Treatise on the downfall of Saturday morning cartoons

Captain Planet was the harbinger of the downfall of the cartoon industry (generally speaking). This is a bold statement that I know will be hard to stomach for some (especially you pansies who actually liked the wretched show). Since the inception of the show Captain Planet, hence forth refered to as CP, there has been a steady decline (or maybe a flying leap off a cliff) in the quality, subject matter, and ideals of the cartoons that have been produced.
Let us first start by examining the forerunners to CP and how they differed from this new species of "children's entertainment." Looney Toons / Merry Melodies was the standard for cartoons. It was complete with all the elements of a good cartoon: violence centered around falling anvils, violence centered around one character with a shotgun (or in one case a spear and a funny hat) trying to kill another character, voluptuous robot female bunnies that happened to contain bombs, rockets: lots of rockets (specifically missiles, rocket-powered cars, and rocket-powered roller skates), carnivores, horny skunks, cursing southern gentlemen with bad tempers, and a giant chicken (There is hope for modern cartoons such as Family Guy who maintain such elements at least on a periodic basis) . The Eighties saw the rise of such cartoon gems as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. Again these had a common thread: glorified violence to beat the bad guys (not to save the freakin' planet for evil corporations). The Autobots would have been scrap-metal without the Decepticons. He-man would just be another guy with a bad haircut and a fur loin-clothe without Skeletor. Without the Foot and Shredder the Turtles would just be giant mutated freaks, and I'm not sure what G.I. Joe would have been without Cobra. And another thing. What were the means for defeating the bad guys? Not some multicolored fruit cake created from five beams of light, but guns and swords and crap. When did "heart" and "water" and "earth" become weapons (I mean I guess you could make some mud and fling it at the enemy with a lot of "feeling")? What the heck! Ideals: Knowing is half the battle. Transformers taught kids valuable lessons (none of which I can recall right now but I know they did). And what did CP teach kids? We shall see.
Now to take on CP. The show introduced kids to several things. Multiculturalism. Like five teenager from different parts of the world (who by the way all just happen to know English) are going to get together to do anything. CP also demonized capitalism, industry, and human progress. Though now that we are examining it, we must note that it was selective. Sure they would go after the evil corporation dumping toxic waste into the ocean, but what about Detroit. It's a city whose main industry was creating pollution producing, natural resource consuming, noisy contraptions. Let's see CP take on the Ford Motor Co. So we have a show teaching kids to be ethically inconsistent. What else did CP teach kids? Uh... Don't Pollute. That was it. Same thing every show. At least G.I. Joe taught us not to spray paint our bikes inside or to play hide and seek in refrigerators (although that might have been Hulk Hogan or Fat Albert anyway...) CP with it's multicultural, weaponless, reality-based (for they tried to present reality-based situations of pollution and such) propaganda blazed the trail for plague that shall be dubbed the Black Saturday.
We have been abandoned. Saturday mornings are no longer entertaining, but they are now arduous and boring. Who wants to watch Jackie Chan (for the three months he had a cartoon) jump around a lot but never actually fight anyone (Does anyone ever actually get hurt anymore)? Having briefly mentioned the reality aspect of CP, the subject and its effect must be expanded upon. CP's original idea of reality -based situations has tainted Saturday mornings. Now technically some shows should not be discussed because they are not cartoons, but that is the point. Four Words: Mighty Morphine Power Rangers. It's not a cartoon. It should not be allowed on Saturday Morning T.V. Horrid effects, awful acting, choreographed dancing that is supposed to pass for fighting (Are they even making contact)! Give me a break. How about the teletubies? Can you say homosexual? And it's all CP's fault.
There is hope. Every so often cartoons with substance (or at least enough adult humor to make up for the lack of it) come around. Animanics (though it never was a Saturday morning cartoon oh yeah and RELEASE THE DVD's PLEASE!), Family Guy, Futurama (R.I.P.), and The Simpsons. Though now that these have been brought to light it must be noted that there may be no hope for Saurday Morning cartoons as none of these were. So I guess the best ending for this is: R.I.P. Saturday Morning cartoons, Hello Sunday Night!
~DVM

catch-up

Here are most of the last four posts I did. Some of the info. was irrelevant so I cut it out.

Ok, From the computer I'm on right now my background looks like crap. Tell me what you guys think. Anyway I am going to a 200 year old Presbyterian church tomorrow because a friedn from high school leads worship (he used to be a charasmatic). I just found out today that my gandmother died last Tuesday the 25th, and that my dad went to France for two weeks. I did however get one of my dad's old pipes. hooray. Stryper tomorrow (well technically today). I'm off to bed more tomorrow (today).

