun as you can with that sort of subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV8hcC4vfLc
>>77766796
right, I remember the mandates that they had to have at least one show on each network that was educational or they needed 2 hours of education material a day or something like that, I didn't know it was rescinded or laxed recently, or that each show had to have an educational episode.
>>77766805
That's pretty good, I didn't know about that at all, Disney is pretty good when it comes to putting trivia in cartoons Rescue Rangers had a lot of engineering stuff in it.
>>77766777
>SpongeBob appeals to autistic man children
They like the new ones?! I thought that was just autistic children-children.
>>77766944
Phineas and Ferb does that sort of thing all the time; I think they made a point of having the kids use words and phrases kids wouldn't be familiar with in a context where people could understand what they meant by it. Plus all of the references just for adults.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0pDvztXWBU
>>77768980
Do you know of any other modern cartoons that do that?
In the Beach Party episode Nanafua tells Steven that under intense heat and pressure sand turns to glass, and they use that fact when they defeat the Monster of the Episode.
>>77766777
>not because of "ratings"
I was a Nielson home for two years and watched Adventure Time with my girlfriend, and my nephew is over enough that he had a log in and he watched Spongebob. I don't care for new Spongebob. Not saying they deserve high ratings, but my household was one of the few where viewership even count.
>>77766796
The problem is that, when cartoons writers were forced to talk about a certain theme or subject, they usually took the wrong information and passed it as a fact.
For example: In Animaniacs, during the president song they say that America joined in the World War I in 1913, one year before the actual war started.
>>77769368
Connie explained how marshmallows are made in one episode.
>>77769489
And added Transylvania as a country in Nations of the world, though I'm not sure if that was to hook up with the song
>>77766739
>For example you can pick out almost any kid cartoon from the 80' or 90's and they'll have an episode that involves at least one historical figure or movie or an episode that revolves around that historical figure, like Shakespeare or George Washington Carver.
The Animaniacs had historical figures every episode and it didn't teach me shit.
>>77769915
>He didn't learn that E = mc2 is "Acme" spelled backwards from the Einstein episode
>>77766739
>I don't meant stupider in the storytelling department I mean stupider in that they lack semi-educational material.
On the other hand they are better at handling life lessons - Steven Universe had whole stuff with realistically potraying Pearl's PTSD, Gravity Falls had a lot of how you cannot make someone love you, even Wander over Yonder has stuff like that in Dominator arc (before I get shit on this - Greater Hater has a message that sometimes people simply don't want to be your friends, Battle Royale and current part of the arc is about how love will not magically solve all your problems). Even MLP can do some life lessons and not botch it.
>For example you can pick out almost any kid cartoon from the 80' or 90's and they'll have an episode that involves at least one historical figure or movie or an episode that revolves around that historical figure, like Shakespeare or George Washington Carver.
Here the problem is that a lot of modern cartoons are not starring humans. Adventure Time has last human on Earth in world of other creatures, Wander is happenign in space and starring aliens, MLP is starring horses in magical land, that leaves Gravity Falls and Steven Universe and I think they had at least some of it.
And Teen Titans Go but that one is pure shit.
>>77771089
So they dropped factoids for philosophy, and the setting isn't really an excuse, Captain Simian and The Space Monkeys had a ton of factoids, breathable liquids, combustion, cellular decay, etc.
Even Street Sharks and Swat Kats had little factoids here and there.
>>77766739
Teen Titans Go has some semi-educational material, it's just few and far between like the kids cartoons you listed.
because today you have access to unlimited information presented in a way that you can actually learn. besides most facts from non batman cartoons were wrong.
>>77766777
>A reminder to everyone in this thread shit like SpongeBob and Adventure Time is allowed to remain on television not because of "ratings" but because they're "merch draws"
Well duh. Although they still get respectable ratings in addition.
You can also get really good ratings and still be cancelled if they can't figure out a way to monetize it.
