tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.comments2023-05-20T05:26:02.145-07:00Cartoon VixensAaron Martin-Colbyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-63598203276625842582013-01-16T20:32:05.070-08:002013-01-16T20:32:05.070-08:00Hi,
Sorry it took me so long to respond. The holi...Hi,<br /><br />Sorry it took me so long to respond. The holidays and illness can do that.<br /><br />I agree that Socrates wasn't as bad as other philosophers of the age, but he was still quite misogynistic. I don't have the time to find all of the relevant quotes, but he talked about dying and coming back as a woman as punishment, and chastised the men at his execution for crying like women.<br /><br />While he may have seen sex as something good, he was certainly not talking about romantic relationships. He was talking about the arguably unbalanced relationship between a student and teacher. As such, the sex was an extension of the philosophy and not to be undertaken outside of the philosophical investigation. This is a broader part of his asceticism, but he refers to sexual urges specifically. Again, I can’t find the exact quotes, but in the Apology and other places, Socrates exhorts people to reject the needs of the body.<br /><br />And while I didn't intend this to get too detailed in the article, we are also at something of a disadvantage in knowing precisely what Socrates thought, since the "real" Socrates and the character used by Plato in his dialogues are difficult to discern. For my part, I suspect that Socrates was much more misogynistic in reality and Plato, who was more egalitarian, softened his views in the dialogues.<br />Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-59977374088467705932013-01-15T13:22:34.325-08:002013-01-15T13:22:34.325-08:00betty boop is the beatful girl in the world betty boop is the beatful girl in the world Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-14800066042667646872012-12-10T17:30:45.406-08:002012-12-10T17:30:45.406-08:00While I agree with mostly everything on this artic...While I agree with mostly everything on this article, which I think is a very thoughtful insight into the recent history of animation, I got to disagree on your quote of Socrates. He stated the opposite of what you attribute to him. Socrates stated that sexual relationships could take "lesser people" as you describe them, to a higher level of knowledge. Socrates was instructed by a lesser-known philosopher, a woman named Diotima, into the idea of love and sexual expressions as a way to find the kind of enlightment that one individual alone cannot find on its own.Διογένηςnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-38905634501846500202012-10-24T03:24:39.868-07:002012-10-24T03:24:39.868-07:00Excellent work.
- NakeeranExcellent work.<br />- NakeeranAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-65600081948105177982012-09-20T19:38:37.067-07:002012-09-20T19:38:37.067-07:00I'm sorry that I jumped on your choice of term...I'm sorry that I jumped on your choice of terms. I meant it only as a point of clarification, not as a statement that you were incorrectly teaching your children values.<br /><br />I agree with your assessment. I think that most guys objectify without really realizing that they do it. It's simply part of our culture (TV, movies, billboards, fashion, toys, etc.). They don't really mean anything nasty by it. But a semi-unconscious decision is still open to criticism, especially vis-a-vis the wider society. And when that decision manifests an element of society that is demonstrably very harmful, I don’t find it surprising when the reaction from many (such as me) is aggressive and angry.<br /><br />Also, I don't think sexuality is wrong. Boys like girls, and we all like pretty people as well. Catering this isn’t wrong. Nor do I think creating attractive heroes is wrong. I think that it is wrong when the appearance of the character becomes as important as the actions of the character. Males of all shapes and sizes are allowed to be heroes, but females are not only all attractive, to make things worse, they are all sexualized (this latter part is becoming more common). The males are idealized forms, but they are not sexualized. We do not get slow-motion shots of Panthro's glistening abs.<br /><br />This is a trope well-represented in comic books. I think it was in the comments above, but I took an inventory of every Marvel comic character to find out if males and females are presented differently. Almost every, single hero that is deformed in some way is male (one of the rare females was a brain in a jar). The only deformed females that I could find were villains, and even then, many of them were still "hot" deformed, like Marrow or Mystique.<br /><br />While I don’t LIKE that, I also don’t mind it. It’s comics written by men for men. More power to ‘em. I think that it’s stupid from a business perspective, but that’s another subject altogether. I don’t want that leaking into children’s entertainment. I want those that are creating children’s entertainment to think about what values they are communicating. It can’t be unconscious. It needs to be absolutely conscious. They need to think about not only the actions of their characters, but how their characters are “wrapped.” <br /><br />Cartoons were once comically explicit about this. GI Joe had its "messages," at the end. Lead characters often had speeches about values and ideals. 