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TMNT, and the transhumanist villian
I like to think of myself as the typical mother. I have two kids 7.5 and 20 months. I am also many other things that I won't go into right now. One of which, that's changed my popular culture perspective, is being a transhumanist. Which has required me to look at things differently than I did before. I feel that my eyes are open to a whole new perspective on the world and media. I tried to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles last weekend with my son/family. (BTW the old ones were much better. The turtles had eyes then. I'm not a fan of the revamping, but it's for him.) What struck me was the 'bad' guy, henceforth known as guy, in the cartoon, he was transhumanist. He was able to download all of the ninja, or advanced martial arts, moves so that he could do them too. Of course the turtles didn't like this and sought out to 'destroy' him. And of course they had to throw in the 'bad' guy's dastardly scheme, which was typical, but I was alerted moreso to the guy himself.
My son sees this kind of stuff and thinks that these type of people are bad. The good side is the natural side, but not in this quick manner of downloading and learning. Now that I think about it though, with shows like the X-men, also better when I was a kid and not around anymore, they are natural. However, their naturalness is from genetic mutation. Huh...this has caused more thinking and another tangent.
Back to topic, I couldn't see the end of the show unfortunately, daughter was hungry. But I did ask him later how the turtles defeated the guy. Apparently concrete and jail?! He's 7, so he exaggerates, but concrete? This is what they show children is the solution. That's not peaceful fighting either. At least the guy downloaded moves that were comparable to the Turtles. If he had access to that type of technology, he could've surely come up with something far worse to fight with.
All in all, it made me think of what other examples my children are exposed to regarding transhumanism and how to deal with it. I doubt this is the only one. If I knew what I was going to be watching I would've paid more attention and grabbed a notebook. Unfortunately, I was caught off guard, thinking cartoons with the family would be time off.
My son sees this kind of stuff and thinks that these type of people are bad. The good side is the natural side, but not in this quick manner of downloading and learning. Now that I think about it though, with shows like the X-men, also better when I was a kid and not around anymore, they are natural. However, their naturalness is from genetic mutation. Huh...this has caused more thinking and another tangent.
Back to topic, I couldn't see the end of the show unfortunately, daughter was hungry. But I did ask him later how the turtles defeated the guy. Apparently concrete and jail?! He's 7, so he exaggerates, but concrete? This is what they show children is the solution. That's not peaceful fighting either. At least the guy downloaded moves that were comparable to the Turtles. If he had access to that type of technology, he could've surely come up with something far worse to fight with.
All in all, it made me think of what other examples my children are exposed to regarding transhumanism and how to deal with it. I doubt this is the only one. If I knew what I was going to be watching I would've paid more attention and grabbed a notebook. Unfortunately, I was caught off guard, thinking cartoons with the family would be time off.
Comment
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Comment by Stuart on April 17, 2007 at 9:23am
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I know what you mean about the way Transhumanism is portrayed in the media. But look at it as positive - no publicity is bad publicity. And we need all we can get!
Don't be too worried about your kids either. I agree, there is definately a need to ensure their minds aren't corrupted. However I remember my first experience of Transhumansim, was Hordak, the "baddy" from She Ra who featured a lot in the He-Man comics of which I was a massive fan. He used to kidnap humans and turn them into warriors such as Dragstor (had a wheel in his stomach for getting about at speed), Snout Spout (robot elephant head) and Extendor (had robotic stretching arms and legs and head). As a kid, I found this facsinating, and despite him being a baddy, I found myself far more inspired by Hordak than the musclebound He-man. I even use his name now as an online gaming alias ;-). He actually started my voyage into transhumanism.
But nowadays I am continually banging my head when watching the mainstream media. It seems to have a great concept, and it ruins it by concluding with unimaginative endings where primitive humans beat transhumanists (TMNT, Dr Who, and all the superhero movies being prime examples.)
Great post, worthy of more discussion I think.
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Comment by Kristi Scott on April 15, 2007 at 1:16pm
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Chris: What's sad is, I don't think they're the only one's vying for our children. Ahh, the Muppet's, good choice. Spongebob and Dora rule our household. At least those are tolerable and amusing to everyone. I ended up being Swiper from Dora as nicknamed by my kids :D (Credit card reference from my husband.) I'd kill the TV, and some days I want to, but I'm a pop culture junkie at heart, so TV and media will never make it to full banishment. I enjoy a good mind-numbing break every now and then. Oh how low some can go...and how amusing it is to watch them do it....I hope to look into this more someday
Richard: I haven't scene Dr. Who, watch station is that?? That sterotype is exactly what needs to be addressed really. Why must the desire for betterment be seen as such a devious measure? I think it's in the fear of the unknown and advancement. It's a large step to take and especially for those who are still unfamiliar with the technologies we have today. I haven't made it past the marketing for Heroes into watching it. No insult to fans by any means. I was thrown off with the cheerleader ploy for viewership, now, having not viewed it, I cannot speak on its content. I thought the marketing was definitely advantageous to bringing in viewers. The cheerleader references worked in peaking my husbands interest, not strong enough to tune in though :D
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Comment by Christopher on April 12, 2007 at 7:59pm
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I've always had a feeling we'd be battling mutant turtles for the supremacy of the universe. We've underestimated their propaganda machine and their connection to Hollywood. Once they've got the kids...
my boy doesn't watch anything newer than the Muppet Show...when it comes to kids shows, they really don't make them like they used....excepting perhaps Spongebob....it's pretty clever.
oh yeah....kill your your television ;)
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