A LOOK AT THE MEDIA

While watching 30 minutes of Fairly Odd Parents on Nickelodeon I noted that the theme was about getting a girl. Timmy Turner, the main character uses his Fairy God Parents to make wishes. He is considered a “good guy” however he abuses his powers. When Timmy uses violence no one makes any complaints. For example, he used Cupid’s arrows to shoot Trixie, the love of his life. The arrows made her fall in love with him. This show tries to justify violence by creating characters that miraculously recover by the next scene or even in the middle of the scene.

It seems that Timmy Turner and his Fairy God Parents hold the power in the show. In order for Timmy to make wishes he needs his Fairies. They are to grant him every wish that he wishes for, with some rules of course. Instead of ending with violence Timmy finds a way to reverse his wishes. In this episode his mother was hit with an arrow and fell in love with Mr. Crocker who is Timmy’s teacher and foe. Timmy lives with his mother and father. They are married and their relationship with Timmy is portrayed negatively. There has been an episode or two that shows his parents grounding him, other than that adult guidance is absent. It is very easy for Timmy to trick his parents. He can do that with or without his fairies. They don’t seem to really care what Timmy does. His parents are rarely home. They leave him with a terrible baby sitter named Vicky while they go out.

Most main characters are males (Timmy, His Dad, his 2 Friends, his Teacher, his Fairy, his enemies). Some males and females are stereotyped into “buff’ or “hot” characters. However there is a variety of looks, characteristics, and personality traits in the males and females in this show. The jobs are not stereotypical; men and women constantly switch roles in Fairly Odd parents.

Most of the characters are Caucasian. There are two people of color shown in a negative and positive light. Timmy’s friend, AJ, is colored and also a “nerd”. He gets teased for being smart. Jorgen Von Strangle, is a buff and very aggressive leader, the general fairy. He has a “perfect and very humanoid” body. Many characters fear Jorgen because of his size and tone of voice. He is the only fairy without wings because he believes it is too girly. He is dressed as if he is in the military. Some fairies feel Jorgen is a hero or a role model.

I did not notice, until doing this review that the show does not include any characters with disabilities. They only show senior citizens if their age/ability in an “issue” in the story line. Elders are usually the characters being saved or being helped cross the street.

Unfortunately there is little time in the show spent showing examples of characters being kind to one another. The end is usually filled with a little kindness and respect. Timmy is very irresponsible. He learns to respect himself and other characters which cause him to reverse his wish. Throughput the show, Timmy is very irresponsible. He makes selfish wishes without thinking about other characters. Most of the characters aren’t compassionate and it is obvious in their language.

The language in Fairly Odd Parents does not seem appropriate for young viewers. The characters rarely use positive language. They are usually insulting one another. Young viewers should be taught that such language is not acceptable.

Watching this show many different commercials came on advertising nickelodeon, their websites, their shows, and the Choice Awards. The network lets you know it’s time for commercials. “We will be right back.” The Choice Awards commercial was repeated quite often. All the commercials wanted you to watch more Nickelodeon and go to the website to watch shows and play games. There is nothing educational about the commercials

Surprisingly children still love the purple dinosaur Barney. Every show is about friendships and usually has two plots. Children are encouraged to use their imaginations in problem-solving situations. Each Barney episode emphasizes language and cognitive development, physical activity and social interaction. I happened to catch Now I Know My ABC’s on television. After watching it and doing a little extra research I found that this episode, like many others was a “home video” that was later split into A Wonderful World of Colors and Shapes and Easy as ABC. I decided it would be best to watch those two as well.
In A Wonderful World of Colors and Shapes Baby Bop wanted to make something for the art show the children were hosting. She did not know much about colors and shapes so Barney and friends help her understand so that she can use it in her artwork. Through song and dance she learns many shapes and colors. In Easy as ABC, Baby Bop invites her friends to a tea party. However, when they receive the invitation they cannot read it. The invitation appeared to be a bunch of scribbles. There was no name on it so her friends had no idea who it came from. Baby Bop feels very sad and with the help of friends, Barney teaches her how to spell her name.

These episodes do not include violence; it is filled with love and smiles. As the main character, Barney seems to have the power in the show. He seems to be the oldest in the show. With help from his friends, Barney makes most of the decisions. Family life is not portrayed in these episodes. From time to time a friend’s parent/guardian might appear for about 1 minute. The adults on the show often appear as teachers, storytellers, professionals, janitors, and other characters. Most of the main characters are females. I did not find any stereotyped characters in these episodes. Males play dress up, they clean up, they cook, and more. The females play with footballs, toy cars, dress up as fire fighters and more. Those are just a few examples of how stereotypes are not shown.