So life is good... I'm kinda tiredright now...I've got ringtones that I made... Some of you have your own ringtone:
Jason: Livin' On A Prayer
Ashley: Beautiful
Bill: Friends
Aaron: When The Man Comes Around
I want to go see Serenity again (anyone want to come with me, say tomorrow at 4:10). If I haven't said it before Killer Bunnies is the greatest game in the world. I need to go and pick up Ben soon. I'm hanging out with David and using his wireless connection. i just bought the new Demon Hunter album today. It's pretty good. I just bought my Stryper tickets today. If anyone wants to go with me just let me know. Tickets are 24.50 including the 3.00 handling fee. Hooray Stryper. Gotta go.
~DVM

You all are right. I see my energy level going down and my spiritual sensitivity tanking because I'm so freakin' tired. I slept 'til 10:15 this morning since I had the day off from Chick-Fil-A. I'm about to go put gas in my car then go to Comic Nirvana to clean out my box. I'm looking for a buyer for the three covers of serenity 3 and one of the Kaylee cover of serenity 2 since Bill got his. Also my phone has crapped out and singular is ground shipping another one to my parents. I'm getting ready to go on e-bay and by a connection so that I save all my number to my computer

Well I'm sitting here are Tobacco Merchant smoking a pipe and drinking a beer. Now thinking about Aaron's comments I'm being to rethink what I want to say tonight. I have come to the conclusion that ny Bible reading and the other things I have been doing as of late have been simple things I do and I have not really been seeking God or seeking to let Christ live through me. i have let my faith wane. Is it possible to be trying to let Christ live though me and yet be partaking in sin? Is it just an outworking of my sin nature or is it that I haven't really been allowing tGod to live through me? I really don't have anything to add to my last post. I intend to actual seek God later tonight through the avenues of prayer and Bible reading. I wnat to want Christ to live through me more than I currently do (no thiat wasn't a typo). To quote Thomas "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." Thoughts anyone?
~DVM

God's Will, Pipes, and More about Jobs

To start off a quote:
'Thy will be done' My festoonings on this have been added gradually. At first I took it exclusively as an act of submission, attempting to do what our Lord did in Gethsemane. I thought of God's will purely as something that would come upon me, something of which I should be the patient. And I also thought of it as a will that would be embodied in pains and disappointments. Not, to be sure, that I supposed God's will for me to consist entirely of disagreeables. But I thought it was only the disagreeables that called for this preliminary submission -- the agreeables could look after themsleves for the present.
This interpretation is, I expect, the commonest. And so it must be. And such are the miseries of human life that it must fill our whole mind. But at others times other meanings can be added. So I added one more.
The peg for it is, I admit, much more obvious in the English verison than the Greek or Latin. No matter: this is where the liberty of festooning comes in. ' Thy will be done.' But a great deal of it is done by God's creatures; including me. This petition, then, is not merely that I may patiently suffer God's will but also that I may vigorously do it. I must be an agent as well as a patient. I am asking that I may enabled to do it. In the long run I am asking to be given 'the same mind which was also in Christ.'
Taken this way, I find the words have a more regular daily application. For there isn't always -- or we don't always have a reason to suspect there is -- some great affliction looming in the near future, but there are always duties to be done; usually, for me, neglected duties to be caught up with. 'Thy will be done--by me--now' brings one back to brass tracks.
~C. S. Lewis Letters To Malcolm pp. 25-26
So know the question I pose is "How do we know what the will of God id for our lives?" or on a more basic level "Does God have an individual will for our lives?" How we answer the second question determines the answer to the first. Now aaron sould say that us letting Christ live through us is God's will for our lives and the eveything else does not matter if we are dying to self and letting Christ live through us so that we are becoming more Christ-like. Others would disagree with this interpretation of God's will and believe that there is a specific plan that God has for each of us including but not limited to who we will marry, what job we will have, and what college we will attend. I do believe that Aaron would say that if someone feels that God is telling them that they should do something specifically then they probably should but I hope Aaron will read this and let me know if I am wrong in this. all that being said. i have taken the job at Calltech and given my notice to Chick-Fil-A. It actually really irritated Breck (gernaly manager) because he likes me so much and really respects my work ethic. i know that if the Calltech thing doesn't work I could easily go back to Chick-Fil-A. I am looking forward to quiting balloons. I still have to call Calltech and see if I can change my training time and my hours of availabilty. I hope that I can, though if I can't God is still good and faithful. He will see me through. On a more exciting note: Pipes Are Cool! Mine comes in on Monday! Hooray! NEW PIPE! MEERSCHAUM! CUSTOM-MADE FOR HAPPYHEAD! WORTH $800 - $1000 Ok I'm done. I saw Cry_Wolf tonight. Jon Bon Jovi was in it and he's hot (wait no...he cool but hot is how my sister would describe him. Actually she would probably use the word sexy). Decent slasher flick. Moving on. I need start saving for a new watch, a Stryper ticket, and a Priest shirt for the Serenity premere. Well, I'm needing to go to bed which is at least 7 minutes away and Ben still wants to use me comupter which is cool. God willing, more tomorrow.
~DVM

