Blogpost 9: Kim Possible: Sexism

Action roles are usually portrayed for men. It is rare for women to get the roles reversed, and in all action flicks that made history or was ever remembered, the men has it in their plate. As a guy, who likes superhero movies and action films having encountered, Kim Possible astonished me.

The show was run of the mill where the girl beats the guy and saves the world from threats only she can stop but as the show progressed, it revealed undersides which shows that the story always favored Kim. Being a children’s show, there is the point that of course, the good guy or in this case, the good girl should always win. But in this context no one else seems to be in the know but Kim. It is bias that even though Kim always had her best friend Ron with her on her mission; Kim was and is always the hero. There was never a circumstance where Ron would swoop in and save her instead, the characters’ roles are upturned.

It didn't affect me in the way that it’s about a high school girl who was a cheerleader and student by day and an agent by night, it came as a shock that instead of having a guy sweeping in and saving the day, they gave a heroine in place didn’t affect me in the way that it’s about a high school girl who was a cheerleader and student by day and an agent by night, it came as a shock that instead of having a guy sweeping in and saving the day, they gave a heroine in place. 

Though ideal, Kim Possible is quite impossible. It gives of idea of sexism. It was not a matter of the roles reversed but how the roles were portrayed, it gives off this inkling that men in the series were weak and can always be beaten and helped by Kim. I find it uncanny that a 16 year old girl agent would be any good to have a role of that of a man and would be someone who can save the world in a minute by herself which puts the image of men through a prejudice that in this particular show, women are better.

According to the article What is Sexism? by Lea Verou, sexism is not just a female issue. Prescriptive gender stereotypes are even more oppressive for men. Kim Possible degrades the male by making their image oppressed, in which case the article explains that women who act masculine would seem superior and expandable. She also explained that by way of nature girls are told they are to act pretty and boys to be smart and brave which the show disregards as all male characters are inferior to the heroine.

Noah Berlatsky also explains in his piece When Men Experience Sexism, when men suffer from sexism, they do so in much the same way women do, rather men suffer because of the same gender role stereotypes that hurt and restrict women. In the series, Kim was always insulted by the villain in which sense; she always wins which emasculates the image of the men. Also in the story, Ron, her best friend, who’s portrayed as clumsy and a weakling always gets to be the let-down of the story line where Kim always has to be there to save him, the lord in distress. 

That being said, the representation of Kim Possible in the TV show, when view in a deeper sense, is actually degrading for men. Not only does it exudes feminist ideologies, but it portrays and conducts particular points in it's show that makes Sexism obvious. Issues of where sexism is present is a serious matter where by history has been taught as a way of life, the ladies have to feed the children and the men have to earn the money but prejudice can be avoided through equality of roles.

Blogpost 8: The Powerpuff Girls: Patriarchal Contradiction

When I was a kid, I stumbled across this unfamiliar TV show called "The Powerpuff Girls". Out of innocence and led by my curiosity, I started watching this show, and even to an extent of making it as my after-school habit on a precise daily basis. Later on, I find it weird since I was a boy and I was watching a supposedly "girly" cartoon show. Compared to my old time favorites, this show gave me a lot of apprehension towards the vague, yet distinct way of portraying a unfamiliar scenario, wherein Prof. Utonium's attempt to create perfect little girls accidentally includes "Chemical X", resulting in take-charge red-head Blossom, blonde sweety-pie Bubbles and ready-to-fight brunette Buttercup. Three flying, super-strong, karate-chopping girls with the occasional heat vision race into action to save the city of Townsville from all sorts of crimes and creatures. What can be weird or special about this TV show? If you look closer, you'll find out what it's all about and to other people's comprehension about this show, it expresses a certain idea underneath it's girl portrayals.

As I've closely contemplate upon the show, I noticed that it manifests a certain gender message- that women are better than men. The fact that a bunch of little girls possessing great amount of superpowers is uncommon. Usually, it's men who take up this kind of role, being a superhero and saving the day. But in this particular TV show, it pushes the idea of "girl power" and goes beyond rational expectations. The fact that they are just young (not even adolescent) girls already possessing that much power, being able to take over a bunch of crazy dudes and mad villains and giant creatures, is already exaggerating. It is as if the show puts so much stress on this "girl power".

Women are better than men. At least, that's what I've observed in the whole entire show. All of the other male characters, like Townsville's mayor who is a man, presented short in stature and totally inept, almost as tall as the three Powerpuff girls. This representation is totally sexist and feminist by nature. I mean, the creator can just present a mayor as a normal looking guy, but instead, the creator presented it as if they're just equal, or even inferior among the Powerpuff girls. 

Not to mention the mayor presented as somehow stubborn in handling Townsville as if he can't handle his own shit. Whenever a villain or a giant creature attacks townsville, there is no police action whatsoever presented in the show, which clearly represents that the mayor is weak with his authority, that he has to always call out the Powerpuff girls to do the necessary actions for him and for Townsville- Propagating that these girls are better than the mayor, thus, women being better than men Politically.

