Care Bears and the Reagan White House
I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a free admission. I am a child of the 80's. I was just a kid when Ronald and Nancy Reagan were in the White House. But it was those years, more than any other, that have shaped my world view. My formative years. So watching all this reflection about the 40th president on his passing has really just served to make me painfully aware that kids today have no idea what Care Bears are all about.
I know, you were waiting for me to wax poetic about Reaganomics or something. I don't really do politics, I just cover them, so I'm choosing not to get into that.
I will say, though, that it really irritates me to see Care Bears back on store shelves. Don't get me wrong. I loved them. I had Wish Bear, myself... though Funshine Bear was the one I really wanted.
The point is this: love him or hate him, you can't utter the phrase "the end of the Cold War" without thinking of Ronald Reagan. And for me, growing up at the height of Reagan's public challenge to the Soviets and Communism itself, Care Bears had just as much to do with the end of the Cold War as Reagan himself. How could anyone talk about nuclear weapons and warfare in the face of a Care Bear stare? Love and hugs could fix any conflict.
But that's why it bothers me to see Care Bears on the shelf. There's no way my little boy will ever completely understand what it was like to think about the possibility of the U.S. or Russia setting off a nuclear war by accident... or on purpose. He'll never get the significance of Reagan's challenge to the Russian president -- "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The world is different now. He will never understand that sentiment of "hands across the U.S.A" or "we are the world." Care Bears are completely over his head. The only reason they're on the shelf is because marketers think people like me... who grew up when I did... are going to wax sentimental about them and buy them for today's kids.
Not me. I'll steer my little fella in the direction of Bob the Builder or Blue's Clues, but I'll keep my Care Bears to myself.
I know, you were waiting for me to wax poetic about Reaganomics or something. I don't really do politics, I just cover them, so I'm choosing not to get into that.
I will say, though, that it really irritates me to see Care Bears back on store shelves. Don't get me wrong. I loved them. I had Wish Bear, myself... though Funshine Bear was the one I really wanted.
The point is this: love him or hate him, you can't utter the phrase "the end of the Cold War" without thinking of Ronald Reagan. And for me, growing up at the height of Reagan's public challenge to the Soviets and Communism itself, Care Bears had just as much to do with the end of the Cold War as Reagan himself. How could anyone talk about nuclear weapons and warfare in the face of a Care Bear stare? Love and hugs could fix any conflict.
But that's why it bothers me to see Care Bears on the shelf. There's no way my little boy will ever completely understand what it was like to think about the possibility of the U.S. or Russia setting off a nuclear war by accident... or on purpose. He'll never get the significance of Reagan's challenge to the Russian president -- "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The world is different now. He will never understand that sentiment of "hands across the U.S.A" or "we are the world." Care Bears are completely over his head. The only reason they're on the shelf is because marketers think people like me... who grew up when I did... are going to wax sentimental about them and buy them for today's kids.
Not me. I'll steer my little fella in the direction of Bob the Builder or Blue's Clues, but I'll keep my Care Bears to myself.
posted by Becky @ 3:08 PM
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