Do comics influence behavior?
I've received two complaints in recent days about comics "inciting bad behavior in kids" -- Lio and Zits. I hear people out, but find it difficult to believe these comics unduly influence kids' actions.
A teacher called to say Sunday's Lio might incite violence against teachers and that the strip, in general, includes too much violence and bad behavior. Here's the strip:
I have at least a dozen close friends who are teachers. None has complained about the strip - this particular one, or others.
Does Beetle Bailey incite young soldiers to sloth or older soldiers to skirt chasing? Does Dennis the Menace incite kids to play practical jokes? Do adults read Dilbert and then go off on their boss?
I dunno, just seems people place way to much importance on the strips they don't like.
I've mentioned Zits. Here's today's strip, which prompted a complaint from someone who has had issues with the strip before -- it is leading to the downfall of American society:
posted by Dena Rosenberry @ 9:12 AM
7 Comments:
I'm with you, Deena. We sentimentalize our old time favs and lambast the newer stuff for the same behavior.
Tom & Jerry, Yosemite Sam, Roadrunner, Bugs Bunny, Pink Panther and most Hanna Barbera properties were violent or had repeated elements of violence -- and those were all from the MID-20th Century.
give me a break. Yep, I'm sure Lio is going to influence people to become mad scientists. Or maybe to hang out with zombies. Or even worse, give a gun to a cat!
Or maybe they'll just be influenced to work for a defense contractor.
Lio isn't going to influence folks, but it is a waste of comic space.
No way! Lio rules! There's enough room for good comics in the paper to run alongside stale legacy comics.
I second that ... there should be room for new fun great strips alongside the old antiquated repetitive ones.
Nobody likes old antiquated repetitive comics, but I'm with anon - Lio's just not funny.
And how about peanuts with everyone being mean to Carlie Brown. But then it is considered a classic so above that standard.
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