No child should ever watch this episode! This episode teaches kids that the solution to violence is --- MORE VIOLENCE!!!!
Arthur hits his little sister, and everyone in town is mad at him because of it. Arthur keeps saying he doesn't understand. No one in town bothers to explain to him why violence is wrong.
Then Binky Barnes is dared by the other members of The Tough Customers. The dare is to hit the next kid who comes along. That happens to be Arthur. Binky avoids Arthur all day so he won't have to hit him. But then Arthur runs to Binky to return the pen that Binky had dropped. The Tough Customers tell him to hit Arthur now, and he does.
Arthur's reaction is to thank Binky. Arthur says that because Binky hit him, now he knows that hitting is wrong.
This teaches kids that when someone is acting violent, the solution is more violence.
To make it even worse, no one in the episode explains to Arthur WHY violence is wrong. The only thing anyone says is that it's wrong because in both cases -- Arthur hitting DW and Binky hitting Arthur -- the victim was smaller than the person who hit them. That's it. It's wrong to hit because they're smaller? So... if someone is bigger than you or the same size as you, it's ok to hit them? And if someone is being violent, we should respond with more violence?
No wonder our country is increasingly violent. This is what 90s kids were taught.
Arthur hits his little sister, and everyone in town is mad at him because of it. Arthur keeps saying he doesn't understand. No one in town bothers to explain to him why violence is wrong.
Then Binky Barnes is dared by the other members of The Tough Customers. The dare is to hit the next kid who comes along. That happens to be Arthur. Binky avoids Arthur all day so he won't have to hit him. But then Arthur runs to Binky to return the pen that Binky had dropped. The Tough Customers tell him to hit Arthur now, and he does.
Arthur's reaction is to thank Binky. Arthur says that because Binky hit him, now he knows that hitting is wrong.
This teaches kids that when someone is acting violent, the solution is more violence.
To make it even worse, no one in the episode explains to Arthur WHY violence is wrong. The only thing anyone says is that it's wrong because in both cases -- Arthur hitting DW and Binky hitting Arthur -- the victim was smaller than the person who hit them. That's it. It's wrong to hit because they're smaller? So... if someone is bigger than you or the same size as you, it's ok to hit them? And if someone is being violent, we should respond with more violence?
No wonder our country is increasingly violent. This is what 90s kids were taught.