The Unwritten Moral of Pokemon - Miscellaneous - http://maxpages.com/hbdragon882/unwritten

Ah, an unwritten moral, one integrated in television shows. Pokemon has a dangerous moral written in its game and show, one that will be discussed in full detail here. The Net Nomad has a section about this of his own, but that is just a section; this is a whole page. This covers the GBC [Game Boy Color] game and the [Pokemon] show, so have a nice time:

Plain and simple, the unwritten moral is you’re a loser or a winner. What’s wrong with that? The targeted age group, 6 to 10 years old, doesn’t know any better. Those kids, the ones that are so stupid as to stick toys in their mouths, are also not adept to distinguish between fiction and real life.

Such as, when you travel through Mt. Moon, Diglett’s Cave (or Tunnel), Rock Tunnel, Victory Road, or the Power Plant, you keep on engaging in stupid battles with wild Pokemon. That’s not good at all. Because when the targeted age group is so young, it eventually drills into them: it’s good to fight, it’s good to! Eventually, gradually, they will think that they have to fight.

Battling with trainers, especially in those places mentioned above and in the sea routes, is extraordinarily perilous to kids that are developing skills for later life. You can’t run away from trainers or decline to fight. AAP and PKMN fans may argue that it teaches the moral to stick to your goal—but in reality, it does just the opposite. It teaches you that you cannot drop out of your goals, can’t rearrange them, which can lead to stress.

Most especially, when you’re battling trainers (they spot you) and you can’t decline, meaning that you have to do it, you have to. This doesn’t do anything positive. Little children’s minds are developing at this stage, and learning bad from Pokemon is no exception. They keep on fighting, capturing, battling, and more, they will eventually do it in real life.

Now, I know that there are people that will argue that kids can distinguish fiction from reality. I know this, and I say this: over and over again, you will think it’s right in the long run. I know it because it has happened to me. I keep on thinking that it’s good to play Pinball, and eventually, for a short frame of time, I actually thought that it was OK to play Pinball whenever I want, like watching Pokemon or playing the game. And that was now, when I am in eighth grade.

Fiction/Reality separation doesn’t end when they turn a certain age. The slowing down of the recognition differences speeds up with playing of Pokemon. It’s an effect, if played long enough, that will linger in the mind for years. I felt the short-term effects of it during my testing of Yellow.

The show is another interesting subject of the unwritten moral of Pokemon. The unwritten moral is, of course, about winning and losing. But the emphasis was not positive, it was more like a loser image. Why, you may ask? Because I know. I’ve watched several episodes of Pokemon to discover, and I have an example outlined:

Ash has gotten to Cinnabar Island to crack several riddles and find the gym leader, Blaine. He nearly kills Pikachu in the lava trying to win the battle. Finally, after feeling the heat, he screams, “Stop!” and Blaine strides away, telling to cool off in the hot springs, where his Pikachu will heal. So, when he starts sapping off stuff you can’t back up just yet, his friends doubt him. “I don’t know how you can win against him, Ash…” Misty says, which is a huge representation on how other people feel after losing, not happy and with a casual shrug, but with scorn and disdain, and that isn’t good sport.

Another example of this “losing-must-be-be-poor-sport” unwritten moral is at the last boss, Giovonni. Gary has landed outside the gym to find Ash there, and slightly irately pushes Ash aside to battle the eighth gym leader despite the fact that he has already ten badges. Once there, with Giovonni’s Mewtwo, Gary quickly loses and I believe that he gets knocked out. He wakes up to find Ash kneeling beside him, asking if he’s all right. Gary’s cheerleading team is pouring their eyes out, crying, “Gary lost! Gary lost!” and that to me is poor sport

A third example or poor sport or losing is when Ash defeats Team Rocket (Jesse and James) and Team Rocket refuses to give him the badge. “Hey I won!” shouts Ash. “Well, I am a cheater!” cries Jesse gleefully; then making faces at Ash and dangling the badge in visible sight. Regardless of weather Ash receives the badge or not (when the gym explodes he does, by Team Rocket just so happening to drop it in his hand when Jesse let goes of the badge), that is poor sport, to not give the proper certification that he won. The battle is to get the badge, if he wins, then he should get it, not withhold it! This is an extreme case of poor sport.

Every show has an unwritten moral. Some or good, some are bad. The ones that are bad, if they don’t have widespread popularity and have such a wide and appealing age group, it would not be so much of a problem. But, Pokemon does have such widespread popularity and a wide appealing age group, causing doubts and reactions to linger in the minds of both [Pokemon] lovers and [Pokemon] haters. That’s why the show needs to change. And this [page] states why it needs to.

A Note by the Owner (6/6/02):

I have received a guestbook entry stating that it is just a cartoon show and that kids can distinguish between fiction and reality. That’s not true. With the targeted age group--6 to 10 years old--there's also the exceptions. Kids as young as two are watching this show. When, in every episode, they see this and they see that, eventually it will drill in their heads that they can do that and that and survive. That it is good to fight. That if you get hurt really badly, you just faint, nothing wrong with that. And that’s not good. Kids shouldn’t be thinking that way. Kids should be exposed to learning or at the very least something that doesn’t teach that. There is a better way.

Don’t get started on Power Rangers or something of that matter. Power Rangers is a whole lot different. It, currently, has been running for nine seasons; if there was a problem, like kids getting hurt or slipping in grades, then it would have been canceled a lot earlier. But when it runs for nine seasons, it’s OK and should not be bothered.

Copyright Info (6/22/02):

All pages and text are the copyright of HBdragon88. Do not post this on any site for any reason, except where I give my written consent (see below to e-mail me about this). This info is not to be used on ANY Anti-Anti-Pokemon or Pokemon sites. No info is to be stolen and be used commercially and/or for private use, it is to stay on this site. Being dodgy won't help you; I will find you eventually, whether it's a tip-off from one of my friends or I personally find it. Don't even think about it.

windyaso-ap@yahoo.com

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Page Updated Sat Jul 27, 2002 11:26pm EDT