CARTOONS

All over Facebook this weekend, people have been replacing their profile pictures with those of their favorite cartoon characters, or, at least, cartoon characters that had some meaning to them as children.  I'm not sure of the logic, but this has something to do with showing solidarity for the victims of and the prevention of child abuse.  On the subject of child abuse, I'm agin it.  On the subject of changing my profile picture, I'm so technologically inept that I don't know how to do it.  (Anyone viewing my on-going attempt to get this blog up and running can testify to that ineptitude.)

     Since Kitty and I share a Facebook page, we posted what our cartoon characters would have been.  Mine was Crusader Rabbit and Rags the Tiger; Kitty's was Rocky and Bullwinkle.  It's just as well that we are Luddites -- all four characters wouldn't fit in our profile picture.

     Then I began to wonder:  What cartoon (or comic strip/book) character would I not want to represent me?

     Maybe Bambi's mother?  The thought of being venison is a tad disturbing to me.  Sponge Bob Square Pants?  Living in a pineapple would make me feel cramped.  Any one of the boy sidekicks (Robin, Aquaboy, Speedy, and their ilk)?  Not that there's anything disturbing in those relationships.  Casper, the Friendly Ghost?  Sappy.

     No.  What I have to go with is any of the early Disney cartoon heroes, ala Prince Charming.  Being handsome and strong and brave has it strong points, but these guys lose a lot of points with their relationships with women (girls, actually).  First, I think the girls are usually wa-a-ay too young for them.  And second, they treat their women as lesser beings, if not as chattel.  A strong, independent woman would never be considered as an equal partner.  Until the The Little Mermaid, most Disney cartoons were too damned chauvinistic for me.  I've worked hard to (mostly) beat the chauvinist out of me; I would hate for my cartoon character to take a big, regressive step back.

     The question remains.  What cartoon/comic strip/comic book character would you not want to represent you?   No need to be philosophical here, just who or whatever first comes to mind.