Every villain in Townsville is a variety of male cast that are somewhat deranged by nature. The only relevant yet contradicting nature in the show, that also depicts so much feminism, is the supposedly "biological" brother of the Powerpuff girls, created also by Prof. Utonium, who is Mojo-Jojo- an ape with a big head of brain. By his big brain, Mojo-Jojo is a manifestation of a successful man. Yet somehow, the girls always defeat him in so many levels and him always taking the beating. A common conceived idea of Feminism.

An article about Feminism entitled How Feminism Hurt Men, by Micah Murray, states that feminism elevates women at the expense of men, that its agenda to validate women emasculates us guys. For men, the rise of feminism has relegated us to second-class status. Inequality and discrimination have become part of our everyday lives. That being said, it's true how Feminism directly attacks the Patriarchal stands of men in general.

Patriarchy. A form of social organization in which the father is the supreme authority in the family, clan, or tribe and descent is reckoned in the male line, with the children belonging to the father's clan. It seems that this show does so much to prove that woman are indeed better than men.This social organization is present, as is observed. The retaliation of women, or at least the TV show's creator has been out of hand

and is way too out of context to actually present it to younger audiences. As they gain the notion of women being better than men. Presented by the existing physical combats between the Powerpuff girls against an all male set of villains, eventually these girls becoming the victors, is highly manipulative in the young minds of the children, and degrading in young male children's gender perspectives as well.

Men and Women are equal. Created equally, as the bible suggests. But there are just certain points in life wherein male are considered better, particular fields in this world where men can do better than most female. Of course, women can also outshine men over several fields in life. But in reality, men are biologically programmed to be stronger than female. That's is why the essence of Patriarchy is present. But by giving so much stress to the issue of women out-competing men, presenting it in blunt details are just rude and degrading. The Powerpuff Girls will always be for entertaining purposes, whatever it's audience may be. But in a deeper comprehension, it's viewed as unethically improper as it expressing so much post-modern paradox, that women are becoming more powerful than men, which is just totally argumentative.

Blogpost 7: Codename: Kids Next Door - Attack Mechanism

Codename: Kids Next Door follows the escapades of five eager, yet unskillful, ten-year-olds as they join forces in fighting against adults  to fight for the right to enjoy all the fun things in life, like the right to stay up late or to eat whatever they want. These adults seem to be a hindrance to their juvenile phase of life as these adults prevent them from having fun and all. But when taking a stand seems not enough, they proposed a top secret mission, recruiting other kinds in the their block to join forces with them, in fighting for their rights and defeating the evil adults who seem to be a great factor in their lives, the lives of the youth. For me, this show expresses the rebellion and retaliation of kids towards the antagonistic ways of adults. The stressing of this kind of attitude towards rebellion, and as presented before young audience, is somewhat inappropriate as it enhances the likelihood of children to rebel more against their folks. But what can be a rational view to this attitude? How can this show be seen in a psychological view?

Obviously, the remarkable tactics and strategies proposed by these children are impressive. To think that with their young minds, they can embark on such missions against adults. These principled kids tackle the really important issues facing their peers.  Like any good team, the agents in Codename: Kids Next Door each have their own distinct identities, skills and personalities. Numbuh One is Nigel Uno, the British-accented leader of the group. Hoagie P. Gilliam, a mechanical genius and expert pilot, is known as Numbuh Two. Diversionary tactics are the specialty of Kiki Sanban, also known as Numbuh Three. Brash and impulsive Numbuh Four (Wallabee Beatles) is a master of hand to hand combat. And Numbuh Five, alias Abigail "Abby" Lincoln, is the quiet one with the most common sense.

In a psychological view, this type of rebellion came from a certain depression or anxiety the draws these kids to act out and fight for themselves. For them to cope up with their depression, they develop a certain kind of coping mechanism that is particularly called Attack Mechanism. According to the website Changingminds on the article about Attack Mechanisms, it suggests that this mechanism pulls out your own anxious ways to push discomfort onto others. We cope with difficulties in various ways. Some are more positive than others. Perhaps the worst kind is where we may attack others. Arguably, all attacks on others are forms of coping with our own internal troubles.

Particularly, the certain attack mechanism this show presents is the Fight-or-Flight Reaction. It is when we perceive a significant threat to us, then our bodies get ready either for a fight to the death or a desperate flight from certain defeat by a clearly superior adversary.

On the show's case, the children finds a great discomfort and anxiety from the adults that they tend to retaliate as their way of coping up for heir depression. When they are retaliating, they are not thinking straight and can be manipulated. They are provoked to have this kind of reaction as the adults suppress their ways and limit their wants or even act as a hindrance to these children's ability to enjoy life. They also may become aggressive and unpredictable, that's why they tend to think of ways on getting back on them.

In the articles about Teenagers: Why do they Rebel?, written by Brunilda Nazario, M.D., he says that, "All teens go through similar phases -- the need for independence, a separate identity, testing authority. It's part of growing up; it's also linked to developmental changes in the brain that will eventually help them become analytical adults." It's true. we all need this at some point in our lives, and it's rather healthy at some parts, but to certain extent, it is harmful, as it may cause aggression and later be a part of the person's personality in life.

