Disuss Anti-Pokemonism

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

I stole a post from Crazy Elf Boy...

My one possible contribute to this thread ever is this story (Yes OMG Windows Live messenger finally popped out a story which is interesting to me) The Top 10 most banned Cartoons, guess which is number 1

http://www.yourtv.com.au/news/?i=152429

So this is a thread where we laugh at people who think Pokemon is evil. OK, that joke was lame. But like mr_pikachu said, we haven't had too many discussions on anti-Pokemon movements these days. So here we can share opinions against Pokemon you have encountered. Of course, we can also tell our own opinions on those opinions.

Here in Finland people used to think they had a problem with Pokemon. It was somewhere around 2000, the Pokemon phenomenon had just landed in Finland. Adults protested because kids took their Pokemon trading cards to school and "ignored schoolwork because they thought about Pokemon all the time". So you couldn't take Pokemon Trading Cards to school anymore. Also the anime got its share, they accused it of hidden advertising. They first omitted PokeRap and Who's that Pokemon. Then the whole series wasn't seen in Finnish TV for a while until it got an absolution.

Personally, Pokemon had an opposite influence on me. For some odd reason, I was able to channel the energy which I got from playing and watching Pokemon to schoolwork. Yes, I'm strange.

[mr_pikachu]

Thankfully, we haven't had too much anti-Pokemonism (I like that term) in America lately, to my knowledge. It may be partially because Pokemon isn't quite the wild craze it was at its inception, but it's just as likely that school administrators and religious radicals have begun to realize that rallying against the "evil" of Pokemon is counterproductive. Besides, there are worse offenders than bikini James they can waste their time targeting.

On a side note, I don't think you're entirely alone in your feelings, Mikachu. The beginning of middle school was very rough for me, for many more reasons than the usual cliques, peer pressure, and so forth. Pokemon was a daily activity that helped keep the world from spinning out of control.

[classy_cat18]

Shoot, I had to hear anti-Pokemon comments during sermons at church. The pastor would say how Pokemon was an idol god and was turning children away from the true God. Good thing Mom didn't see it that way.

...Then again, Mom likes to watch Charmed. It'll be like the pot calling the kettle black.

[Austrian ViceMaster Alex]

I think pretty much everything that is very popular gets gunned at a lot as well, there are people who just want to let it be known that they don't go "with a craze". I don't think they even have any particular reason not to like it. I don't miss the anti-Pokemon talk at all personally. I always liked Pokemon because the games are good. No matter how childish or obscure a game is, for me only counts whether I find it good or not.

[Drago]

Pokemon was pretty much the same as any other cash cow I'd ever been affiliated with; though I find it funny how it seemed to me as though it received more opposition than one of my prior obsessions in Ninja Turtles (where destroying things with large weapons was fun and exciting!). As aforementioned, there seems to be less vehement opposition to it now simply because it's found itself coming back to ground - kids aren't obsessive about getting the games, the cards, the books, the platform shoes - these things are still popular (well, perhaps not the platform shoes), but they aren't that big a part of kids' lifestyles these days.

My school was very much within their right to ban the cards with the amount of theft that was going on (I know I had a fair few cards stolen... I was only 13 man, and these people were like in year 11... how incredibly low can you stoop?), but other than that, Pokemon had a very positive influence on my lifestyle. It was simply something I enjoyed a whole lot, and it really made my creativity begin to flourish again. The problem now is that it doesn't capture the imagination the way it once did, no doubt the result of the series' direction growing stagnant 'look guys, we're still cool!!'

But hey, fads come and fads go - the Pokemon series will remain, but the fad of Pokemon has seen its day in the mainstream consciousness. Kids here are obsessed with Ben 10 now. I know nothing about it. ...And I've completely digressed from the point, haven't I?

[classy_cat18]

I dunno...I still see the Pikachu float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. And it's been almost ten years since they've started it.

[MToolen]

I feel very blessed to have a school with students that celebrate people's love for random things such as Pokémon. Then again, I'm in the music department and we are a bunch of freaks.

[Dominus]

Well, one reason for things like Ninja Turtles and He-Man not being pounced on was, essentially, that they were released in the 80s. Pokemon came out when the moral watchdogs were more alert, so to speak. However, as to Anti-Pokemonism itself, it's mostly silly dreck, unless they're just hating on the show, then they're right because the show is idiotic drivel. Personally, my school didn't ban pokemon cards, because the card game just didn't catch on in my school, there were more MtG people there, and we all regarded the Pokemon card game as drivel. I STILL regard it as drivel. What DID get banned was Pogs, 'cause everyone had 'em and 'gambling' was an inherent part of the way the game was played.

[classy_cat18]

Well, one reason for things like Ninja Turtles and He-Man not being pounced on was, essentially, that they were released in the 80s.

I remember Mom telling me how my cousin couldn't wear stuff with the Smurfs on it because his parents thought they were evil.

...Remember, I come from Alabama. A big chunk of my family lives below the Bible Belt.

[Dominus]

well, the smurfs WERE communists

[DarkestLight]

Huuge communists. Papa Smurf was the only one to be ballzy enough to let it be known.

Umm, back on track here. yeah, most television influenced culture in the 80's weren't anything to worry about. If you look back on it now, people say the craziest things. I mean take He-Man. Nowadays I hear so many gay remarks about ol' Prince Adam, its insane.

Yeah, he had a mopcut and a pink shirt and fur boots and stripped down to his nickers and a chain outfit when he powered up....

whoa.

Umm back to Pokemon-yeah parents were all over the place with trying to poke at things that were completely wrong about it. At first, I got made fun of for playing it when it came out. Yeah 3 weeks later and a few episodes in the first season everyone was all about it. Nowadays my friends dun even worry, they know I'm gonna be playing it til I'm 90-but the Anti-Pokemonisn rants here have long since fell off.

However POGS should have never been banned I miss that game alot. It would have taken over Scuzzies, I believe.

[Dominus]

POGS actually had some reason to be banned, as actual gambling was a part of the mechanics, as much as I hate to admit it.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

Sorry to quote only a post that I have read like 10 days ago already, but I want to add some lines that I didn't dare earlier, although you can get the idea from my topic Truth about Mikachu Yukitatsu. I think Crazy Elf Boy and some other users haven't seen it, though, and I still accept comments via PM.

Pokemon was a daily activity that helped keep the world from spinning out of control.

Talking about out of control? Now I'm telling some personal things, be warned. And I certainly hope this post won't shock you. I don't know if I should call that anti-Pokemonism but especially when my mental health went down in 2004 people said to me that Pokemon is kids' stuff and I should leave it. One person even asked if I had had this Pokemon thing before I got ill, just as if it was a part of my problems. I prety much wasn't allowed to watch or play Pokemon in the hospital. Or at least they didn't recommend it, after all, they said I'd get the games and tapes back if I really insisted. When the hospital period was about to end, I got to play the games once a week though.

The problem was that I had had Pokemon-related hallucinations. I can't remember all, but I did hear something that reminded of Pokemon like Professor Oak talking and when I watched Pokemon anime I got strange thoughts and also although the eppies were in Finnish I heard Japanese lines such as "Tatoe hi no naka mizu no naka". But it wasn't Pokemon alone, I heard also cries from DragonballZ and had strange Matrix-related thought patterns. I hope this wasn't too off topic.