1980's and early 90's cartoons especially had a penchant for having a token "kid in a wheelchair." While I don't think those things in themselves helped the world become a better place, they evinced a culture of idealism that, while naive, was at least genuine. I see that culture in shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, and see the opposite in Thundercats. I want to see more Avatar.<br /><br />And let’s never mention Snooky or the Lohans again. I think that MTV is a violently exaggerated manifestation of the systemic problems that we’ve been discussing. It is just SO over the top in every way as to beggar description. <br /><br />Thank you for being polite as well. I’m sorry for being a somewhat brusque at the beginning of this. As you can see from the above vitriol that I’ve received, I’m a bit on edge about this post.<br /><br />And Optimus Prime totally kicked ass. His death in the original movie was one of the most traumatizing things in my life.Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-13210052352178019982012-09-20T16:23:30.982-07:002012-09-20T16:23:30.982-07:00My whole life is concern for both of my kids,all i...My whole life is concern for both of my kids,all i can hope to do is give them the tools to be confident and make good decisions for themselves.And please don't misunderstand, I said women because it was pertinent to the discussion.I teach my kids to have respect for people in general most of all themselves.<br /><br />Anyway ,thank you for the mature. intelligent response .I respect your opinion and agree with what you have to say about the objectification of woman,but i think your problem with cheetara is simply a design aesthetic more than deliberate objectification.<br /><br />I think more likely male artist objectify women simply because their male and are attracted to the "ideals" media has created over the years and so they draw what they think is attractive.Why would you knowingly create a hero you thought was unattractive? It is a business after all and lets be honest,even young boys like pretty girls.I'm not saying Its right,but its not likely to change.of course I think its ridiculous to compare real life to a cartoon that has no basis in reality to begin with.Its fantasy and should be treated as such.Cheetaras not a person ,she's paint on a plastic film.<br /><br />The real threats to young woman I think are the Lohans and snookies of the world and all the trashy people, male and female on "reality TV".!6 and pregnant! seriously? These are real people,kids don't understand that these peoples lives are not normal or healthy,It makes me sick and is exactly why i don't have cable anymore. <br /><br />By the way,I'm 37 and I'm still influenced by the honor and bravery of Optimus.... 8)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-32766499442088119332012-09-20T14:28:40.857-07:002012-09-20T14:28:40.857-07:00And I think that you should be more concerned abou...And I think that you should be more concerned about your daughter (although I certainly do not assume to know how to best parent your child), especially considering that it sounds like she is an exceptionally high-performer. We have reams of evidence showing that she is going to have a hard time being taken seriously in the future, precisely because of the values inherent in the new Cheetara: her appearance matters just as much, if not more than, her skills.<br /><br />She will be harassed on the streets. She will be passed over for promotions. She will be objectified. That is criminal. And Cheetara represents a small but not insignificant element of the society that allows that behavior to happen.<br />Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-91127599369482831202012-09-20T14:27:36.461-07:002012-09-20T14:27:36.461-07:00The question was absolutely inane. It had no beari...The question was absolutely inane. It had no bearing whatsoever on my arguments or the matter at hand. The point of the question was to nullify my arguments through belittling; saying that I lacked so much experience that my views could not be taken seriously.<br /><br />In response to this, I actually went and found clinical photos of post-op DD breasts. I think that her breasts align well with DD sizing.- http://www.aboutplasticsurgery.com/dbii/dr/Pousti_779/23-a1.jpg<br /><br />Moreover, I'm not obsessed with her breasts, I'm obsessed with her gestalt and what it represents, as I have explained in the above comments.<br /><br />I didn't assume that you came here via that search, my point was that the majority of people do, and that nullified your argument that no one cares about this.<br /><br />On her overall presentation: Yes, her character is actually quite good. I like her, I very much like the show, and I think it's more than a worthy successor to a show that is really only good through the lens of nostalgia. The problem is as I have adumbrated above. Namely, female characters are not just judged on their character, but also on their appearance.<br /><br />Yes. I have addressed the apparent contradiction. The problem is that I am explicit. I am not subtly delivering values and socioethical judgments in my work. Moreover, I am not against the sexualization of women, I'm against the sexualization of women to the detriment of other characteristics. That's why I have no problems with porn, but when someone talks about a female politician's appearance it gives me an aneurysm.