Anti-intellectual Television

Thinking back of my childhood, I remember watching TV. Some of my favorite shows included the Animaniacs and the Pinky and the Brain. Thinking about it, I realize that many things were a lot funnier than what I took them to be. Sure, I thought it was humorous back then, but even now I think it's humorous.

For example, I remember a part where you see Noah playing with a paddle ball, and he's talking to god. Those of you who have read this the entire time (if you exist), may remember,

"What about spiders?"
"ESPECIALLY SPIDERS."

Now, I can remember bits and pieces of that episode. One of which that I remember was Noah saying

"So I pretty much have to go 40 days and 40 nights in the cold, rain, this area is supposed to flood, and then I can get into heaven. Though I heard the food isn't very good up there."
*Noah gets zapped for saying that*

Now just thinking about that, made me realize the hilarity of that comment. The fact is that that statement is utterly hilarious. Of course the food isn't going to be very good in heaven, glutton is a sin. Now extending that thought, you realize that heaven can't be that good, because the things that we enjoy about life itself is a sin. Money. Power. Sex. Food. Gloating. Since you're in heaven, you're not allowed to do any of this. They're all sin.

Pinky and the Brain had a similar thing. I remember one where the person rings a bell, and both Pinky and the Brain does some sort of acrobatic trick. Keywords: Bell.

Bell = Pavlo.

You know, that experiment with the Pavlo ringing the bell and the dog coming to it?

So what does this have to do with anything? Read the title: Anti-intellectual Television.

Now a days, television no longer reflects the value of being well read. The boob tube has been taken over by reality TV, which has no hidden knowledge under it. It asks no philosophical questions, it does not relate to sociology, to science, not even to history. How the hell does American Idol relate to any of this? It doesn't. What it does serve is entertainment for the idiots of America.

So now I go back to the words that you should have remembered in the beginning of this essay:
back to my childhood. I turn on TV, and now I see spongebob. I saw spongebob two years ago, I didn't get anything. I see spongebob now, I still don't get anything. Why? There's nothing to understand. Like I stated before, there isn't any underlying intelligence behind whats on TV now. For the lack of better terms, its about two buffoons going around with their life. Kids find it funny, but to an adult, there is nothing fun to watch about it. It's just about this sponge character making a fool out of himself.

At least with the Animaniacs, it critisized everything about society. Even shrinks!

Such TV is now a forgotten cause. Renments of it still live on, such as the Simpsons, and Futurama. Why, a few days ago, I saw an episode of the Simpsons making fun of the movie, "The good, the bad, and the evil." Shows that require intelligence are dying. I mean, they even cancelled Futurama, which also did a good job making fun of society.

They say Shakesphere is a good interpretation of life back then.
Now, the Simpsons is the good interpretation.

But with this anti-intellectual society that's going on, such shows are dying out.

Of course, there are modern shows that still reflect intelligence, such as Battlestar Galactica.
A. It talks about greek mythology
B. It talks about the relation between polytheism and monotheism
C. Discrimination.

Such things are applicable to todays society. Spongebob? No.

This is why I switched to watching Japanese TV. Their cartoons have underlying messages behind them, and by watching it, sometimes I do feel like the idiot. For instance, Ergo Proxy deals a lot with mythology. The doctor is named freaking Daedalus (shame on you if you don't know who that is), but at the same time, I do not understand the symbolism behind the talking statues, Real, or the two demolished cities. Had I understood it, my appreciation for the show would dramatically increase.

Mythology not your taste?
Kino's travels often asks sociological questions. One of the most memorable questions talks about religion. One holy book was written for one city. But the combination of it spreading, and people talking about it, gradually led to the utter anihilation of a city. Sound familiar? Shoot yourself if it doesn't.