Tuesday, January 21, 2020
A strange convergence
I've discovered an interesting convergence between my vocation and my obsession with the strange and baffling comic "Heathcliff." It turns out that Heathcliff's father, identified as "Pops," is portrayed as some kind of career criminal who wears old-time prison garb even when he is not incarcerated. Which... is oddly consistent with a lot of toys for kids, where the "bad guys" are readily identifiable by how they look. That's pretty problematic in a lot of ways, of course.
For example, here is the Lego City "criminal" minifigure:
And here is his equivalent in the Playmobil world:
While at least these depictions don't play on racial stereotypes (though white dudes with scruffy facial hair don't come off so well), they do present some characters as permanent criminals-- the designated "bad guys." That's not really the way the world is, and it is a troubling thing to teach kids.
Anyways, Pops seems to be a pretty good parent regardless:
