Deconstructing Cartoons: Dragonball Z and Starship Troopers

Another message that is portrayed in this cartoon is that the female endangers the other members of the squad. In other words, it shows the female cannot perform the same functions as a male does. That is why in this cartoon it portrays the female as a tomboy. It views that the females should not mix their business with male business because it is socially not accepted. In reality, majority of the time females have the same abilities as the males.

The categorization of females and males is one message that is viewed by the children, but there is another categorization in this cartoon. It portrays the clumsy, uncoordinated people as weaklings. They are not as muscular, agile, or even attractive. Plus, in same way they are viewed as females, sensitive and delicate. Yet, it shows the weaklings to be book-smart intelligent or known as "nerds". Children would view that uncoordination and being a nerd as weak. They would view being book-smart as a link to becoming a weakling.

Here in this cartoon, the strong is considered to be male, muscular, aggressive, attractive, demanding, and smart.

As I stated in the beginning, cultural environment of the writers and creators would have an effect on what kind of messages the cartoon portrays. For example, here in the United States the females are considered to weak, fragile, delicate, and are not as a capable as their male counter-parts. Plus, the nerds of the American society are envisioned to be the thin, four-eyed geek who is always on the computer or who always has his face in the books. On the attractive scale, it is considered in the society that the strong, tall, and attractive males are the ones that females dream as being their dream husband.

Children can also view another separation of ability and categorization. In the cartoon, just as in the American society, whites are the majority and the non-whites are the minority. The cartoon portrays the minorities as the ones who are taking the orders and not the ones giving the orders. Children who are considered to be minorities might view themselves as being inferior to the majority. They are not as capable and have fewer opportunities as the whites.

The second cartoon, Dragonball Z, is a cartoon that is also violent but not as much compared to the Starship Troopers cartoon. It is a cartoon depicting martial artists' from different planets and one character who is the ultimate fighter of the universe.

To start on the other cartoon, Dragonball Z, I will start on the cultural environment of the writers and creators. They are from Japan and as it is known from history and tradition the females are inferior to the male. The females are considered to be obedient and to honor their male counter-part. In this cartoon, the females are weak, troublesome, and the ones who cry majority of the time. Plus, it has the females staying at home while males do most of the work outside. The message that is shown to children is that females are inferior to males and they are to stay at home while the man gets a job to support the family.

Children would view in this cartoon that the females are submissive and easy to satisfy. While the males are the ones who are viewed to be aggressive, not easily forgiving compared to females, and the ones who provide for the family.

The cartoon shows different colored people and all of them have special powers. There is one who is considered the ultimate fighter of the universe and in this cartoon his culture is the minority. Indirectly this show sends a message that children with a minority background can also rise to the top even if the odds are against them. The minorities in this cartoon behave in a way that is according to the rules established by the majority because they try to avoid trouble. That is similar to the way today's society is, but the minorities are unaware of all the rules that they are governed by.

The difference of the cartoons is that the American society is more liberal as to the females' position in the male world. In the cartoon, a female in the American society is more likely to speak out and be insubordinate. As for the female in Japan, she is more likely to keep her thoughts to herself and view her ideas as inferior. There is not much difference between the two when it portrays the females and minorities position in the society. In other words, there are more similarities between the two than there are differences.

To compare the similarities of the cartoons, they depict the female as inferior to the male. The female is not capable of male jobs and do not have the same opportunities as the male. They both show the male as the natural home provider or worker of the family and the female as the one who stays at home. When compared with each other their similarities are pretty evident to the children's' eyes that both cultures are at agreement when considering the females' position in a male dominated place. The minorities are placed also in another category that is inferior to the majority. Children would pick up on this and treat others accordingly to their status. Plus, the likelihood of the children to display such violent behavior as in the cartoon is high. Children learn from observation and are influenced through what is shown on television. The importance of the two cartoons to children is the violent, but cool action the shows produce. The violence is what attracts ratings and viewers. Accordingly, the violence depicts the changes of the societal attitudes. Violence before was not viewed on television, but now it is shown on television around the clock.

In conclusion, the cartoons contribute to the influence of children's behavior. They view how the minorities are governed and judged by the majority. These cartoons are just a couple that sends messages to minorities on how they see themselves in today's society. For example, the female may find herself restricted to household-type jobs and minorities in petty routine work. Plus, the minorities opinions have very little value compared to the majorities is yet another example the children will see in these cartoons. The children will have constructed an idea of how to treat and categorize others through the viewings of these cartoons.

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