Rebellion is just a perfectly normal mindset incorporated in our early childhood. It's a normal process children and teenagers undergo. Remember when you were a child, your mother used to tell you stories about how you do your tantrums? It's a normal phase in life and we are bound to be rebellious about things. Yet it is a myth that all teenagers are big risk-takers. To some extent, rebellion can be somewhat be dangerous to our psychological health. Codename: Kids Next Door is a show that provides a cleat view of rebellion against adults because of failure of acquire their wants. It's evident that this is just a natural and psychological coping mechanism in life. And yet it is the most dangerous type of coping mechanism. I say, rebellion can be healthy, but as long as you don't harm anyone, you are expressing yourself. But if you cause damage to people's lives, you are breaking yourself.

Blogpost 6: Johnny Bravo: Denial

"Ohhhhh, Mama!". You probably know this tagline. It came from the famous Johnny Bravo. We all know that Johnny Bravo is the muscular main protagonist of the series. Johnny can also be interpreted as a male representation of the "dumb blonde" The character is memorable for his incredibly fast movements, usually done when he starts impressing women, accompanied by a swishing sound that goes "Hee, Haa, Huu". Fun fact about this show is that Johnny Bravo is based on Elvis Presley, the famous pop, blues, and rock and roll musician. I used to love this show when I was a kid. I find his misadventures funny, especially because he gets dumped by women almost every time. But if we look closer and dig deeper on Johnny's personality, he's more of an egomaniac person. He sees himself as someone who is generally attractive and deluded about his own manliness. However, in the eyes of women, and because of his shallow and dim-witted traits, it leads to a severely incorrigible inability to attract women. But there is a deeper psychology to this kind of personality that Johnny Bravo possesses.

Johnny, as we all know, and as the TV show presents him, he's troubled with attracting women, although she loves women so much, he just can't seem to pull off a good conversation with any. He claims to love his friend, Carl Chryniszzswics. Chris is Johnny's alter ego. He is a local nerd who gets all the women, that's why he's a little bit of an annoyance to Johnny, but for others he's just an average Joe. Carl has a big part in the show, it usually ends up with him being chased out of town by Johnny, or he is the technical victor of the episode, getting all the women while Johnny's left dumped and alone.

An accurate psychology to Johnny's personality can be classified as some sort of ego-defense mechanism, particularly Denial. According to the article about 15 Common Defense Mechanisms by John M. Grohol Psy.D on the website PsychCentral, Denial is the refusal to accept reality or fact, acting as if a painful event, thought or feeling did not exist. Meaning, Johnny cannot really accept the fact that he's just not that good at women, but he tries so hard and forces himself to be so, that he falls off the curve of awkwardness and eventually gets dumped because of his ill-advised actions toward women. Denying can be determined as someone who is arguing against an anxiety provoking stimuli by stating it doesn't exist. It is considered one of the most primitive of the defense mechanisms because it is characteristic of early childhood development.

Many people use denial in their everyday lives to avoid dealing with painful feelings or areas of their life they don’t wish to admit. For instance, Johnny is considerably not good with attracting women and seduction. But he keeps on trying his ass off everyday, even when he fails consistently. When a woman or his friends label him as someone who is bad at picking up women, he tends to show of his outrageous hairstyle, his macho body, and his defined skills for modelling. This is a perfect depiction of Denial. Denying the reality that he's bad at something, and often pointing to how well they function in other fields.

On this article about What is Denial? written by Kendra Cherry on the website About Psychology, as she quotes, "Denial functions to protect the ego from things that the individual cannot cope with. While this may save us from anxiety or pain, denial also requires a substantial investment of energy. Because of this, other defenses are also used to keep these unacceptable feelings from consciousness." This means that the main purpose for denial is to keep the person intact with their psychological health and not fall off and go crazy.

We are complex animals living complex lives in which we are not always able to cope with the difficulties that we face. Facing your own problems is good. But to some extent, a man can only take so much information and emotion. That's where these ego-defense mechanisms take place. Denial is an outright refusal to admit or recognize that something has occurred or is currently occurring. But it doesn't necessarily mean that this is always a bad thing. It has some good effects for us, especially when they deal with minor to major stress and trauma. These coping mechanism are ways to help us confront and get by our problems and issues in life, therefore a help for us human beings.

Blogpost 5: Dexter's Laboratory: Compensation

Dexter's Laboratory is about a boy-genius who happens to have a secret laboratory in his room that his parents don't now about.  The show follows Dexter's adventures, in and out of the lab, as he copes with with his crazy parents and his Dee-Dee who sees his laboratory as a playground and always festers him throughout his work. When i was a child, this is one of my favorite shows. I was always impressed by his intelligence and the way he invents kick-ass gadgets and even thought his dog to speak in English. But today, i often wonder what Dexter is really going through with his life. If this was reality, can this be possible? To have this much I.Q. and create his own laboratory in his own room, that he can launch rockets off their own house without anyone knowing it? Is there a rational explanation to this show? What can be a psychology behind Dexter's persona?

