Pedagocially rich?

[levy120]

No.
Just no xD

And I actually GUESS that this is the reason BLoSC doesn't air on Free-TV over here, despite all the gags and comedy.

The first time I saw this series - it was Nos-4-A2 on Veoh - The episode opened with the takeover of a ship in a HUGE Gun-fight.
The actual Plot didn't start until 5 MINUTES (from 20!!!) where Zurg explains that this takeover had a REASON - more or less. If he wanted Nos to be shipped to Star command he could have delivered him directly anonymously without the takeover - but we want the GUNFIGHTS right?
Besides, the Pilot of the ship got almost KILLED in the progress - but that's okay, because it's a robot, right? Right.

Second episode that I saw, because Kila provided it first for download here, was Enemy Without a face - Team lands on a planet with 2 people nearly killing each other - later in this episode it is declared that this all is due to a parsit, but still - lots of shooting.

Like there was this person once who did this really Awesome General BLoSC "Trigger Happy" video. It sadly got taken down. It was Eclpise'd (where are you girl? I loved your vids *sniff*) but it was perfect.
Flimmo, however, a magazine of our workplace about children and media would rate BLoSC "not suitable for kids" because "violence is used in the name of good without further question" and the really only Moral you can earn from any episodes that are NOT BANNED (like Drugs = No good) is that "Evil never wins" But this kind of Moral will lead the children up to a Black/White thinking.

Now discuss this >

[eez]

Pedagogically...Ooh! Big word! Great use of Evil Marketing! Big words are always frightening...

AND EVIL WON'T GO AWAY; WITHOUT A FIGHT!

Bah, black and white thinking...it's not healthy. It doesn't show moderation and compassion, as well as the ability to distinguish other means of achieving a goal. Black and white make grey, and that's not just because human eyes are developed that way.

[Blacksteel]

It's the standards for children. This supposedly helps them tell apart good from evil... although in my opinion, if the good enjoy taking out the evil, aren't they just as evil as the evil in the end?

[Skyfire]

Not exactly… There’s a difference between enjoying all the lasers and 1337 maneuvers that make up your job, and enjoying hurting people, y’know? If Buzz actually enjoyed hurting Zurg or Warp or whomever, then we’d have a problem – a BIG problem. (Am I the only one who’s thinking Anakin Skywalker here? ;D) Now, Buzz does let Rentwhistle Swack more or less beat up Nobert Klerm in “The Main Event,” and our hero is clearly amused. However, Buzz is already annoyed at Klerm, Klerm does deserve it, and it’s not going to permanently hurt anybody.

If a Space Ranger doesn’t enjoy his job, that probably means one of two things: a) he has a more solemn outlook on life, or b) he doesn’t even want to be a Ranger.

At any rate, yeah, there has to be standards, absolutes. Grey isn’t healthy, and if you teach a child that, you end up with serious problems. I’m the oldest of several kids, and my youngest sib was born when I was in my mid-teens. You can bet that I know what I’m talking about here. Black-and-white thinking gives us the wonderful personality that is Buzz Lightyear – grey thinking gives us the still-wonderful-but-not-actually-desirable personality that is Warp Darkmatter.

And as far as Levy’s original post goes…

HOLY COW!! This is a science fiction, ACTION/ADVENTURE show!! There’s SUPPOSED to be action!!

And hah! You know what episodes my MOM would ban if she could? “Gravitina,” “The Plasma Monster,” “Headcase,” and “42” – because things are said and done in these episodes that don’t belong AT ALL in a show that’s SUPPOSED to be for CHILDREN. Admittedly, “The Plasma Monster” doesn’t have an innuendo, but the “love” conversations were still drawn out more than Mom liked.

“Wirewolf” was banned, right? Well, that one I can certainly understand – first time I watched it, I was 10 going on 11, and my brothers were even younger. It SCARED us. I could still have nightmares about it when I was in my mid-teens, no joke. First time I’ve seen it since was last winter – and this time, I could enjoy it. But it’s not really an episode for children. If anybody here was really young when they first watched it and could take it, that’s fine – good for you. But I think it is just too scary in general for kids… mm, 12 and under? Yeah, I guess.

At any rate, aside from Evil Never Wins and the “No Drugs” in Supernova, there are STILL more lessons!

• “Lone Wolf”: don’t ever give up on what’s right
• TAB: the importance of teamwork
• “Little Secrets”: lying to cover up your mistakes don’t work
• “The Planet Destroyer”: the importance of family
• “Large Target”: disobedience can have pretty HUGE consequences (lol)
• “The Crawling Flesh”: no matter what or who you are, you can make an impact
• “Ancient Evil”: some people need a second chance…
• “Dirty Work”: sometimes, you have to adapt, even if you don’t like it
• “The Return of XL”: even when bad stuff happens to you, you have to keep on going
• “Devolutionaries”: obeying the people in authority over you is important
• “Downloaded”: pretty much the same
• “Panic on Bathyos”: get the facts before you jump to conclusions
• “At Large on a Small Planet”: same as “Crawling Flesh,” but much more emphasized
• “Rookie of the Year”: obedience and teamwork
• “Wirewolf”: the importance of listening to friends
• “Tag Team”: this one has some of the most philosophical talk in the whole show, and you can take any number of ideas from it
• “A Zoo Out There”: use what you have to win ^^
And there are probably more, but I think I gave you guys a pretty comprehensive list. ;D

[eez]

Actually, letting someone beat up another in your presence especially when you are a peace officer is a form of corruption; hence, a smidgen of evil. I know this. Who's the Criminal Justice major here~? If you really wanted to stretch, Buzz Lightyear isn't all good--he's not all White.