No, American SOCIETY got dumber, and by a very large margin. There is actually a huge anti-intellectual wave going on at the moment, in case you haven't noticed. People who are genuinely smart or say things others perceive as being so are ridiculed. People are actually proud of not knowing things which they perceive as pointless (to them).
Imagine an argument between two people, one might say, "Europe is a really shitty country". The other, correcting him, might say, "A continent, not country. And it consists of 47 independent countries." The typical response will be, "Wow who cares, they are all irrelevant anyway. I shouldn't have to know this because it in no way benefits me to have knowledge I can't directly apply to my everyday doings. You are stupid for knowing that and probably a fag, too."
That's how it goes down these days. Ignorance has become a badge of pride.
If you want further proof, look how every television channel that was once educational is now the same awful garbage. History channel? That's the Ancient Alien channel now. The Learning Channel? Honey Boo Boo, Cake Boss and Promzillas, who wants learning while they watch television?
>>77771722
what's wrong with that squirrel
>>77771722
Considering that society grew up on the shows OP is talking about, I think we can easily conclude that putting random factoids into cartoons doesn't make kids any smarter. So I guess it doesn't really matter.
>>77771767
That, my dear anon is the worlds smallest known living primate, the Pygmy Marmoset. If you quickly look on the internet, you can actually adopt one if you'd like.
>>77771722
>If you want further proof, look how every television channel that was once educational is now the same awful garbage. History channel? That's the Ancient Alien channel now. The Learning Channel? Honey Boo Boo, Cake Boss and Promzillas, who wants learning while they watch television?
Reality TV has taken over everything. Mostly because it's cheap as hell to make, which means it makes profits on even the most meager of returns... and those channels ran on razor thin profit margins before.
But we're also seeing the return of serious TV dramas, which had been mostly dead since the 80's.
Ed Edd n eddy actually taught me a lot about how shit works every time double d would explain something was cool
Also isn't there proof to this didn't the 90s have some environmental conspiracy like it was mandatory to have episodes about recycling or some shit
I thought I read somewhere this was true
>>77771722
>
Imagine an argument between two people, one might say, "Europe is a really shitty country". The other, correcting him, might say, "A continent, not country. And it consists of 47 independent countries." The typical response will be, "Wow who cares, they are all irrelevant anyway. I shouldn't have to know this because it in no way benefits me to have knowledge I can't directly apply to my everyday doings. You are stupid for knowing that and probably a fag, too."
Either you've been talking with internet people too long, or you have some real shitty friends. Cause the typical response to someone dropping knowledge, is either a dimmissive "oh", "Oh, okay", "yeah", "alright", start a fact checking argument, or in rare cases, a new conversation.
If someone calls you an idiot for knowing something, either you should distance yourself from that person. On the other hand, you may be coming off as an awkward know-it-all, and need to ease up a bit.
>>77771975
>If someone calls you an idiot for knowing something, either you should distance yourself from that person.
Or what?
Either do that, or what?
>You may be coming off as an awkward know-it-all, and need to ease up a bit
You probably didn't mean to, but you perfectly proved my point there. People are so utterly worried about being informed that they will try to counter knowledge with ridicule. Suddenly, it's the person who knows something who's "awkward" and a "know-it-all". Maybe they should just ease up and keep their stupid facts to themselves, we're here to have a good time not get all bummed out and reminded how dumb we are.
>>77771722
Nigga, the current generation is statistically the mostly highly educated we've seen in American history to date. Just because a dying medium like television is becoming stupider doesn't mean the people are as well. If you went outside and actually associated with people every now and again, you'd know that.
>>77766739
No, absolutely not. I can't even keep up with half the shit happening in Steven Universe and Adventure Time, If anything cartoons are trying to get over complicated.
>>77772074
How does that prove your point? You appear to be quite ignorant about the concept of subjectivity, acting the sheer amount of "knowledge" alone is important. Being relevant to the conversation does not necessarily equal being of importance.
Plus, from what I can gather here, you are placing the blame for your predicament on everyone else, as if they "just don't get you."
Very, very simplistic mindset