<br /><br />I appreciate the importance of parenting to help frame, synthesize, and understand a complex world; my education is in psychology. I'm also glad that you are aware that the world can be a problematic experience. But that should, in my opinion, only make you more attuned to the subtle ways in which women experience prejudice.<br /><br />That's why I don't like the new Cheetara. In the past, females in children's shows were portrayed in highly negative, Disney-like ways: meek, nurturing, demure, etc. We had a few standouts, and they became more common as the 1970's went along, but the trope was there and very persistent, as illustrated by the bodily positioning of the "Teen Titan" characters above.<br /><br />We have come a long way toward evicting that trope from pop culture (the color-coded pink and blue toy aisles at Target don't seem to indicate that, though). Unfortunately, and the point of this article, is that it has been replaced with "sassy" girls who are increasingly sexualized (hello Bratz!). This systemic sexualization is damaging for both boys and girls alike, and the fact that it is leaking into children's entertainment is disturbing.<br /><br />It's disturbing because the way that children internalize their world isn't as simple as you make it out to be. The best parenting in the universe cannot compensate for an entire society with these threads running through it. For example, I knew that the original Transformers cartoon was just a cartoon, but my ideal character was heavily influenced by the honor and bravery of Optimus Prime. It sounds stupid, but what do you want, I was six.<br /><br />I never said that Thundercats alone would damage kids, but the society that was the wellspring of its creation will and does damage kids. It reminds me of a funny cartoon: http://www.snotm.com/2010/06/blog-post.html<br /><br />Your kids sound amazing. But with your son, it's more than just treating women with respect; it's understanding that they are simply people. There is no need to treat WOMEN with respect when it's understood to treat PEOPLE with respect. A society that encourages the separation of the sexes, and distorts one’s views of the other, does not help with this.Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-57345650390784466172012-09-20T12:50:06.925-07:002012-09-20T12:50:06.925-07:00If my daughter judges herself or my son judges wom...If my daughter judges herself or my son judges women because of a cartoon I have failed as a father,I am to blame for that not some escapist media.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-70784684829816639862012-09-20T12:37:02.827-07:002012-09-20T12:37:02.827-07:00I don't think its inane at all.Every complaint...I don't think its inane at all.Every complaint you have made is so exaggerated beyond the reality of the issue at hand you destroy your own credibility.Her breast aren't even close to DD's and the fact that your so obsessed with them says more about you than anybody else. <br /><br />Also I collect 80s toys,I was doing some research on the value of certain carded thundercats figures and thats how i ended up here,youre comparison picture caught my attention that's all.<br /><br />I think you assume a lot about other people based on your own feelings.Shes a well balanced character that has anime proportions(have you compared panthro's waist to his chest width? hes ridiculously disproportionate) shes strong confident and her boobs just aren't that big and shes dressed like someone who needs freedom of movement ,also shes covered in fur so nothings really ever exposed.<br /><br />Also this blog is called cartoon vixens and has sexy cartoons pasted all over it.<br /><br />Listen,I have a daughter and I want her to be a strong ,confident ,independent woman one day and as her father its my job to communicate the difference between art and real life to her so she has the faculties to watch thundercats and understand ITS A FUCKING CARTOON! and in no way represents real life the same way i teach my son that firearms are to be taken seriously and you cant go around shooting people because people do it in video games.Your suggestion that kids cant tell the difference between an exaggerated cartoon world (the word cartoon means "a non realistic caricature" by definition")and real society says more about parenting than anything.<br /><br />My son is respectful to woman and my daughter has been on the honer roll for 3 years,is 1st chair violin in her schools orchestra and is going to be going to japan on the exchange program .I don't think thundercats has damaged either of them.<br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-33574845421028994372012-09-20T10:10:50.963-07:002012-09-20T10:10:50.963-07:00Firstly, lots of people care about this, as you ca...Firstly, lots of people care about this, as you can tell from my post and from the violent response to it.<br /><br />Second, she's not an individual, she's a character, created by people, and manifesting THEIR thoughts and motivations.<br /><br />Moreover, I am not the only one singling her out, because you likely searched for her, and most of the people above probably searched for her.<br /><br />As an experiment, I checked various searches in Google that are likely to bring people to this page. The Number-1 search is for "new cheetara."