in praise of subversive children's television

[sophiaserpentia]

So, I used to laugh at preachers who made outrageous claims that the makers of children's television are putting in messages in support of the "gay agenda."

Okay, I still laugh at them, actually. But now I'm beginning to wonder if they're not onto something -- or rather, I wonder if the memetic-replication subroutines which have co-opted their brains haven't detected a threat to their well-being.

If you want your meme to really take, you have to get it in there early and often. It also helps if you can keep out the kind of instruction that allows people to see through shallow memetic viruses (such as the kind which depend on artificial deficiency for its survival).

The stakes are pretty high. It's not just a matter of buying into American Protestant Christianity; the domestication and control memeplex I have taken to calling (following the example of Philip K. Dick) the Empire, depends on a population made up of people whose brains have been conditioned for a life of sheep-hood.

Therefore one of the most subversive teachings I can imagine is the central premise of Thelema -- "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law." It is therefore, to say the least, not insignificant when this is quoted on a childrens' television show.

Which I saw last night on "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy."

Comments

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

I do hear what Aaron is listening to on a subconscious level and sometimes things jump out at me. One theme I see over and over in kid's TV is a anti-authoritarianism. The adults are by turns: stupid, clueless, mean, completely unable to listen to the kids, or obsessed with their jobs or keeping the house spotless. Often at the end of shows like "Fairly odd parents" they end up apologizing to Timmy(?) for having made the stupid mistake they made this episode.

And on "Artificial deficiency"...

[azaz-al.livejournal.com]

http://www.sumeria.net/earth/popecology.html

A bit of a different tangent from what you were talking about but still relevant, I think.

[elnigma.livejournal.com]

One thing I thought of when Dr. Dobson (advocate of "Tough Shit, Kid, We Don't Care, Love" where parents are encouraged to lock kids out if they come home past curfew) went on an anti-Spongebob spree was the fact the really stupid video used "We are Family" as the background song. That song WAS used in the movie "The Birdcage". Maybe that movie is all Dobson thinks about when he hears that song, and it just may be possible that's what thought was in the mind of those producing that video.. if that's behind the "outrage", no one is saying that up front.

I don't think "Billy and Mandy" are subconscious.. they also aren't really very small kid suitable, sorta like "Invader Zim" which is great, but maybe not for the younger ones. But yeah, when Mandy says that.. it definately caught my attention awhile back. Is there are little .mov been made of that?

[sable-twilight.livejournal.com]

The character Mandy just rocks.

[cowgrrl.livejournal.com]

It's always nice when something sneaks past the censors. I was always amazed at what they got away with on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

Which reminds me, Denice remembered to tape that kids show that got censored because it had (gasp!)lesbians on it. It's a PBS show, made in Boston (of course) and WGBH aired it (of course) but most other PBS stations caved in to the bad guys. I'm going to borrow the tape from her.

[sammhain.livejournal.com]

I've seen that episode actually, I still tell everyone about it, incidenttally there is a pretty huge discordian influence in certain of the episodes as well. Certain disney channel shows and made for tv movies also contain those things which always amuses me. I've heard references to the church of the subgenius, seen what I swear was the unicursal hexagram, as well as a variety of plots where people turn to the occult to better their lives and come to termms with emotional blocks.

It's true what Madeline L'Engle said, when you want to write about things adults can't handle the best thing to do is write it for children.