Transformers: A reflection of America’s dualistic nature

This goddamn Hub channel keeps playing terrible cartoons from my childhood. It started with G.I. Joe and now its Transformers. Let me state up front that Transformers is a terrible cartoon, with convoluted plotlines, horrifically inane dialogue, and is actually a stupid idea when thinking about it – various vehicles transforming into giant robots = stupid. I know a good deal of people like Transformers and I don’t mean to insult their intelligence (which I hope I’m not doing) but I just find it insipid; I have no idea why I liked this as a child.

Last night I recorded an episode about a group of Autobots and Decepticons traveling back to medieval times. The other episodes I watched (or rather, tried to watch) recently were too dumb to finish but I felt a time travel episode may prove entertaining. Turns out it was. However, it wasn’t the antics of these transforming robots that I enjoyed; it was the critique of energy consumption that I enjoyed more.

G.I. Joe

G.I. Joe, the children’s cartoon from the 1980s, has returned, appearing late at night on an obscure cable channel called Hub. I used to love this show as a child, buying the toys and the propaganda Hasbro was selling. Watching the show again, well over 20 years later, I still find it fun but for different reasons. Instead of seeing it as a fun, action-packed animated series, I perceive it as a highly unrealistic piece of propaganda – selling both ideology and cheap plastic toys.