Values Dissonance/Western Animation: Difference between revisions
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** The [[Disney]] [[Wartime Cartoon]] [[DVD]] collection has [[User Operation Prohibit Flag|unskippable, un-fast-forwardable]] intros by Leonard Maltin, with the same message before each of "times were different then but we know better now". Since the collection was released at the height of the early 2000s post-9/11 hysteria, it may be [[Harsher in Hindsight]].
** For years (when they were still showing [[Looney Tunes]]), Cartoon Network wouldn't show any Speedy Gonzales cartoons, fearing a backlash from Hispanic viewers over the airing of "negative Mexican stereotypes". The network later relented when they received petitions signed by thousands of Hispanic people who saw Speedy as a positive role model; an intelligent, athletic hero who always comes to the rescue of his fellow Mexican mice, always gets the best of the "gringo<ref>Spanish slang for "foreigner", mostly Americans</ref> cat" and always gets the girl. There were other stereotypical Mexican mice, mind -- but of all the Mexican stereotype cartoons, there were none more heroic than Speedy.
** The [[Pepe Le Pew]] cartoons -- all 17 of them (15, if you discount "Odor of the Day" <ref>which was really just your average screwball Looney Tunes cartoon</ref> and the cameo appearance at the end of "Dog Pounded") teach [[Viewers are Morons|impressionable, screwed-up kids]] that masculine persistence in the face of manifest resistance, even outright revulsion, on the part of the female target, is a virtue worthy of reward <ref>Translation: It pays to be a stalker-cum-rapist, especially if you're charming and French, and [[Dave Chappelle]] was right about what he said about watching the Pepe cartoons at an older age on ''Killing 'Em Softly''</ref>. Doesn't help that Pepe's cartoons generally make clear that it's his smell and his enthusiasm that makes him repellant to women -- and it '''''really''''' doesn't help that there are three Pepe shorts (1949's "For Scentimental Reasons" -- ''which won an Oscar'', 1952's "Little Beau Pepe," and 1959's "Really Scent") that show that [[No Guy Wants to Be Chased|he freaks when his female target goes after him]].
* Most [[Disney Princess|Disney Princesses]] have no specified age, but Aurora and Ariel were both explicitly said to be 16, and at least Ariel married [[Fourth Date Marriage|at the end of the movie]]. This would be legal in Europe, where most Disney Princesses live, [[wikipedia:Ages of consent in Europe|down to the present day]], but even though it's legal within 60% of the United States (depending on state), it's generally frowned upon.
** A straight example would be Snow White. In the original story she was ''seven'' when she was married, and in the Disney movie she can't be much older than 14.
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{{quote|'''Marge''': But gambling is illegal!
'''Homer''': [[Lampshade Hanging|Only in 48 states.]] }}
*** Many people in Britain do consider gambling a social ill or at best, a guilty pleasure. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1557170/Gordon-Brown-scraps-super-casinos.html\] [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23403917-brown-kills-off-blairs-supercasino-plans.do\]{{Dead link}}
**** The objections to "super-casinos" wasn't to gambling per-se, but to it being an American-Las Vegas style of gambling which is unfamiliar in the UK where it would be possible to lose massive amounts of money. Most UK people will gamble casually in Bingo-Halls (the Mecca Bingo chain being the most common), Horse Racing, Dog Racing, Card Games (in pubs), the list is extensive, but consider almost every-town and village in the UK will have its own bookmakers and/or an arcade with one arm bandit machines.
** Of course, Marge is, among other things, in part a parody of so-old-fashioned-they're-not-even-quaint-but-just-weird American values, which isn't as much of a value dissonance as a case of cultural difference causing missed jokes.
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** An in-universe example occured when Krusty tried in one episode to go back to stand-up, only to discover the audience found his routine dated and uncomfortable, especially the embarrassing Asian stereotype.
* As noted in the anime section, many Americans seem to read perverse subtext into non-sexual [[Panty Shot|Panty Shots]]. But this also is true for older western cartoons such as ''Little Lulu'' and ''Little Audrey'' (their entries in the [[Panty Shot]] article are referred to as "disturbing"). Let's look at context here, people: These are characters who originated in [[The Thirties|the 1930s]] and [[The Forties|1940s]] respectively, when pedophilia was't even talked about, and they were supposed to be just cute (but mischevious) little girls wearing dresses. And, well, when you're a kid and you wear a dress, sometimes your underwear shows. It was supposed to be ''realism'', people, not ''fanservice''. [[Fridge Logic|The fact that there are people out there reading sexual undertones into something meant to be totally innocent would mean... ]]
* How about the ever-lovable Disney? At least two examples from older films are pretty much banned from being shown in this day and age, one being ''[[Song of the South]]'', the other being a short segment from the original ''[[Fantasia]]''. Both for major issues with racism. ''Song of the South'' is pretty obvious in how it violates modern values, but in ''Fantasia'', it's the character Sunflower of the Pastoral Symphony. Looking at her, you can probably figure out [[
** At least four episodes of Disney's ''[[Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers]]'' had jokes that played off Chinese stereotypes. One of these that is particularly remembered poorly was a subpolt in the series' pilot which
* ''[[Daria]]'' has more than a few examples where the show's original target audience (loner/"outsider" teens) will likely agree with the Aesop but adults and other teens may find it rather ridiculous. The show often portrayed participating in extracurricular activities as inherently negative and the adults as fools for encouraging participation in them. While anti-social teens would overwhelmingly agree with that, most parents probably would see the adults as not all that unreasonable and some may even be offended by the portrayal of jocks and cheerleaders as always incredibly stupid. The show also took vicious jabs at school field trips to places like the mall or playing paintball--which most high schoolers would consider a far more fun time than at typical day at school.
** Another example is in "The New Kid" where Daria while working on the yearbook reluctantly manages to get the pages for sports and clubs pulled. The teacher in charge of the yearbook agrees to put them back in only after a harsh beating. While most wouldn't agree with this means of it, removing the pages is something that most people probably would find unreasonable and unfair to those who worked hard on such clubs and on the sports teams.
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