Am i getting old...

[esquire.]

I think that my boyish immaturity has finally reached its limit, and I feel that I am starting to feel old.

I guess it started when I sat down one Saturday morning, and wanted to watch some cartoons like I did when I was younger. And, I didn't enjoy any of them. I don't know if they are actually worse than the favorities of my youth, or if this is one of those signs of getting old, when you start getting sentimental about things past and grumble about the present.

But, I remember the 80s when there was Thundercats, Transformers, Robotech, Ducktales and all those afternoon Disnery cartoons, and later, X-Men and Batman. But, I haven't found one that I liked of today's generation of cartoons. You'd think that it would be better today, with a network soley dedicated to cartoons and that cartoons could build on what its predecessors had done. You'd think that today's kids could see the best of what we had, and also newer cartoons as well. But, the Justice League is missing something which Batman had. And, even the comic strips in the paper seemed better before when you had Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom Country and Peanuts.

When did you realize that you were no longer that target demographic, that the popular culture had passed you by. I miss those days when all I had to worry about was getting from school in time to watch some cartoons.

 

[quill]

esquire, I gather from the cartoons you cite that I'm probably a good ten years or more older than you. I fully empathize with you in longing for simpler days. Bittersweet is one of the best words ever coined to describe such memories. But, as a professional copywriter, I'd like to suggest that you not make yourself feel out of the loop from being a "target demographic" of popular culture. The very phrase "popular culture" makes it seem that if you're not in that group, then you're somehow "unpopular." Far from it. I've done catalog and direct mail work that has targeted every age group. The dynamics are different, to be sure, but let me assure you, everybody is a target. In fact, the baby boomers (those born after WWII and now approaching their mid 50s) are by far the most popular target group with most companies, because they have the most disposable income. It is a HUGE segment of the population, with the most spending clout. The media would have you believe that if you're not 15-20 years of age, you're out of it. Ha. They can't even compare to other groups in return on advertising investment (though it is a rapidly growing sector). It's a known fact in ad/communications/marketing circles that everyone sees themselves as ten years younger than they really are, so the slant is always skewed a little younger. But I hope you can take pride in the maturity you wield, the lessons you've learned, and the potential you have that most young'ns simply haven't developed yet. I also agree with you, however, about the cartoons. "Bytes" describes for me the quick flash of violent, harsh, and impromptu junk that pervades most cartoons. No depth, no thought, no patience. If you're not moving at mach speed these days, you're expendible. Yet what we're finally starting to realize in society is that if you ARE moving at mach speed, your half-life in terms of quality and longstanding value is very short. There's a cool poem about a young guy who's walking down a street, trying to pass an old geezer in front of him who keeps getting in his way. He finally manages to pass him, and as he does, he decides to give the guy a dirty look. In shock, he sees that the face on the old man is his. Sounds stupid and trite, but it's true: you don't get older, you get better. Wow. Soon I'll be spouting philosophical theories of Spinoza and Hobbes (the real one, not the comic). Man I must be old. Er...sorry...what was the question?

 

[faustian bargain]

the cartoon network owns another channel called 'boomerang'. watch that one. all the oldies are on it. even (gasp) predating your list.

the only 'current' cartoons i watch these days are on adult swim on cartoon network. 'home movies' is a really funny show, one of the best i think.

and i don't care what anyone says, i think Aqua Teen Hunger Force is brilliant.

/andrew - loves me some cartoons

 

[shoreman1782]

esq., I dunno how old you are, but you must be around my age (24 yesterday. ). I sympathize with your wistfulness for your (our) youth. On a specific note, I agree that today's cartoons (and ads, have you seen the ads??) are often really bad, and I agree with Quill that everything is so choppy it's nearly incomprehensible to a linear, critical mind. There's a few exceptions, Cartoon network has some nifty original kids' programming. Still, have you gone back and looked at the stuff you loved as a kid? Everything I found entertaining now seems prety stupid, and not just in a "I'm not a kid anymore" way. I mean, Mister Rogers/Sesame Street look dated, but thoughtful and well-planned. All the poorly dubbed cartoons from the 80s though, how could we have watched that junk? Sidebar, I have a lot of friends who are addicted to Saved By the Bell reruns/dvds. I watched that damn show all the time, on Saturdays and reruns on the Superstation, and though I was a faithful apostle of Albert Clifford Slater and crew, I can't BELIEVE how bad that show was. It's sublimely predictable, obeys NO unity of time/place/narration nothing. Incredible. Fun to watch now, but only ironically. For a defense of liking it, see Chuck Klosterman's excellent cultural commentary, "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs." BTW Quill, get me a job. Â

 

[Brian SD]

I still watch cartoons:

Futurama, South Park, Family Guy, Home Movies

 

[imageWIS]

I can't believe you people forgot to mention the Simpson's. Anyways, Thundercats were the shiznit (I was 6 when I used to watch them).

Jon.

 

[Kai]

I bought some of my old favorite cartoons on DVD (for my kids to watch) : )

My favorites:

Kimba
Speed Racer
Thunderbirds
Macross/Robotech

Beats the heck out of the (mostly) brainless crap on Saturday morning.

 

[Shirtmaven]

I watch Adult swim with my 13 year old son. I love Harvey birdman attorney at law. He is a very sharp dresser.

Sealab 2021 is so twisted. I love it. Even bought me the t-shirt.

The original rugrats cartoons were brilliant. so many jokes went over the heads of the little ones. I loved hearing old devo tunes in the backround.

 

[faustian bargain]

harvey birdman has some good moments. one of the t-shirts for that show is really funny: "prepare to feel the power...OF ATTORNEY.." or something like that. great gift for the lawyer in the family.

---

OOH, almost forgot, one of the best new cartoons out there - samurai jack. if you haven't seen it, do. the artwork is superb. it's actually not running currently on cartoon network, but i assume the next season should be coming up.

/andrew - number one in tha 'hood, G.

 

[Brian SD]

I watch Adult swim with my 13 year old son. I love Harvey birdman attorney at law. He is a very sharp dresser.

Sealab 2021 is so twisted. I love it. Even bought me the t-shirt.

The original rugrats cartoons were brilliant. so many jokes went over the heads of the little ones. I loved hearing old devo tunes in the backround.

So true. I saw one of the really old episodes of the Rugrats and I thought it was hilarious, but the newer ones were not funny at ALL.

 

[esquire.]

Oh, I agree that there are some things that you thought was the best when you were little but as you watch them today, you realize they were nothing more than crap. Today, I cannot watch Scooby Doo. I think its cause you have no sense of context; everything is new to you, so you don't realize how cliche it is. If I had read Harry Potter when I was young, I probably would have thought it was the best book ever. But, when I read it, I had just finished reading some excellent books, so it couldn't really compare to those.

But, some of those old cartoons still hold up. I remember as a freshman in college, everybody in my suite gathered around to watch somebody's collection of transformers and thundercats. Surprisingly, we still appreciated them.

I'll have to try to find Macross on DVD. I just wish TV series weren't so expensive. The 99 cents store is selling DVDs for a dollar. They include the old superman cartoons from the 40s. They're really good. And, you can get 8 cartoons on 1 DVD. They also have cartoons of Might Mouse, Felix the Cat, Casper, etc..

I didn't include Simpsons, because its so old, that its start goes back to my adolescense.

There's going to be a new Batman cartoon series this fall. It'll be when he's just starting out. Sounds interesting, but all the later spinoffs like Batman Beyond really disappointed me.

Ah yes, Saved by the Bell. I remember when it would be on every hour, on some station. I don't think I've ever seen any TV series that captures the true spirit of what it's like to be a teenager.