<br /><br />People ARE singling her out, and that's why I did, because I knew they would.<br /><br />Your last question is breathtakingly inane. Congratulations.Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-23005405793619942452012-09-20T03:07:47.462-07:002012-09-20T03:07:47.462-07:00I have seen every episode so far and haven't t...I have seen every episode so far and haven't thought of cheetaras tits once.people like you pointing shit out that no one cared about or noticed is why kids are going to have sexual hangups.Shes an individual female character period with strengths and weaknesses, you're the one singling her out.Have you ever even seen DD's.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-63750659512780302572012-08-10T18:26:28.855-07:002012-08-10T18:26:28.855-07:00Wow! Thanks for the point. That truly does confirm...Wow! Thanks for the point. That truly does confirm it. It was more than just "sometimes," too. It is a definite reference.<br /><br />It is very interesting that the badge of "sexual inversion" would have been widely known. It makes me wonder about the sexual progress that we have made as a culture. This was over thirty-five years before Stonewall and it was a salient enough element of society to reference it as a joke.<br /><br />I find the fact that homosexuality, "confirmed bachelors" as it were, was accepted, just so long as you kept it behind closed doors. Try to actually go outside and you ended up with "gay raids."Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-34367056540468964482012-08-10T13:40:49.770-07:002012-08-10T13:40:49.770-07:00You are correct about Koko's appearance in &qu...You are correct about Koko's appearance in "Any Rags?" At about the 5:00 mark, a figurine of Atlas is being auctioned off by Betty's friend, Bimbo. Koko the clown agrees to purchase the figurine, acting very effeminately in the process, and Bimbo shouts, "SOLD to the man in the red tie!" The inside joke here is the reference to red ties, which were sometimes worn by Gay men in the early 20th century as an identification symbol.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-60682228909130419132012-07-10T09:41:45.987-07:002012-07-10T09:41:45.987-07:00Nothing you have said negates what I argued. Congr...Nothing you have said negates what I argued. Congratulations.Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-73158543115829347472012-07-09T22:39:31.204-07:002012-07-09T22:39:31.204-07:00This post on Cheetara seems to be just another PC ...This post on Cheetara seems to be just another PC rant that we see on a never ending basis, would you ever write a post about how portraying Homer from the Simpsons as a moron is sexism against men? <br />If you really want to scream outrage at something on the TV that is sexist or racist watch the commercials between the shows for that, I defy you to find a commercial that doesn't show a white man breaking into someones home , stealing someone indentity, being portrayed a sex offender or a just plain being an scum bag.<br />Also you come off as bit of a grammer-nazi.<br />Sincerely,<br />The Internet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-23984931773425378872012-06-29T11:24:28.626-07:002012-06-29T11:24:28.626-07:00To comment, you have obviously made it this far.
...To comment, you have obviously made it this far.<br /><br />Whatever criticisms that you can conjure, trust me, I have answered them at least twice in the threads above. Go and read them.<br /><br />I'm tired of getting the same damned comments over and over. And this is only in the comments that I have allowed to be posted. I've received hundreds more with the same arguments, while also being filled with near-illiterate invective.<br /><br />If, after you read EVERY comment, you think that your criticism has yet to be covered, please, feel free to post it. I will respond.Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-53866057497802432152012-06-29T11:02:22.276-07:002012-06-29T11:02:22.276-07:00Dude.
Boys have been growing up in a sex obssesse...Dude.<br /><br />Boys have been growing up in a sex obssessed media culture since the sixties. Why do you think this is somehow new?<br /><br />Hell, look at Daphne and Velma from Scooby Doo. Daphne, pretty but an airhead, goes off with pretty boy Fred, implied frequently they're just making out. Velma? Smart, but plain, implied to be lesbian. Can't do anything without her glasses and loses them in almost every episode.<br /><br />Sexism in cartoons aimed at kids is not new. The only thing I get out of it is it screwed up your childhood memories, so you're mad. BTW, you realize Cheetara is an adult female, naked with a pubescent boy in the first episode of the original in his bedroom right? What sexual overtones?<br /><br /><br />From what I've seen, it's a good show. A lot of the original character virtues she had in the first are present in the second. But, you can look at it skin deep.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-89884387079780621152012-05-27T23:36:30.920-07:002012-05-27T23:36:30.920-07:00Having watched 23 episodes of this series, the reb...Having watched 23 episodes of this series, the reboot it quite good!