To apply this scene in reality, let's say the laboratory really exists. What can be the possible factor why Dexter desire so much accomplishment in his life through his laboratory? One thing I can think of is his constant coping with his family, particularly his sister Dee-Dee, who constantly bugs him everyday in his works. He starts to do experiments but he can't finish it because of Dee Dee's wreckless stupidy. As much an exploration of the psychology of siblinghood as of what it's like to be different as a child, the show emphasizes the importance of intelligence and logic through Dexter's encounters with the outside world and the impact of his older sister, Dee Dee, on his life.

This can be some sort of Defense Mechanism. According to the first article that I read about Defense Mechanism written by Kendra Cherry on the website About Psychology, Defense Mechanism is a tactic developed by the ego to protect against anxiety. These are thought to safeguard the mind against feelings and thoughts that are too difficult for the conscious mind to cope with. It's some sort of composed imagination or deviation against reality that attacks your and distort reality. Most people who undergo this process are often anxious.

Dexter may be undergoing anxiety, that's why he's engaged with a certain defense mechanism to protect or satisfy his psychological needs. Probable causes would be his sister. It's because Dee Dee is always ahead or always excels and gets everything she mostly wants, that's why Dexter gets envious with that, and creates anxiety over his competition with her. Through his anxiety, he develops this kind of ego-defense mechanism that can be classified as Compensation. According to the article 15 Common Defense Mechanisms written by Ohn M. Grohol PSY.D, Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other arenas. By emphasizing and focusing on one’s strengths, a person is recognizing they cannot be strong at all things and in all areas in their lives. It's like telling ''I may not know how to cook but i love to eat''

For Dexter's case, his defense mechanism is creating a laboratory of his own, excelling in his science works. Compensating for his inability to cope up with the outside world, and keeping up with her sister's annoying and festering attitude, plus when Dee Dee gets all the credit almost all the time. It's like as if he created a whole new world for himself to satisfy his incompetence to reality.

Dexter's Laboratory is a show that opens our eyes to the world of nerds and people who have high IQ levels, and are not so sociable and athletic like most people in this world. They have a different world compared to most people. While compensation is often portrayed in a negative light, it can have positive effects. However, compensation can also prevent people from trying new things or attempting to address shortcomings. Compensating for certain inabilities or inferiority is not a bad thing. It has it's pros and cons. This is a certain phase most anxious and depressed people undergo. 

Blogpost 4: The Fairly Oddparents: Depression

You probably know Timmy Turner, the main cast in the cartoon show The Fairly Oddparents. Timmy is a 10-year-old boy who wishes for a perfect life. Unfortunately, he has parents who work full time and often neglect him in favor of their own desires, and while they are out, he has an evil babysitter, Icky-with-a-V, who revels in tormenting him. By his side are his constant companions, his fairy godparents Cosmo (the idiot) and Wanda (the perfect straight-woman). I think this kind of setting, and the kind of life Timmy Turner has is most common to some children nowadays. Usually, this anxiety kicks in when you're still young and defenseless. That's the reason why many children commit suicide, or become aggressive to other people to the point where they actually kill people. Now, what is really going on in the Turner's residence? How can this affect the children's point-of-view towards parenting? Is this show healthy for the minds of the innocent? Because we can obviously see that there is a dreadful scene at the back of every episode.

As a young lad, I am intrigued on how Timmy Turner's parents came to be. It seemed that they don't even care at all about him, and just entrust their child to a babysitter, who turns out to be an arrogant, irresponsible teenager. According to the very first article that I read about the Fairly Odd Parents Theories written by an anonymous author for the website CreepyPasta, his theory suggest that Timmy Turner happens to be hallucinating about these so called "Godparents". Within the television show, the number one rule about Fairy God Parents is that their secret should not be revealed about them "existing," which is referring that, if Timmy says he has these Fairy God Parents, his parents may try to seek therapeutic help to cure him of his imaginary friends and hallucinations.

Several series prove his episodes of hallucinations. Few series showed that there is even a special "fairy gadget" that clears your mind. This setting symbolizes the therapeutic treatments and clearing the mind of these hallucinations. Countless times in the series, his parents would scold him because it seems like he's talking to someone invisible. Sometimes, Timmy enters such deep hallucinations that he can actually visit this so-called "Fairy World" and imagine other fairies interacting with each other. More drastic part of his hallucination is when he actually hallucinate that these Fairies are wishing him up something to improve his lifestyle.

Since his parents are never really around, he was never caught with his "fairies". I think Timmy Turner came to be this kind of child because he is Depressed. That's why he developed this kind of depression because of the many sad events in his life.

His Parents, who's apparently not named in the show, express the great irrelevance of them to Timmy's life, or vice versa. They were never there for Timmy and they just abandon him almost everyday because of them working.

