by Tom Funk

Created on: October 07, 2009

Adult cartoons, such as the Simpsons and shows run on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, do indeed undermine the cultural values in today's America, but not for reasons you might immediately think of. These shows are loaded with satire and are intended for a mature audience. While these shows blatantly thumb their noses at cultural values, religion, politics and family values, it is not the shows that are to blame for this but society as a whole for failing to be able to take a joke.

Before the Simpsons became a staple of prime time television, no one would have ever dreamed of some of the things that we see on TV today happening on TV back then. The Simpsons paved the way for much more edgy shows, like South Park and Family Guy, both of which have made it abundantly clear that they wish to push the envelope of 'good' taste. From a character pretending to be mentally handicap to win the Special Olympics to questioning the sexuality of a talking toddler, these two shows in particular have done more damage to the cultural beliefs in America than any other. They teach our kids to thumb their nose at authority and to talk back to parents. As a result of these shows being viewed, our children have become out of control and our society as a whole has stopped caring. At least, that's what many would like to believe.

The truth is the only ones to blame for any lapse in cultural beliefs is society itself. People allow themselves to be influenced by what they see and hear, as opposed to making an educated decision about things. People have become indolent, they do not put any effort into discovering who they are and what they believe in, instead turning to TV shows and movies and music to tell them what to think. And all of these mediums that have been meant for entertainment now suddenly become responsible for a generation of people who just do not care.

America is undergoing a shift in popular beliefs and views, mainly as a response to how things are portrayed on television and in movies. There are openly homosexual characters on many shows, something that would have never been dared decades ago. This is not an argument against that, it is merely an illustration of how beliefs in America are changing, some for the better. In a case such as toleration of personal sexual preferences, undermining a long-standing phobia of homosexuality is a good thing, it changes the way people view it. However, at the same time, these same shows can exploit stereotypes and reinforce negative 'values' that many have fought a long time to overcome. Religion, feminism, race, politics, they all come under fire constantly from many adult cartoon shows, making a mockery of public officials, well known activists and racial stereotypes.

At heart, these shows mean no harm. They are intended for an audience that knows satire, that understands comedy and realizes that hey, it's just a show. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, society lost its sense of humor and became dependant on the wrong forms of media for information. When the news became a running joke on Comedy Central, a whole generation gave up on the truth. And while our society continues its relentless campaign to coddle our youth and guard them from reality, adult cartoon shows are doing what they can to bring to light the dirty little secrets so many out there wish they could hide.

So yes, adult cartoons do undermine cultural values, but in today's America, that may not be such a bad thing. Times are changing, beliefs are changing, so if you don't like the show, change the channel. Protect yourself while you can, while those of us that get the joke enjoy it in peace.

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