Why Cartoons Can Effectively Bridge the World Together

Growing up as a young kid we often got nagged by our parents, teachers, and elders in the family to limit the number of cartoons we watch. We’d often hear things like "it’s a waste of time" or "go on learn something instead" or the famous tool of comparison used by parents and teachers, - "look at your friend Rob, he is learning so many things and look at you, wasting your time". "Be like Rob!" I am sure every single one of you has gone through this phase in your childhood. Not a very good experience being compared all the time. If you’re one of the few lucky kids who didn’t have to go through this phase, consider yourself lucky!

Why is this important? It is very important because as kids with young developing fragile minds, we often start building images or beliefs of the things we have been told by our elders. Of course, this is not to say that everything our elders tell us is wrong, most of their teachings are for our own betterment. However, that does not mean they are always right. Elders are simply teaching us things that were taught to them and so the cycle continues since it isn’t questioned. Sometimes it can be a vicious cycle.

I specifically chose cartoons because cartoons are the most underappreciated and underestimated tools of education in my view. In fact, most times cartoons are seen as an object of leisure, and or distraction. Parents normally assume cartoons are necessary to help make their kids happy through movies, television-based cartoons, toys, etc. Famous examples would include McDonald's happy meal strategies, Disney cartoons and Disneyland, and other famous cartoons that I cannot think of as I write. In short, for many parents, cartoons are also an expense.

As I grew older, I came to understand that educational institutions do what parents want. After all, education is a big business, isn’t it? Parents would hate to see cartoons used in education. In fact, some educators are often left with this paradox where they’d like to implement something new, but parents would and can express dissatisfaction about a teaching methodology they aren’t comfortable with. And guess what, education is a business. If a school does abide, another around the corner will cater to parent's needs immediately. And thus, vicious cycles continue.