Vicky, the arrogant, selfless teenager who came to be Timmy's babysitter, is a very violent person. Her approach in scolding Timmy is very abusive and is inappropriate for general audience. I mean, when Vicky show her violence to Timmy, it somehow retains to the mind of the children, and it's not at all appropriate to be abusive if you're a babysitter. This scene might bring up fear among children towards their babysitter.

Mr. Crocker, Crocker is really a child rapist (Pedophile). He decides to pose as a teacher, despite clearly showing no knowledge of teaching, considering all he gives is F's to kids. He even has a secret hideout underneath his classroom, nicknamed the "Crocker Cave," where he reviews hidden camera footage of Timmy Turner. Crocker portrays a certain obsession to Timmy Turner, it's because he also have this obsession among fairies, and he probably already knows about Timmy having fairy friends, that why he kept on clinging to Timmy in every step of his way.

Cosmo and Wanda, on the other hand, is the product of his isolation and depression. He came to create this entities to provide for himself something to cling to and asked for help in time of his depression. They tell Timmy he can wish for whatever he wants. He firsts wishes for friends, then producing AJ and Chester. He then wishes to figure out why his parents hate him so much. Wanda doesn't want to grant the wish, but Cosmo screams "Done!" and then there is a major poof. There's a memory of how his parents wanted a girl, buying everything in pink and dresses. Disappointed with a boy and too cheap to buy boy things, the parents force Timmy to wear the dresses and the pink hat that he still wears. His parents think he's not straight, which leads to why he is constantly being beaten up, because they worry Timmy won't give them a grandchild. I think this is the most depressing and darkest scene in the show. It is as if Timmy carries all the burden in his world, that without him, or if ever he was born a girl, things will be at place and none of the complications will occur.

I personally pity Timmy Turner. His life is such a mess, not because of his own fault, but mainly by his parents' and everyone around him trying to drag him down. This is a common scenario for most of the teens nowadays experiencing depression. According to the article about Teen Depression: A Guide For Parents written by Melinda Smith, M.A., Suzanne Barston, and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., as they quote, "Occasional bad moods or acting out is to be expected, but depression is something different. Depression can destroy the very essence of a teenager’s personality, causing an overwhelming sense of sadness, despair, or anger." I think parents should always tend to their children and never let them be exposed with too much violence and oppression. We all know that children are too vulnerable in every possible way, that's why they need the compassion of a parent. On the case of Timmy Turner, he has none whatsoever. That makes his life the saddest, and made him that depressed to the point that he learned to improvise his own defense mechanism against society - which is the 'fairy godparents", Cosmo and Wanda.

Blogpost 3: Hey Arnold: Escapism

Almost every '90s kid know this show call ''Hey Arnold'' It's about a small boy with an odd shaped head, particularly shaped like a football. Personally, when i was young, I never really liked this show. It appeared sketchy to me, as if it was some kind of depressing show and kind of creepy, specially the characters' appearance. I guess that's the very first thing you will notice about the show, that the characters possess weirdly shaped heads. Basically, the show is about the everyday life of Arnold in a nameless city that resembles Brooklyn, the ghetto. Pretty light, eh? But did you know that there is deeper story behind the creation of this show that I'm sure most of you don't know yet. This particular setting, a boy in the ghetto, with his depressing background and way of life, how does it really feel to be Arnold? What are some psychological damages occurred in Arnold's life that made him who he is?

The first article I read was about the backstory of the show, on where it all began. Hey Arnold Theory written in the website CreepyPasta. As the story tells us, Arnold's just a poor orphan living in with his grandparents Gertie and Phil. Well, he believes he's an orphan but he's actually the child of the people he believes to be his grandparents. The grandparents are mentally unstable and told Arnold that his real parents, of normal age, died in a plane crash. Apparently, that's not true at all. This is quite a disturbing setting Because Gertie and Phil were old when they 'made' Arnold, he was born with a few conditions. One of them is hydrocephalus. That the reason his head has such an odd shape. There's one type of hydrocephalus, the one Arnold suffers from, that's called the Arnold Chiari syndrome. That's the reason why the creators decided to call the boy Arnold. Given that they're mentally unstable, it got to a point where Phil sexually abused Arnold and said that it was just a normal thing for a 'grandparent' to do that to their grandchildren. 

Arnold, because of his physical deformation, is greatly bullied in his school. From this events, he developed a condition wherein he sees things that aren't there. Basically, he's Schizophrenic. And i think it's also because his biological folks are too old to bear him, that he will most likely end up abnormal, which he eventually was. Because he's bullied a lot, he escapes to an imaginary world, with imaginary friends. That's the reason the other characters have weird shaped heads too. It makes him feel like he's normal, and no one can pick on him because of his head. This also is the reason why Arnold believes that his parents are his grandparents, and that his real parents died in a plane crash. His condition makes him believe that it is reality.