And the same goes for Zurg.

While Zurg does dabble in the maniacal and sadistic, he also has morals. Did you see him kill little Becky on Roswell? No. Did you see him actually create a real Planet Destroyer? No. It was more like a Planet Relocator. Of course, this was probably to bring the planets back later to rule, but what I'm trying to say here is that Zurg is NOT Evil Buzz Lightyear; who is entirely Black.

Zurg isn't all Black, just as the Good Lightyear isn't all White.

So you see, Grey is more common than you think.

When you see in Grey, you see things that a Pure-White and a Pure-Black cannot see. You see Reality for what it is. The Pure-White is too optimistic, the Pure-Black is too pessimistic; generally, of course. They could be too Good and the other too Evil. Whatever depends on the situation.

Now, as for Darkmatter he is a different type of Grey. Darkmatter is what we'd call Chaotic Neutral--which is a more Grey leaning over towards the Black side of the spectrum; the Evil side, I guess you could say if you wanted. Chaotic Neutrals tend to do what they want, what's best for them, at the cost of being lawful or more positive on the alignment grid. Basically most Anti-Heroes, such as Darkmatter.

A person who sees in True Neutral--or True Grey--is often times more healthier than their counterparts. They are neither caught in the lofty idealism of White, nor are they caught in the morbid, cynical scowls of the Black.

They see Good and Evil for what it is.

[Blacksteel]

Oct 10, 2009 7:13:20 GMT -5 Skyfire said:

Now, Buzz does let Rentwhistle Swack more or less beat up Nobert Klerm in “The Main Event,” and our hero is clearly amused. However, Buzz is already annoyed at Klerm, Klerm does deserve it, and it’s not going to permanently hurt anybody.

Just as Qorg states, seeing as Buzz is an officer whose duty is to uphold the law, and through his actions set an example, just because he is annoyed at Klerm doesn't mean that it was right of him to just stand there and smirk. Even though that's what I'd do--and probably everyone here seeing as how Klerm is such an annoying git--what would have happened if Swack had lunged for the kill? Would Buzz have just stood there still smirking? Seeing as he even allowed Swack to attack Klerm is already going beyond his jurisdiction. He should have never even allowed it, even though it is a part of human nature.

According to the philosopher Hobbes people always try to satisfy their wants and needs. This is something even ancient Greek philosophers have debated about for centuries. It's a primal reaction deeply integrated into human nature, and even though Buzz did succumb to it, as an officer, he should have known better. So even though he's not actually taking pleasure in delivering pain, he's teetering very close to the precipice, and that sets a bad example to the audience, and to those around him in the actual show seeing he's an officer.

Oct 10, 2009 7:13:20 GMT -5 Skyfire said:

At any rate, yeah, there has to be standards, absolutes. Grey isn’t healthy, and if you teach a child that, you end up with serious problems.

Wait, what? Teaching a child that not everything is black and white is not healthy? Children should know early on that evil is not as blatant as it is portrayed in shows. They ought to learn how to recognize the signs from an early age. True evil hides behind a façade of seduction and wondrous offerings. The so-called evil directed at children is mostly associated with ugly, uncouth, and often dimwitted characters, while in reality those who are evil are usually cunning, sharp-witted, suave and often beautiful in appearance. If children learn to associate evil the way it is portrayed in cartoons and believe it, I'm afraid that will have serious consequences for them in the future and prevent them from developing critical thinking.

Oct 10, 2009 7:13:20 GMT -5 Skyfire said:

Black-and-white thinking gives us the wonderful personality that is Buzz Lightyear – grey thinking gives us the still-wonderful-but-not-actually-desirable personality that is Warp Darkmatter.

Grey thinking is not bad. It is realistic. It is seeing both the ups and the downs in both sides--to avoid using the terms good and evil and confuse you all. Because those who claim represent good are not all that's cracked up to be. Take, for example, the Crusades. The various priests, and the Pope himself, told the Crusaders to claim and conquer the East for the good of God, but what they really wanted was all the riches the East had to offer.

Plus, episode-wise, I don't think some of the points you selected are the core message the episodes wanted to convey. I personally think that in "Wirewolf" the moral lesson was that you should never let your jealousy get the best of you. "Ancient Evil" is basically about letting sleeping dogs lie, or not letting your curiosity get the best of you, as well as second chances and "The Planet Destroyer" was basically saying that lying isn't worth it, because the truth will reveal itself sooner or later.

[eez]

Also, I'd like to bring up the incident about Lightyear letting Swack beat up Klerm again.

Sure, in a cartoon you can be allotted some leeway and break the rules of physics but since BLoSC very much acts like a realistic cartoon--in some ways, not all--it is to be expected that if Klerm were to be hurt in any way, shape, or form and Lightyear wouldn't do a thing to stop it, Lightyear as well as Star Command could be sued for their neglect of the law.

It happens in real life police agencies, and it's a very big no-no in Criminal Justice.

A good cop does not let people beat each other in front of them. XD