Mia Doreen George

Professor Meaks

ENGL 21001-R

CCNY: S-209

5/19/26

Introduction: In this extra blog post, I approached it with more free reign than with the majority of my other assignments. I wanted to delve into something that I saw neglected in society; adults that watch cartoons. Usually these individuals get made fun of in adult spaces, but I wanted to write a piece to contest against that cruelty. In the future, I’d like to maybe put in some personally crafted interviews with the adults in my life that still watch their favorite childhood cartoons. I changed nothing about this piece for my portfolio, as I am happy with the job I did on it.

                                                           Extra Blog Post #2:

“Why is it important to watch a cartoon episode once in a while?”

As kids when we watched our Saturday morning cartoons while eating cereal, for those few moments of innocent bliss, nothing else existed besides the cereal bowl, you, and the characters on your screen. 

Now as an adult, I think everyone can agree that oftentimes life can tend to get overwhelmingly serious. Bills, jobs, responsibilities, family, friends, maintaining a good social life and reputation, and of course navigating the monstrous societal structures that only elevate one specific demographic. Heterosexual white men. 

Most people are shoved into having to figure most of this out at 18, as, in America, that is when one is legally considered an adult. It is frightening to wake up on your birthday knowing the world no longer gives you as much grace, as much room for hope, or as much tenderness. 

Adulthood has been made into this unforgiving beast of intensity. However, when it comes to neutralizing the stressful effects of all of this, a few things come to mind. Napping, talking about it, reaching for help from a friend, treating yourself for a day, etc. 

However, one primary thing that quickly comes to my mind is a piece of remembrance from childhood. Watching cartoons. 

In watching cartoons as an adult, and engaging with the positive memories we had with them, we can allow ourselves to be uplifted as well as relaxed. 

Cartoons also have positive messages that can reinstill hope into us as adults. It is said in the Little Prince 2015 film directed by Mark Osborne, the quote: “Growing up is not the problem; forgetting is.” That quote rings true for this argument. Most adults, as they get older, lose more and more of positive childhood instillments like hope, wonderment, and an excitement for being an explorer of life. This is because as we get older, we slowly get strapped into a cycle of lackluster. 

We need to intentionally bring whimsical outlooks back into our daily lives, we need to bring the reverence of childhood back, and we need to let ourselves fall into the exaggerated colorful world of cartoons again as they are there for the purpose of teaching, guiding, and providing a safe space for one to just be themself and forget their problems for just 20 minutes. 

As adults, we all need that.

“Changing is our normal state. Even if we’re not changing on the outside we’re changing on the inside constantly. There’s some stuff about me that I’ve been ignoring for a long time. I’m afraid of that stuff. But it’s part of who I am. As long as I know the shape of my soul, I’ll be alright.” – Jake The Dog from ‘Adventure Time’ (Cartoon Network; 2010)

• Mia Doreen George