Nonetheless, there's a greater shocker to this story. That everything about the show 'Hey, Arnold' is actually based on facts. That the creator actually met someone who is in the likes of ''Arnold'', who's also mentally unstable that he wanted to ask for medical care quickly. He felt like he needed to do something. So he asked the boy if he could tell his story, and then he'd make sure that the boy's life would become better. But he never did. Instead, he made a TV show about it. Talk about taking advantage? But when it all came out to one of the important people from the nickelodeon found out, the show immediately got canceled. 

Arnold's life is very similar to the reality between teenagers nowadays, who experienced bullying in many forms. There are and will always be psychological damage to the person being bullied or is in a middle of a life crisis. This type of mentality can be classified as Escapism; an activity or form of entertainment that allows people to forget about the real problems of life. An article by Tricia Ellis-Christensen entitled What is Escapism?, as it quotes, ''... when escapism runs rampant, it prevents us from living in the world as truly engaged. It can lead to addiction, breakdown of relationships and inability to actually survive in the real world. Moderate escapism, on the other hand, may actually make us more effective participants in the world, since we allow ourselves to take mental breaks that reduce our stress''. On this article that term Escapism actually deviates oneself away from reality and everything remotely real is over with him. That's where you imagine things that aren't really there, very similar to schizophrenia. Activities perceived normal, like eating, sleeping or sexual activity may also be deemed as escapist when they are practiced in excess.

As to Arnold's case, with all the weight of his life on his back, all his depressions in life, his physical deformities, bullying, all of this were carried up and carried on. Arnold, being an escapist helps him cope up with himself and the world. Healthy escapism is probably one of the first practices of the developing human species.This show not only delivers a good foundation for it's stories, it also shows the notion of Escapism, that Arnold totally left the real world and created whole new world for himself, with friends just to feel some self-gratification. Escaping all his problems rather than facing it.

Escapism is just one thing that creates an exit point for depressed people. It's the notion of no matter how hard it seems, you just don't wanna face it yourself that's why you find some alternatives. Make sure no one takes advantage of someone else's misery ever again. We may never know Arnold that much before, but now we know the importance and sacredness of one's mental challenges. Our everyday life gives us problems, and sometimes, we can't help it that it piles up and suddenly it's overflowing with work. Remember, it's not about giving up, it's always about how far you went just to fight for something, it's what you call dedication. And we can always be dedicated on being better, no matter what flaws and imperfections we possess, we are still ourselves and there's only one thing that people can't take away from you.. That's are who you are.

Blogpost 2: The Simpsons - Bad Parenting

I'm sure everyone of us knows about The Simpsons, one of the longest running sitcoms in television. It is about the antics of a dysfunctional family. Homer is the oafish unhealthy beer loving father, Marge is the hardworking homemaker wife, Bart is the ten year old underachiever (and proud of it), Lisa is the unappreciated eight year old genius, and Maggie is the cute, pacifier loving silent infant. When i was at high school, I began to get really hooked with this show. Soon, i downloaded the episodes that I missed and it became a habit for me to watch it. It was the only animated show that I appreciated, maybe because it was packed with sarcastic humors that was really intended to bring out some morals in our life, or maybe because it was generally funny and you can't help yourself but laugh every time. But as time goes by, you wonder and ask yourself, is it just all about the humor? Obviously, there are lots of bad signals channeled by this show. What can this show provide for the younger viewers? And how much impact will it cause in the minds of the juvenile and ignorant?

In this article that I've read which is about Sad Truth Behind The Simpsons written by someone who calls himself The Stickman in the blogsite ScrewAttack, he clearly brought out the main reason why Homer Simpson's personality is as bad as it gets, as he quotes "Homer and his upbringing. All of his failures  all of his families failures can be traced back to his childhood. Homer was born into a family of turmoil, with a mother who wished to be free of the conformist lifestyle that she was stuck in, and a father who was stuck in the past and despised any showing of creativity or expression. Being told his Mother was dead at an early age...", From there, his life took a downward spiral, being raised by a negligent father who himself was suffering from loneliness and depression only further warped him, finding comfort in overeating and watching television. Until he grow up with that kind of lifestyle and carried all the burden until he raised a family of his own. Homer still remains traumatized by his upbringing and bitter to his Father, putting him in a cheap home and rarely visiting him, at one point fantasizing about murdering him, a particularly dark moment for the show. Throw in his own inexperience as a father due to his own poor childhood and you've got one man who's entire life has just been a wrecking ball to those around him.

Homer as a father and a husband is pretty depressing. Marge and Homer are only still together because of Bart. Why? Because of Bart, Marge never got to live any of her fantasies out and was resigned to a life of mothering and caring for Homer who knowingly doesn't deserve to still have Marge around as a Wife or even a lover. Homer is as bad as a husband can get, and the only hook that keeps Homer and Marge's marriage alive is because of Bart and the rest of their kids. It is the result of a bad family planning. Warning to all young lovers to always wear protection before having sex. The Simpsons is just one big advert for contraception and family planning.

