Sunday, November 13, 2016
In 1985, Ron Milner of Axlon created an adorable little bear, simply named AG Bear. Children loved this adorable little bear, which mimicked the words spoken to him. I'm sure that Morris Michtom, the creator of the original teddy bear, named after Teddy Rooservelt would have been intrigued and would of enjoyed owning an AG Bear himself. Shortly after the success of the AG Bear , creator Ken Forssee of Hasbro envisioned and released the ever so loved Teddy Ruxpin in 1986. This little bear, far less huggable due to his hard little tummy, would read stories to the children. He was loved and adored by children worldwide, In 2012, Seth MacFarlane, stretched the limitations of childhood by creating a character named Ted which was received by mixed reviews. His interpretation of taking a fully animatronic talking bear and placing him in an adult situation comedy was the beginning of the end of teddy bears being viewed as merely children's entertainment. But now we have pushed the envelope of acceptance to being introduced to Black Mirrors' version of Waldo, a repulsive, immoral, degrading, vulgar, and sexually explicit blue little teddy bear who is far removed form the original intentions of Ron Milner's envisionment of a talking bear for children's entertainment purposes. 
Likewise when our military service men gave their lives for our freedom of speech, I truly doubt they envisioned their blood being spilt for the rights of a little blue teddy bear being used to degrade our political arena process. This is just another example of how immoral our nation has become by exploiting the rights of free speech. Free speech was certainly not intended to be used as a means of bullying. Their blood was not spilt to give us the right to be able to mistreat, demoralize, degrade, or humiliate one another.
The piece of cinema ology Black Mirrors was legal, by the legal standards this great nation has adapted. But we must ask ourselves, our God, our moral conscience, is legal the only standard we need to hold ourselves accountable to. Just because we are within our legal rights to behave in such a manner does, it mean that it is in our best interest as a nation as a whole to conduct our entertainment in this fashion? I'm confused as to how our nation can laugh and represent such things as Waldo as entertainment, and then in the same time tell our children that bullying, and treating each other in this same manner is intolerable and unacceptable. We say to our children "Do as I say not as I do". Do we not realize that it is with that same tongue that laughs at such repulsive immoral and vulgar comedy, that our children are listening and learning from? We as a nation need to be aware of the messages we send the next generation as to what is acceptable entertainment, treatment of others, values, and morals. Because just as Ron Milner did not envision Waldo, I doubt the creator of Black Mirrors considered the consequences of his interpretation of Waldo would have on the future generations either. 
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