<br />I don't mind the new design as the taste of the design is based of the current culture standard. The whole design of the original series was from the 80s when leotards, mom jeans and fluffy hair-dos are norm. Every era has its preference for sexiness. But yes Aron I do have to agree that the image these new generation of anime-based girls give a wrong impression of what women should look like. I guess the culprit is the whole anorexic image created by the mass media. And this certainly didn't help that the design is handled by a Japanese studio.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-54202764227970654042012-05-22T18:43:32.858-07:002012-05-22T18:43:32.858-07:00Thank you for your astute, competent, and grammati...Thank you for your astute, competent, and grammatically correct comment.Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-8193812836922708002012-05-22T16:44:57.440-07:002012-05-22T16:44:57.440-07:00Ok lets get one thing straight. it's a fucking...Ok lets get one thing straight. it's a fucking cartoon that came from a comic. it doesn't have to look real.<br /><br />And tell me when a cheeta has to have a ton of space for Organs. does it really matter. it sounds to me like your just ranting your ass off about it. yeah in avatar they have a huge breast size, but who gives a fuck. it's a cartoon. why be pissed about it, just dont watch it, and they will have to make it better. if you want to complain about it, then make a dam petition. Seriously, lets use some common sense. And there voices. Who gives a fuck, as long as it sounds kinda close to what it should be it's ok. not to mention the fact that it's on Cartoon network, A Kid's tv central. <br /><br />Your definitely sexist. <br /><br />Re-read your Reply to Anonymous#5..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-60157712023778838272012-05-17T03:47:15.781-07:002012-05-17T03:47:15.781-07:00I know I am jumping in late, but I have to make a ...I know I am jumping in late, but I have to make a comment earlier about female heros and villains needing to be sexy. Something that aaron said earlier. I can list a few, just for a few heros. Fantasic fours she-thing, galactic guardians nikki and replica, Infinity watch gamora, x-men Where should I start, Karima Shapander aka omega prime sentinal, kitty pride was never over-sexed, the original rogue was ugly, Karma, Hope summers (Amazon type of build, I'm not talking about the wonder woman type), Dr. Moira Mactaggert, Lilandra Neramani, All the female morlocks except calisto, and she didn't really have breasts to speak of, Sunpyre, Dust, Blindfold, Cipher, Bling, Onyxx, and lady deathstrike. To be quite honest a lot of them don't look that great, and almost no bare middriff. I could go into villians and those that are neither heros or villians. I won't say that there isn't alot of sexism, and I do like the older cheetara more. You take something like she-thing, which is basically thing slightly shorter and with breasts... tell me how sexy that is. I want to point out that there are alot of women heros that aren't nessicarily all about sex. Tygra, cheetara and panthro are older than the other three and to be honest Tygra was the oldest, aside from jaga and one other that came later in the series, but I can't remember his name. One more thing to show you that a woman with a c-cup and up can be a professional athlete, I will give you five names and their sport out for the 22 I found. Clair Bidez- Snowboarder, Maria Kirilenko- Tennis player, Leryn Franco- Javalin thrower, Alicia Sacramone- gymnist, Gina Carano- MMA. Sexism is also a two-way street, men are musclebound idiots, women are sex objects. Sometimes I think men get it worse than women, if a woman speaks out about it its ok, if a man does its a terrible travesty. There is just so much to cover to do it in one posting. Both sides are affected by sexism.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-57843801057843789772012-05-03T15:03:10.694-07:002012-05-03T15:03:10.694-07:00Well, I am not feminist at all, and I think that n...Well, I am not feminist at all, and I think that new cheetara shape is not good for fighter. The old one was very athletic and sexy too, but this new one is just sexy. But there is nothing to do, that is a new standard, even if unrealistic. By the way, I love to see sexy cartoon women. But I am sorry, this one can´t fight a kid!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-56739438611529849832012-05-01T11:23:00.861-07:002012-05-01T11:23:00.861-07:00I don't think that you have any worries. I ser...I don't think that you have any worries. I seriously doubt uptake of this will happen. I have friends in the electronics and engineering world, and those interpolation features on televisions that "upgrade" frame rates to 120fps are the single most complained-about element of modern TV's. It's not even close. No other element of modern TV's generates as many calls to customer service.Aaron Martin-Colbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07160246744287286823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2659110920081354244.post-17519986679821957592012-05-01T07:04:43.705-07:002012-05-01T07:04:43.705-07:00Yeah...that's pretty much how I feel, too. Ju...Yeah...that's pretty much how I feel, too. Just trying to get a film look has taken a lot of funds and very much lighting knowledge and work. Now, the big guys want to tell us that cheap looking, high gloss, 48fps or more is the way to go. I wish I had all my time and money back.DP Craighttp://cellardoorcinema.comnoreply@blogger.com