Are people too sensitive these days?

Coming from the Dude, Not Funny! thread... Well, I now have to wonder.

When we talk about something being too gross or too mean in a cartoon, are we all being too sensitive?

I mean, there are a lot of people who treat the slightest hint of something gross or mean like they just saw a spider.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I would love to know.

People just loves adding examples to Tropes.

If there's one thing about this site is when it comes to examples, tropers love to over exaggerate.

Yeah, people on this site talk about "infamous" episodes when they really aren't infamous at all outside this website.

(I randomly used that smiley because I love it. forever!)

edited 2nd Feb '14 8:50:09 AM by RembrandtQEinstein

I use to be like that, but then I realized that at the end of the day, cartoons aren't real and you're not supposed to take them seriously. I mean someone tried to add Chalk Zone as a Sadist Show for crying out loud!!!

edited 2nd Feb '14 9:03:30 AM by MsCC93

That's funny because I thought everyone hated Chalk Zone for how sweet it is.

I didn't.

But to the point, we're living in a more sensitive world. If Ren And Stimpy had been pitched today, it'd fail because everyone would think it was too "icky-poo."

Same with Cow And Chicken, Courage The Cowardly Dog, The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy, The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack... All some of the best cartoons of the 90s and 2000s.

There is a difference between being sensitive and so unable to take even the slightest bit of discomfort that you run under the bed. A lot of people follow the latter, apparently.

edited 2nd Feb '14 9:23:01 AM by Aldo930

How could you hate Chalk Zone D: . I think there's good reasons for being more sensitive, sense people are trying to consider the feelings if others

edited 2nd Feb '14 9:21:45 AM by Xopher001

Don't forget how Sanjay and Craig is getting criticized for things Ren And Stimpy and other old Nicktoons did, while the latter gets a free pass via Nostalgia Filter.

I actually like Chalk Zone. It is also a sure reminder of how stupid Nickelodeon's Hate Dumb is.

edited 2nd Feb '14 10:41:54 AM by Jinbo71

I've never seen the show and I don't really want to but you are, in fact, right. Attacking a show for something that's in a show you like is extremely dumb. Either say it was never good then and it isn't good now, or don't say it at all.

Most Hate Dumb, especially in animation, is stupid. Could you explain how it's stupid, though?

Only difference between those older shows and now really is that more current shows are coming out in an age where people more readily have the internet as a platform to voice their opinions on it. Nostalgia Filter does play a role, but at the same time, it's also not common to dig up an old show to rant on why you found it offensive.

As for people being more sensitive, I'm on the fence. I think there are some sites (tumblr namely) that end up being Hyper-PC but overall I think it's fair game to voice any criticisms against a show.

edited 2nd Feb '14 11:21:22 AM by Lionheart0

The thing is, we should be encouraging people to develop thicker skins and not start ranting and raving about how mean this character is and how gross this scene is. There are legitimate cases for those things, but when you get to the point where people are claiming Chalk Zone is a Sadist Show... Well, you see what I mean.

In a word, yes. I think that people forget that these are fictional characters. In the adult animated comedies that I am a fan of, I don't care if a character does Jerkass things or is a Karma Houdini. If they make me laugh, I am a fan of the character.

Somebody here once pointed out to me that people here born in the later half of the 80s and beyond tend to be more sensitive about certain things than us older tropers. Most of you seem to be in that age group, so maybe there's some truth to that. I blame Pokémon for this phenomenon.

edited 2nd Feb '14 11:30:02 AM by redhed311

I blame the Bronies, the school system, and... the tuba...

I also have a soft spot for hilariously unlikable characters. I'm a big fan of Robert Armstrong's "Mickey Rat" comics, for example.

I do think this means bad things in real life too. If people can't take mean stuff or gross things in cartoons, what the hell will they do in real life?

edited 2nd Feb '14 11:35:14 AM by Aldo930

That's debatable. Claiming something is not offensive just because you weren't offended can be just as close minded as the people who post their knee jerk reactions.

What needs to happen is people having actual discussions, not shouting matches.

edited 2nd Feb '14 11:50:42 AM by Lionheart0

What needs to happen is, yes, discussions, but more teaching people that there is worse than icky-poo gross stuff and characters being mean to each other. The way people react to some things using those you'd think the show brutally murdered their family.

Media is important. I think that's one of the principles of this site.

Taking it too seriously when other people takes fiction too seriously is twice as sad as the original action.

Somebody's gotta do it.

No, not really.

Nobody does. In fact doing it is probably the worst thing to do.

What exactly is it? I don't even know where we are.

I believe people hate those shows (and Chalk Zone for some) is that the main characters who we sympathize with frequently get the short end of the stick.

Of course, that's pretty much full-fledged Cowboy BeBop at His Computer right there.

I can barely remember Chalk Zone myself, but I can't even remember that happening to Rudy.

edited 2nd Feb '14 1:09:30 PM by Aldo930

I actually think this all the time really. Hell, I've mentioned it a few times in some places in variants when frustrated with it. While I do believe in compassion and all that, I do think there is a line between being a decent person and being soft.

edited 2nd Feb '14 1:13:03 PM by Prime_of_Perfection