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A comment on The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of “Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends”. Parent comment

Re:The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of “Thomas the Tank En... by westiseast on Friday September 29, 2017 @05:26AM (#15363880)
It annoys me too. The interpretation ignores all the obvious positive lessons in TtTE and only accentuates the post-modern and political interpretations as if they're the major themes.

I remember one episode where the Fat Controller hires new engines to break a strike. There's obvious political overtones there that reflect the times it was written in perhaps. But in the context of the kids watching and learning, it's about not throwing tantrums to get your way, and the new engines being polite and humble in their work.

Conversely, a lot of the modern cartoons around are about breaking rules, getting away with stuff because the protagonist is 'special' and fighting.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of “Thomas the Tank En... by Maarten88 on Friday September 29, 2017 @05:59AM (#15363986)
> ... hires new engines to break a strike... about not throwing tantrums to get your way ...

Would you really cast that as a positive lesson? I have never watched this series as a kid, but it seems really awful and confirms the argument of the article.

In the moral system I was raised in (EU), people have a legal right to strike and helping break it is highly immoral.

To me it seems abusive, and ignoring historical lessons, to teach this kids the other way around.

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Re:The Repressive, Authoritarian Soul of “Thomas the Tank En... by zAy0LfpBZLC8mAC on Friday September 29, 2017 @08:08AM (#15364542)
> I remember one episode where the Fat Controller hires new engines to break a strike. There's obvious political overtones there that reflect the times it was written in perhaps. But in the context of the kids watching and learning, it's about not throwing tantrums to get your way, and the new engines being polite and humble in their work.

Do you think there is ever a legitimate reason to challenge authority? I mean, what determines whether going on strike is "throwing a tantrum"? Is it the mere act of disobeying authority?

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