There are characters of many races and color in these episodes. People of color are shown in a positive light just as those who aren’t of color. David is a character with a disability that appears in few of the many episodes. He appears in a wheelchair and it was rare to see him and Barney together. He was treated regularly by his friends. He sang songs and played games with them as if he did not have a disability. The theme of Barney and Friends is friendship, he was treated the same as the rest of his friends.

More time is spent showing examples of positive behavior rather than being mean or unkind. No one gets left out during play. When friends sing songs everyone has their own part/verse. Children learn to cooperate with and respect their peers as well as themselves. They are taught that sharing is caring. Baby Bop had a hard time donating a toy and her friends showed her that it is okay to share with others. They donated many of their toys, even some that were their favorite. The characters in the show are responsible. For example, they know to clean up after themselves even to look both ways when you cross the street. If someone is feeling sad or “blue” Barney and friends try their best to provide comfort and resolve the problem. They use a range of vocabulary to communicate.

The language used in the show is very appropriate for young viewers. This show does not include profanity, insults, or any sort of disrespectful language. The characters use a variety of positive language to communicate. Children are taught manners like please and thank you. They are also taught to use words to express themselves.

Commercials shown on Sprout encourage parents to get their children involved in outdoor activities, to feed their children healthy foods, and to buy certain products for their homes and children. When they are transitioning to a commercial, the network lets you know to sit tight because they will be right back. For example, there was a commercial showing children playing with chalk, bubbles, sand, and more things all outside. Another commercial encouraged a healthy breakfast for both adults and children. It showed individuals planting vegetables and then cut to them eating fruits and veggies in their pajamas at the table. Other commercials advertised many products. The Stuffies commercials had a jingle that advertised their stuffed animals. This commercial was constantly repeated. This product includes 7 pockets that hide children’s favorite treasures.

What happens if themes are too advanced for young viewers? When children watch shows with themes that are too adult or too advanced they gain concepts that influence negative and adult behaviors. Many shows include a great deal of sexual content. They see adults dressing and behaving in a certain manner and try imitating it. Such exposure can cause a child to grow up too fast.

What messages do children get if violence/meanness is portrayed as funny and if the “good guys” use? When children see violence portrayed as funny they imitate that behavior believing that it is an act of humor. It makes it hard for them to distinguish real violence between fake violence as well. Children learn that it is ok to harm others. Children will likely use aggressive strategies to solve their problems rather than to search for more peaceful methods of conflict resolution. There’s two outcomes to children seeing “good guys” use violence. Children will either be hurt because their “hero” used violence or they will assume that it is ok to solve problems with violence. When a child sees a good person using violence they are often confused. They may wonder if it is ok. For example, if a child sees their favorite super hero using weapons to defeat their “enemies” the child will most likely imitate that behavior. If he/she gets into a conflict at school he/she might look for something to use as a weapon to solve the problem. Violence in shows does not teach children to problem solve, it teaches aggressive behavior.

What messages do children get if no adults are ever shown being helpful or supportive of children and their problems? Children learn not to trust adults; they might look for help in the wrong places.

What messages do children get about their own gender identity if males and females are only shown in the stereotyped roles or with stereotyped toys? Children get the idea that they need to look and behave in a specific way based on their gender. When they see women who are slim and men who are buff they feel pressured to be like them. Boys may feel like they can’t be involved in dramatic play or play with dolls. Girls may feel like they have to stay clean. Children will grow up believing that the roles they see in cartoons and shows are how they have to be. Children get a message that they are not worthy of the world, that they can’t be different.

What message do children get if people of color are rarely portrayed in the shows and commercials they see? This teaches children that people of color aren’t worthy enough of being on shows and commercials with those who aren’t of color. They do not learn the value of different cultures or races. Children learn to discriminate against others. They will begin to believe that just because of skin color; some people have nothing in common. Children will feel that they do not belong or that others do not belong. Diversity is a very important concept that children should learn. Watching shows without a variety of races or cultures blind children; it hides the world from them.

What messages do children get if senior citizens or characters with a disability are rarely portrayed in the shows/games and commercials they see? Children will get a message that these people are different and do not belong. This message will cause them to see senior citizens as a burden. They will not accept those with a disability in their circle. Children will think from this that they are better than seniors and disabled individuals.

How does TV help/hinder language development? Children learn words from shows they watch. Some words you may be proud of and some you may not. Shows that are actually educational like Sesame Street or Word World teach children communication skills, spelling, sounding out words and more. Shows that are too advanced will teach inappropriate words like foul and seductive language.

The media is a very powerful tool. It can be used in both a positive and negative way. Children can learn about what to expect and what not to expect from the world and society. They can also learn educational information and skills from shows that target appropriate development for children. Unfortunately violence and sex in the media has a great influence on their knowledge, behavior, as well as their attitude. The media could have some potential negative effects, like physical aggression.

To ensure more potential positive effects we must limit and monitor exposure to media.