In relation to that, Marge's Artistic/Journalistic talents are wasted. She was a creatively minded, talented artist who's dreams of success and fame were ended when she met Homer. She attempted many times to follow her dreams to become successful, but she always ends up back where she started, a miserable housewife being choked by a family completely dependent on her routines and care. This kind of setting is present in our society. Marriage is more of an opportunity cost, you win some, you lose some. People getting married and lack family planning, marrying the wrong person, are more likely to waste their skills and talents and just be left out useless.

Bart Simpson who's apparently doomed to lose any resemblance of intelligence at a young age, and live out a life of mediocrity and failure. Maybe because of it being genetically passed on to him by his stubborn father, or a great impact on his life caused by his father's rude and inappropriate parenting. It is evident in most of the episodes that Homer oftenly physically hurts Bart, choking him when he does something wrong. This type of parenting is dreadful to the eyes of it's viewers, especially young and innocent. This are the most probable cause of Bart Simpson's life as a juvenile delinquent. Some episodes suggest that his future status was that he's a wrecking ball controller, an out of money, no talent guitarist, overweight male stripper or even a deadbeat dad of two, just like his father. A gloomy future for Bart, who has continued to remain ignorant of this until very recently when he became depressed about the rut his life was in. Again, linking to bad parenting, your way of raising them will always cause a great impact to your children on what they will become in the future.

Lisa Simpson's depression and social isolation has been a theme in the series from very early on. In the majority of episodes she does seem rather resigned and content with her life but she's been known and seen to become desperate at times, pretending to be someone else in order to make friends, anything to feel some kind of acceptance or happiness. This particular family setting would really affect a child's mentality towards life. Maybe she's depressed about how screwed up her family is and she gets overwhelmed by it that she loses every ounce of her self-esteem. But we all know Lisa is the responsible and serious girl, with dreams and desires in life to be successful. But this can't last forever with her under that kind of environment with his family. This speaks so much about how parenting really affects the children nowadays, and how it makes or breaks your children, depending on how you handle your family.

As early as her infant age, Maggie, the youngest offspring of The Simpsons, entails that there's a whole list of disturbing incidents involving Maggie that suggest she will one day become a violent, deranged person.All in all, it paints a grim picture for Maggie's mental stability, turned violent by her surroundings, she seems fated to a life of crime and violence. She may look all innocent and cute, but when you ask her about it she just sits there, silently suckling away on her dummy, what's she planning? When you put aside the humor on these scenes and based it on reality, it is really dreadful to see that as young as that, you can already see the effect on her, on how much the violence in her household caused her to adapt to it and be like it.

'The Simpson' depicts the reality that is happening in most of the households, especially here in the Philippines, where these scenarios are really present. Absence of family planning, bad parenting, and the likes. All are evident in the Filipino setting of families and we can't deny it. In the second article I read about Simpson Ethics written by John Sohn in the site The Simpson's Archive, as he quotes, "Despite the show’s animated appearance, having yellow-colored characters with odd hair, "The Simpsons" is a profound parody of life, "achieving the true essence of satire." The writers’ use of "incongruity, sarcasm, exaggeration, and other comedic techniques" gives the show its true genius. Although with "pratfalls and stupidity that is, at times, nothing short of brilliant," the show appeals to those "who can laugh at the low comedy, yet understand the biting satire that truly drives the series." All different aspects of life are scrutinized to a hilarious effect". Which is true because not all people can dig deeper on to what message a certain show really sends out to it's viewers. Indeed, the Simpson family is a reflection of the American lifestyle, each member following the stereotypes and cliches of society. And it's not presented as a compliment and a cheer for tolerance to this kind of lifestyle but a wake up call to all of us.

For me, the show presents a wide variety of arguments, containing reasonable yet blunt ideology. For some reason, i feel good to have the chance to scrutinize the show. Apart from all the humor i got from it, it's really nice to really catch the message and realize how important these morals are. These representations made in the show is considered to be an indirect approach to tell the world that our society is screwed up. The show presents itself as a good example only if you reverse it's psychology, because we all know it as some nonsense, pointless cartoon series, but when you really dig deeper, you can always find treasure in it. And i believe that's the beauty of this show. Consider this a warning. Proper family planning before marriage and especially before having kids is a must. People tend to disregard out of negligence, which is worst case scenario for most of the families in our society. And bad parenting is just something intolerable to the society. I believe our country is in the verge of downfall because of this. Because everything starts at home. Corrupt politicians, criminals, delinquents, all of this is the price for poor decision making. And whatever you bring from your home as your journey through this world, will define your personality. Whatever you say or do at home, you will always bring that outside, and later on, still be practiced in front of your children. Remember, children are too arrogant and ignorant to even act out for themselves, they always depend on their parents on most of their decisions. I say good parenting will always make a wise man and parents are responsible for their children's composure through proper and wise parenting.

Blogpost 1: Winnie The Pooh: Pathology of it's characters

Of course we all know Pooh, from the TV show Winnie The Pooh- a cartoon character who we 90's kids grew up with. Personally, when i was little, i really loved Winnie The Pooh. Who wouldn't love that fluffy and cute bear? But there are apparent and rational depictions to this show that we never thought of when we were at that young age. As young children, we are on the surface of innocence and are all spellbound by Tigger's bouncy tail. But on a closer contemplation, each and every character demonstrates different kinds of mental disorders and illnesses.

