(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

Sometimes I want to add or correct something at the TV Tropes Wiki, but I refrain. Doing so requires registration. If I become a registered Troper, I imagine I'll find it even harder not to spend hours on the site. (I've gotten more resistant, but not enough to trust myself.)

Recently, I was reading a page on negative depictions of humanity in general. To my surprise, "Fraggle Rock" came up. Some Troper thinks that Jim Henson expressed his own opinion when the Fraggles, especially Traveling Matt in his narrations almost every episode, consistently referred to humans as "silly creatures."

Now, I haven't watched the show since I was 6 or 7, but I'm pretty good at remembering trivial TV details. The behaviors I recall Matt observing are hardly silly, aside from them sometimes mistaking him for human. They construct a building, and he admires the size but hates the taste. A paperboy throws a newspaper into a house's mail slot, and Matt interprets this as pet feeding. If there's a take-home message in addition to the humor, it's not that humans are silly but that we should avoid ascribing silliness to other cultures. It's a matter of understanding.

...
Eventually I recalled an incident that, in retrospect, shows a side of Matt we don't normally see. He sees two men step onto an empty elevator, and the next time the doors open, two women step out. His conclusion: "They changed into females!" Then he gets into the elevator himself. So, um, did he assume it would be reversible, or did he fully expect the next postcard to Gobo to be signed, "Love, your Aunt Traveling"... whatever? I know Matt is adventurous, but gee whiz.

Comments

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

I saw Fraggle Rock for the first time when I graduated from high school, and it was pure awesome, even though it was supposedly below my age group. Most of Jim Henson's works hold up very well when you grow into an adult; I wish I could say as much about the TV shows I watched as a kid.

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, what shows did you watch as a kid? Or are they too forgettable to mention?

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

It's the fact that they're not forgettable that scares me the most. The worst of the lot are Lidsville, H.R. Puffnstuff, Electrowoman and Dynagirl, and the low-budget Hanna-Barberra cartoons like Jabberjaw, Captain Caveman, and Hong Kong Phooey. There were a bunch of live action shows that seemed fine for kids but become very lame when seen through adult eyes. And oh yes, Lawrence Welk, my parents loved that for some reason.

I did get some good stuff as a kid though, like pre-Elmo Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and The Wonderful World of Disney (loved the animal stories and nature documentaries especially).

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

H.R. Puffnstuff, Captain Caveman, and Hong Kong Phooey are the only ones I've heard of, the last one mainly as an example of what not to do. Okay, possibly Laurence Welk.

Elmo wasn't always obnoxious, BTW. I rather liked him back when he was a secondary character and more likely to ask to join games than lead them. Three-year-olds in general are much less annoying that way.

[octan.livejournal.com]

Huh? No it doesn't. I've been editing anonymously ever since I forgot my password two weeks ago (figures the one site I decide to use a unique password and then wind up forgetting it is the one site that doesn't have a password recovery option).

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the information. Still, taking an active role in an addictive site remains risky.

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

Guess what? I gave in to the temptation and edited the wiki in several places. But I haven't done it anonymously.