December 18, 2007

• Coo Coo Cola

  Lantis showed me this video the other day.  How he remembered this clip, I will never know. And that there is someone else out there who liked it enough to post a youtube video including it is something that I find totally remarkable. But then, it’s far from the most obscure thing I’ve seen on youtube.

  Ah old cartoons. They really were great. There were all the disney cartoons – rescue rangers, tail spin, darkwing duck, ducktales, etc. Not to mention the extraordinary Gargoyles.  And there were so many other classic shows like transformers, he-man, GIJOE,  Thundercats, Animaniacs and even the short lived Pirates of Darkwater. And dozens more.  No matter how you look at it they just don’t make cartoons like they used to.

  Sure there’s Avatar now, but that’s just one cartoon, even if it does trump almost everything I mentioned above. It also lacks that “cartoon” feel to it. It’s more like an anime. It doesn’t try to express any kind of simple morality in a kind of episodic revelation like old cartoons did. Rather it’s more of a serious epic tale, like reading a novel almost. It’s not the same. Where are the high quality mindless fun cartoons? They don’t seem to exist any more.

  Anyway, Coo Coo Cola was an interesting episode. Lantis says that you can’t really tell from this clip but the overall episode has a theme about the importance of belonging to a group, of having something to which you belong that’s more than just you by yourself. That’s why we develop connects and become friends with people. In order to belong.

  If that’s the case, then Coo Coo Cola is I think even more subtle than my friend suggested. It seems to be showcasing the subtle line that can be drawn between belonging to a group and being indoctrinated into part of a cult. The first is something human beings need in order to feel complete. The second can be corrupting and even dangerous. Cults take “belonging” to the next level, where you act as or in favor of the group independent of your own individual reason. Rather than you contributing your individuality to the betterment of the group, the group suppresses your individuality in order to ensure that you fit into the mold expected of the group.

  It can be a subtle line to draw I think. In order to become a part of a group you do have to sacrifice a little bit of yourself . Your own wants and needs have to be partially suppressed in favor of the needs of the group. You can’t always go your own way. You can’t always do exactly what you want most. But it’s easy for the desire and thirst to belong to the group to become so strong that you end up giving up more of yourself than is healthy. Rather than being part of a group you end up being part of a cult.

  hmmm… With a message that profound maybe I’m wrong to characterize these old cartoons as “mindless fun”.

  Well here’s a clip that I remember that really was mindless.

  • 1:42 pm
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