Jobs and Jealousy

Well the Calltech interview was today. It was kinda weird. Most interviews are longer that this. I mean two questions: "What skills do you think that you have that will enable you do the job?" and "How would you deal with a really mad customer?' Oh yeah and there was the Do you have any customer service experience?" question. No question an answer time about benefits, what's expected of me, etc. It's kinda scary excepting a new job because I'm comfortable at Chick-Fil-A. I hope this is God's will (although I know what Aaron would say). I'm jealous of Matt again. First, he won an Xbox 360 and now he is having to think about going back to school because Andre Rogers looked him straight in the face and told him to stop looking for work and go to seminary. I wish I had an idea of what I was suppose to do with my life. I kinda do. I want to go back to school but as Andre said there are guys who graduate college go get a job saying "I wanna go back to school" A year or two later they've got a wife and are still saying "I wanna go back to school" And again two years later with a kid and one on the way, "I wanna go back to school." I still feel that I need to regain or readjust my focus on Chirst. Lately I've been selfish and been giving into temptations that I know I shouldn't. I know God is good and that I have already been forgiven; I just wish following Christ and dying to self was easier. Oh well, back to the narrow road. I'm looking at possibly trying to keep my job at Chick-Fil-A while going through the training classes at Calltech but I don't know if that is the thing to do. I would mean not going to Bible study for three weeks and getting little sleep. Well, it's about time to depart for Bible study, and I'm spent. May Christ live and may I die.
~DVM

Laziness Reigns Supreme (My Latest Xanga Post Pasted)

So finally a new update...
A lot of things can happen in a month. God has been doing a lot of cool things in my life. I've started to read through the book of John. Jesus is an interesting guy. One minute he says that he didn't come into the world to judge the world (John 3:17) and on the other he says he came to the world for the purpose of judgement (John 9:39). Of couse if we understand the context of both statements we will realize that they are not contradictory but complimentary. I'm sitting here with Ben who is filling out an application for CIU. He got to the "On what do you base your claim of salvation?" question, and after thinking a while, asked if it would be ok if he just pust "my faith in Jesus Christ." Of course I said, "Yes." It makes happy that he's beginning to get the whole Christ-follower thing. I'm also slowly working my way through C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. I have made some new friends/aquaintances lately. Well it's kinda that. I met Tami Pagano in the Student Center a week or so ago. She seems like an cool person. Genevive offered to cook Ben and me dinner sometime which is just cool. Food is good and good food is better (especially when I don't have to cook it). I want to buy several CD's right now. The new Whitecross, Baumer, and Bon Jovi albums are either available now or release tomorrow. Ok so the Whitecross album is a rerecording of the first whitecross album but hey that's what makes it so desirable. I have now officially stopped teaching small group at East Lake, but have now been roped into helping coordinate an event Oct. 1st. I've finally started to go to small group (people wouldn't like me if I called it church but for all intents and purposes it is) on Tuesday nights. Luther Lown was there for the first time in a while which is really cool. I like Luther He's unpredictable and a bit psycho which just makes him fun to be around if you learn to expect that at any second a spoon could be flying towards your head. I love Stryper. I'm looking forward to going to the show on Oct. 30 in Charlotte. Back to the bible study thing. I felt kinda bad 'cuz I totally zoned out for most of it Tuesday, but am really looking forward to this Tuesday and getting back into Galatians. I have an interview at Calltech tomorrow morning so I am hoping that it goes well. I have entered two more codes into every10minutes.com. It's not like I will actually win an xbox 360 but whatever. I need to take Leela to the vet (they are expensive but a necessary evil). I'm glad I don't have to go into Chick-Fil-A tomorrow. I hope I can find a new job soon. But, I was affirmed by a Chick-Fil-A employee today who said I would make good manager. I'm possibly going to see Cry_Wolf tonight. I did go see Just Like Heaven and Red Eye both OK movies (Just Like Heaven was the better of the two Sure it was a chick flick but...). I need to get my CV joint on my car replaced soon, but that's gonna be expensive. I'm about done. I still need to work on my Shepard costume for the Serenity Shindig that gonna happen. Back to God. I do need to possibly readjust my focus on Christ in relationship to other people. I don't know if i'm treating others as Christ would, but I do want others to see Christ in me. May God change me making me more like Christ every day. I need to work on dying.
~DVM