It is no secret that I have an overactive imagination, in fact most the time my mind is in about 5 different times and places doing a million different things. This active imagination of mine is kind of why I started acting. After college, with the loss of easy access to pianos and violas, I needed a creative outlet to contain my constant daydreaming. Acting was a way for me to "Play" the scenarios that took place in my mind, and I get to pretend to be other people, it's the greatest thing in the world. So it really should come as no surprise that one of my favorite cartoon characters is Calvin and his pet/toy/best friend Hobbes. Calvin always had the best adventures with Hobbes, but he never left his backyard. This style of play was the staple of my childhood, and I drew inspiration from Calvin! So when I came across this rewritten version of the best comic ever, I almost cried. This is what Calvin would be like if he were a modern day child and today's child psychologists got a hold of him:
(Don't know if I can legally show this, but the copyright is on still on it!)
And just like that, no more adventures, no more cannibalistic snowmen terrorizing the front yard, and no more imaginary friend (I can feel the tears coming again!). I think the reason this is so sad, is because it is true. Psychologists today would more than likely spend 10 minutes with young Calvin, prescribe 3 different medications for ADD and ADHD, and call him cured (there is nothing wrong with him in the first place!). Then I look at all the other children in comics that I grew up with: Charlie Brown would be on anti-depressants while Lucy van Pelt was in anger management courses and Schroeder was being treated for OCD. Dennis the Menace would be in a home for boys with behavioral issues, and Hagar the Horrible would be a contestant on "The Biggest Loser" with Garfield!
Sorry, went on a bit of a tirade there, but when you think about it, it's really scary and sad, especially for a guy like me with a highly active imagination and a Peter Pan complex to top it all off. I keep thinking, if I were a kid today, would my parents have medicated me? If so, then I would never have even thought about acting as a creative outlet, and I would not be posting on this blog right now.
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Oh MY!! Unfortunately that could be true.
ReplyDeleteAdults are terrible when it comes to thinking like children. They impose their thoughts on free youn minds and demand conformity.
Oh My oh my oh my. My turn to cry.
I'll cry right along with you, dear Apollo. My sweet, imaginative (and somewhat bloodthirsty, with piratical tendencies!) 5 year old would be right there, medicated and miserable, if I wasn't homeschooling him. Instead, he's free to run around bouncing off the walls, pretending he's sieging a castle with his spaceship (while I go, huh?!?) We live a privileged life...most of the present-day Calvins aren't so lucky.
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