All Things Change

Before each post I like to talk the topic through with someone else. You know, develop a stance and consider other perspectives on the issue.

So thanks to a heated debate with my three year son I am able to present this post refined and informed. Although helpful, he’s a touch distracting as I’m needing to occasionally pause to stop him from drawing on his arms and legs. Skin, the Three Year Old’s ever ready medium.

So the debate topic was Dora the (expletive) Explorer, or more precisely the much maligned character Swiper the fox. I am very aware that attacking children’s television characters like Barny, the Tele-tubbies, and Sesame Street Characters etc is passé. But the Dora the Expletive really gets me agitated.

She’s not like other friendly kid’s characters who model nice behaviour, she’s preachy. She takes everyone else on HER adventures so no one else gets to use their imagination. She’s the kind of kid that introduces herself by saying, “Hello mister, I’m Dora the Explorer. I’m going on an adventure. I’m going to choose which friends go with me. I’m really smart. I know everything. Do you want to be my friend because I’m really great! Yay!”

Dora controls the games, makes the rules, and thinks everyone likes her.

But worst of all by far is Dora’s prejudice attitude toward to Swiper the fox. Poor old Swiper is continually accused of being a thief. Even before Swiper enters the story Dora warns everyone that Swiper just wants to steal stuff. The reader or viewer has to say/yell out loud, “Swiper no swiping!”. What a missed opportunity, because she could have said, “Hey everyone lets be nice to Swiper so then we can be friends. I think he’s lonely and just wants to join in.”

A self centered, pushy bully. But of course when I suggest to my three year old that Dora’s not being very nice to Swiper he takes the side of the ever wonderful sources of truth… TV and Dora.