According to the article Pathology in the Hundred Acre Wood: a neurodevelopmental perspective on A.A. Milne, written by Sarah E. Shea and Kevin Gordon in the website Canadian Medical Association Journal, as they quote, "Somewhere at the top of the Hundred Acre Wood a little boy and his bear play. On the surface it is an innocent world, but on closer examination by our group of experts we find a forest where neurodevelopmental and psychosocial problems go unrecognized and untreated." As a group of neurodevelopmentalists, they were able to come up with an assessment about every character in the show possessing a specific mental disorder and that these are in fact stories of Seriously Troubled Individuals.

Christopher Robin, the young boy who owns the toy characters in the show which apparently came to life and joins him in his everyday journey as his bestfriends. This certain behavior can be distinguished as of having a malfunction in the perception of reality, which is certainly evident in Christopher having hallucinations where he imagines his stuffed toys are alive. This certain disorder is characterized as Schizophrenia.

His stuffed toy best friend Winnie The Pooh demonstrates a certain characteristic,  though you may not think of this as a mental disorder, the cause of it is Pooh’s low self esteem which is psychological resulting in his excessive need for honey, therefore is suffering from Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

The tiny little pink piglet in the show famously known as Piglet signifies a certain behavior in where you fear everything. Piglet gets overly-nervous several times and this is apparent in the way his ears subtly twitch. This disorder is scientifically characterized as Panophobia or Generalized Anxiety Disorder. 

The tiger character in the show know as Tigger exhibits a certain condition of the brain which results in hyperactivity and trouble paying attention. This type of behavior can be specified as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),  We all know he is always hyperactive as he bounces with his tail and jumbles around everywhere. Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are one of the symptoms portrayed by Tigger and qualifies as ADHD.

There is this small kangaroo name Roo in the show, athough It is not his impassivity or hyperactivity The environment itself in which he is developing. Roo is growing up in a single-parent household, which puts him at high risk for Poorer Outcome. You can picture him someday a delinquent, jaded, adolescent Roo. We think that this will be Roo's reality, in part because of a second issue. Roo's closest friend is Tigger, who is not a good role model. Peer influences strongly affect outcome.

Rabbit is friendly, but irritable. He fancies himself the smartest animal in the Hundred Acre Wood. He insists on doing things his way and is obsessed with rules, planning and order.This expresses a distinct anxiety disorder in which the person suffers from obsessive thoughts and compulsive tendencies. These can be seen in Rabbit having uncontrollable actions such as cleaning and, basically, being a “neat freak” (but to an extreme level) This type of disorder is called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Owl is the stuffy and talkative eldest main character who acts as a mentor and teacher to the others. Being excessively preoccupied with himself and believes that he is the most clever animal in the wood, boasting how he has brains whilst “the others have fluff". This personality can be distinguished as Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Owl and most of his friends believe that he is the most intelligent animal in the wood, but he is really quite scatterbrained. He often rambles on into long-winded speeches and uses words that his friends do not understand. Obviously bright, but dyslexic. His poignant attempts to cover up for his phonological deficits are similar to what we see day in and day out in others so afflicted.

Eeyore is the donkey character who talks slow and is always projected as sad, alone, and lifeless, from his color to his facial expressions and mannerisms. This certain personality depicts a certain psychological problem called Depression - A mental state characterized by a dejected and gloomy feeling surrounding them and a lack of activity.

According to the second article i read about my topic which is the Mental Disorders Demonstrated By Winnie The Pooh Characters, written by an anonymous author labeled as "The Perfectionist" on the webiste Wassup, Doc? as he/she quotes "Of course, the author did not base the characters around these disorders on purpose and someone who likes their colored pens to be in a specific order doesn't mean they've got OCD; they’re just traits that people have observed over time and made a big deal out of because they feel, being a children’s story, it shouldn't contain “darker” meanings like these." - And indeed, this was really not intentionally predetermined, these are all mere observations made and clamored by the viewers.

In every show, there is a back story. And in every back story, there will always be a purpose for it. Some shows purposely bury a certain meaning for it's exterior surface which most viewers can't see. And some shows aren't predetermined to have some shocking discoveries and relevance to a certain point of view. For the show Winnie The Pooh's case, it was never really intentionally made to portray these different kinds of disorders. But as the people's ability to recognize and rationalize even the most single detail in our current TV shows and even movies. These mental disorders demonstrated by the characters can be considered as a tool, for us to visualize the different symptoms of these disorders. Inform us and let ourselves be aware from it. Thinking about what I have read about in the articles, I start to wonder about how much society has changed over time. These certain realizations deviate our childhood memories and turn them to nightmares. But I personally think it's a great way to actually give in for these arguments to take place and let it speak for itself. We can learn so much if we manage to think outside the box.