Captain Planet IS MY HERO!!

* Note... I just had to put this video in its stinking hilarious LOL GO CAPTAIN PLANET lol read the blog below


Captain Planet Really Was My Hero!

By: Natalie M.
Date: January 25, 2010

“Captain Planet he’s our hero
Gonna chase pollution down to zero
Gonna help him put [them] (2) under
Bad guys who like to loot and plunder…” (1)

The lyric of this song plays in my mind every now and again. I can remember waking up early Saturday mornings in the 90’s as a kid and watching what many would describe today as good wholesome television. Yes they were cartoons, and even though back then it was manly for entertainment and enjoyment, subconsciously we were learning great wonderful tidbits of knowledge about our environment and planet. This knowledge came so clear to us in a manner that we could understand then easily, yet the concept was so big that we still cherish it and heed to those same teachings in our more mature years. Those were the days.

So, why are there no prominent environmental shows for the younger generations of today? How will they learn to take care of our planet? It is sad to say that there are very scares preprogramming like Captain Planet available to the young generations of today. No more television shows like Captain Planet, Tarzan, Smurfs, Widget the World Watcher, or even Bill Nye the Science Guy. These shows that talked about saving the planet, respecting the animals, learning to speak for nature and its inhabitants when they are not able to speak for themselves, and better understanding the habitat that we call home have now been replaced with shows of a more popular economic consumer motive. Show’s like Degrassi : The Next generation, Sailor Moon, Pokémon, Digimon that would benefit big media corporations not only by the amount of views they had on their shows but by marketing strategies that helped them to create consumer products like action figures, card games, fashion accessories and clothes that related to the show for kids to get their parents to buy it for them. This is now where the money and the motives lay and the younger generations are being sucked into their trap like a swarm of bees to honey.

There needs to be a change. Television networks need to install more environmentally friendly TV programming for the younger generations like they did when I was growing up. It helped my generation to be more environmentally alert citizens which is lacking in those who are coming up after us. It seems that as consumerism takes the lead as a popular trend the media could care less about environmental consciousness being sold out as well.
It is wrong, saddening and immoral from many view points. Having shows like Captain Planet in my youth has helped me to become a more environmentally conscious person, and many people of my generation who I have gotten an opportunity to talk about our influences for environmental choices that we make often point back to television shows that we had watched and enjoyed during our youth. I see the difference when I look at how my brother and sister interact with their environment only being three to five years apart from me, they have missed out on being able to be impacted by these shows that have helped me to understand that it is indeed wrong to throw my garbage on the street, or that we should take every opportunity we can to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. These values are now harder for them to grasp where as to those like me it becomes our second nature.

What are we to think when the media presents such a dual message to us? On one hand they are begging for us to wake up and change because we are now at a point where we see the negative impact that our negligence has done to our planet, and on the other hand they are feeding the younger generations of tomorrow the notion that it is okay to remain practicing these careless acts of over indulgence, and consumerism from their tender ages. The same minds that they are polluting could otherwise be the impacting change for a greener future with the right mind set and values instilled into their lives. Words like…

“We're the planeteers,
You can be one too!
'Cause saving our planet is the thing to do,
Looting and polluting is not the way,
Hear what Captain Planet has to say:” (1)

I for one am grateful for the sense of power these shows let me understand that I posses as a person who is willing to help keep our planet as healthy as possible. I believe that by putting back shows like these on the television for the younger generations to watch enjoy and learn we can gain a greater much needed response for the future. They need to understand that…

“THE POWER IS [THEIRS] (3) !”(1) too.

CYA, RESPECT

Reference:

(1) Lyrics to captain planet theme song provided by: www.lyrics007.com
(2) us original word replaced with {them}
(3) YOURS original word replaced with {THEIRS}

It is Our Responsibility (A thought on the recent events of Haiti)

“It’s our responsibility “A thought on Recent events in Haiti
Blog #2
Where can I begin?
When I heard about the events that had happened on the little island called Haiti to be honest it didn’t register to me what exactly had happened. I heard very little about it because I don’t really listen to the local news due to the fact that it is often filled with stereotypical degradations of ethnic minorities who commit crimes in urban dwellings against their own people but anyways that is a story for another time. So in my mind I thought it was just some minor tremor that was over exaggerated to add some hype to the news stations. The big story for the beginning of the year, the one they mention just before 2011 rolls in as one of the great stories of 2010. But how sad it is for me to say that I was wrong and this was not the case, the devastation is indeed very grave, and if anything the news reporters could not explain enough how much of a tragedy the earthquake is. Although I cannot explain why things like these happen and will not ever try to justify a reason for hundreds of thousands of lives being “stole” as I like to call it, I will address two issues out of the insurmountable number of issues that has arisen and probably will continue to arise concerning the way that we as humans, as societies, global communities, and sentient beings react, respond, and relate to this catastrophe.
1. It Is Our Responsibility…
One of the things that I have observed with this event in particular in comparison to events that have happened in the past is the willingness and urgent responsiveness to this situation. What I mean is we have taken it upon ourselves as a global community to help out Haiti. This is something that I have not seen before with recent events. Or rather the level of camaraderie that we are showing in the few days that this tragedy has happened has never been demonstrated before on this level. We are very aware of the Katrina situation, in which even though many people were touched and trouble by the devastation, the urgent press to help was not demonstrated as quickly as it is being demonstrated now. I sit and wonder what could be the cause for this? And I figure that because there was a public accusation directed to the government especially the American government with not helping out its own citizen’s people are now trying to make up. Now that’s just what I think. And frankly this sense of guilt that has swept us as a nation, continent, and global society is working towards their benefit and eventually our benefit. After all I truly without a doubt believe that these sorts of situations are our responsibility, to help our fellow persons in times of devastation and hopelessness is something that we must take on ourselves. And it pains me to see when these situations happen that it is only a few who take on the reigns and run to the rescue. Too many times have crossed my path where people are unable to empathetically react, respond, and relate effectively towards these situations, especially in North America where these sorts of catastrophes rarely occur. Many people look at the news and basically pass it on and would never think twice about doing something or taking action. I would really like to know if it is a matter of the situation being too big that we think it very hard to even take time to make ourselves knowledgeable about the situation. Or is it that we do not care? Whatever the case may be people I urge you to take some action. Even if it is giving a donation to a charity that will appropriate the funds accordingly to help others who are in need. Things do not mend themselves and if everyone sits down and refuses to take a stand then there will be no progress. Never think that the little you can do won’t make an impact. We need to understand that everything that is done whether for good or for bad affects something, or someone out there. So when you do something to help it affects the life of even one person, and that one life counts. YOU count. So make a better change today!

I will continue with part II another time…
2. Cheating Ourselves to Win…

CYA RESPECT