Tonight, for me anyway, the holiday season truly starts with ABC's broadcast of my favorite holiday show "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Better yet, this year marks the show's 40th anniversary (first shown in 1965!). Incredible.
NPR or WTOP, I can't remember which I was listening to this morning, noted the irony of celebrating the show with an anti-materialist holiday message with a marketing campaign replete with plush dolls and fast food chain marketing arrangements. Sad. It reminds me of an article that I read not too long ago about Disney's original princesses (Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and, my favorite, Snow White). The original moral of their stories was that you didn't have to look like a princess to catch a prince (Sleeping Beauty lived as a poor peasant girl Aurora, who Prince Philip fell in love with; Cinderella - well no need to explain that one; and Snow White was living as maid when Prince Charming finds her.) Nowadays, girls are more interested in the "princess" side of those stories, and the marketing tie-ins are concentrated on their pretty-pretty princess outfits and make-up and shoes rather than each of the princesses' humble lives. Typical of society's messages to kids today: materialism over substance!
Well, no more pontificating. I'll enjoy my Charlie Brown Christmas Special and hope that the message survives another 40 years.
P.S. I think that I found the article I was thinking of reprinted here.
2 comments:
have you ever seen those cartoon Calvins (of Calvin & Hobbes) peeing on something (whether it be a Ford emblem, Chevy emblem, etc.)? i was just thinking it'd be pretty funny to see a cartoon Calvin peeing on a cartoon Charlie Brown.
it's always gratifying to see even a depleted Eagles team get ground into dust.
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