My Friends Tigger & Pooh

[fluffywarthog]

I'm hearing minced oaths way too much nowadays. I think that the problem is that most people have never heard of them before. Companies aren't aware of minced oaths, so they use them in their products for even the youngest kids. The kids aren't aware of them either, so they say them themselves. The parents aren't aware of minced oaths, so they don't tell their kids not to say them.

You have no idea how depressing it is to back to almost every single thing that you enjoyed to read or watch when you were a kid and be offended by it.

"My Friends Tigger & Pooh" is a new Disney TV show that seems to be doing very well so far. Literally every time I've watched it, I've been offended. I recently recorded almost all the episodes, and I typed up a list of the things that I find offensive. But then I realized that, at the moment, there is no real reason to do this. Why? Because they won't listen. The likeliness of Disney voicing over more than forty lines of dialogue because of one email is almost zero. I do pray about this more than once per day, but really, we can't just sit back and rely on God to do everything for us.

There are many words and phrases, however, that may or may not be profane. Here are most of them:

1. Describing things unrelated to God as being "heavenly"
2. "I'm pooped!"
3. "I promise..."
4. "I could have sworn..."
5. "Nuts!"
6. "What in the world?"
7. "What on Earth?"
8. "Oh dear!"
9. "Shucks!"
10. "Bother!"
11. "What the?"
12. "Nerts."
13. "I'm pooped!"
14. "Yuck!"
15. "I could have sworn that..."
16. "Nuts."
17. To make promises
18. "Oh, boy."
19. "Oh, man."
20. This one requires some description. In MFT&P, in almost every episode, Tigger, Pooh and Darby say the "Super Sleuth Oath," which goes like this: "Any time, any place, the Super Sleuths are on the case!"
21. "Bless me!"
22. "Geronimo!"
23. "Bless you!"
24. "Oh, my!"
25. "Oh goodness"
26. "Ish"
27. "Yuck"

Sorry it's so long, but I would greatly appreciate it if someone would tell me which ones are profane. I've been keeping my mouth shut for the most part lately, because I was realizing that so many words were profane.

Part of the reason that this is urgent is because "Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie" is set to be released in November! You can be sure that Disney isn't going to edit something that is already on DVD!

Besides strictly religious websites, I haven't found any website that condemns the use of minced oaths. I've worked on a website called Clean Voice, but it's very small, and I doubt that it will have any influence.

Although this might not seem like a big deal when compared to other problems today, innocent children are sinning. Also, the companies that produce material are causing them to sin, and as Jesus said in Mark 9:42, "If they do, it would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around their neck."

Clearly this must be dealt with, for the sake of children AND companies alike. I hope that you can give me some advice and help me. I'm only a teenager, and I don't know much about businesses.

Thank you for reading, and God be with you,
Fluffy Warthog

[BensMom]

I agree with your thoughts. We've become so accustomed to hearing things like this (and much worse) on so-called "wholesome" family shows, that we often ignore it. I'm guilty of saying silly things like those myself without considering the real meaning. My son (almost 2 years old) is absolutely in love with Pooh. However, it bothers me that sinful things are in the original DVD. For example, when Pooh disguises himself as a rain cloud so he can steal honey from the bees, he asks Christopher Robin to lie for him and join him in "his deception" as he calls it by saying "Tut, tut! It looks like rain!" Lying is lying, even if it's from a bear to a bee. And what about the way Rabbit tries to lose Tigger in the woods or leave him dangling at the top of a tree. What kind of attitude are we teaching children about those who are different and perhaps even annoying?

[fluffywarthog]

Well, I'm not sure if that last example is bad. After all, Rabbit does finally give in and accept Tigger the way he is, after Tigger promised never to bounce again. (Of course, I'm still not sure about promises) I think sins such as that are OK, as long as it isn't treated as being OK.

I guess I've never thought about the raincloud thing. The morals in Pooh don't make all that much sense. When Pooh hears Tigger in the tree shouting, "HALLOOOO," he instantly comes to the decision that jagulars do that, and when you look up, they drop on you. Pooh doesn't really know what sin is, he just does things to do things.

But remember, in the Bible, there is quite a bit of sin that isn't ever stated as being bad. I guess my suggestion would be to make sure that your child understands that lying is wrong.

[BensMom]

But remember, in the Bible, there is quite a bit of sin that isn't ever stated as being bad.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that. Care to explain?

[fluffywarthog]

Err, I'm not quite sure what I was thinking of a the time. Sorry. I posted that right before I went to bed.

Anyway, you may want to read this! http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1095.cfm

OK, I realize that this may not be convincing, but I have read the same things on other websites, and I've seen many Disney movies, so I know what they're talking about.

If I were you, I would keep your son away from Disney!

Edit: Although the article is fairly old, here is proof that it is still very relevant: www.disneychannel.com

A new show called "Wizards of Waverly Place has just been started, as well as the movie "Twitches Too," both of which star wizards and witches!

[BensMom]

If I were you, I would keep your son away from Disney!

I assume you don't have any children? I won't be keeping him away from Disney by any means. In fact, my husband and I will be at Disney World again next week (yes, 30-somethings still have a childhood. We go every few years. ). I'll just pick-n-choose what my son watches, and I'll teach him what is right/wrong about the situations he sees. Just because we have to live in the world doesn't mean we should become part of the world. He'll be exposed to a lot of things throughout his life, so I want to be there when he sees it. I don't want to shield him from everything completely and then release him as an adult unprepared. I think it'll be easier to teach him about lying to get what you want by showing him a bear lying to a bee than to try to explain corporate embezzlement.

[fluffywarthog]

Hello... It's been quite awhile now. I just reread what I posted more than three years ago. I feel stupid... to say the least.

First of all, I'm sorry if I didn't make this clear, but I'm just a teenager. I do not have any kids, I just watch Winnie the Pooh because... well... I think it's funny, and I don't like the assumption that, as people get older, they can only laugh at sex jokes. I find most "adult" programs to be ing. That's not to say I spend a lot of time watching Pooh or anything, and I just kind of tune out the parts that are only meant for little kids...

Anyway... if you happen to read this, BensMom... I obviously offended you, and I'm truly sorry. You see, I've grown up in a family that is almost completely devoid of anything religious, and at the time I posted here, you could say I was just starting to discover Christianity. This whole minced oath thing is a fairly simple subject, and I guess I just kind of attached myself to it, since it was easy for me to understand and follow. Now I am still confused about a lot of stuff, but not nearly as confused as I was then, and I see now that Christianity is not nearly as simple as not saying a word like "gosh."

On that subject, I've actually changed my opinion. If someone says a "minced oath" all their life without even considering it to be bad, surely there's nothing wrong with that? But I guess my point is, I'm currently in no position to be teaching. As Jesus says:

3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5, NIV)

While it's easy for me to say, "Look, that wasn't me, I'm a different person now!" I am very much the same person, I've just discovered more. So please forgive me for my simple-mindedness...

[BensMom]

I actually assumed you were a teenager. You sound like many of my students have in the past.

Thanks for the apology. I'm glad you're learning, and I know that learning to admit wrong is something that many people never learn, no matter how long they've been a "Christian". I could tell by your zealous nature that you were probably young and wanting to do everything as perfectly as possible, even if it wasn't something you'd agree with in the future. That's a good trait (Paul had it). Just so you know, I've grown, too. My kids are nearly 2 & 5 now, so I've gotten WAY more unsolicited advice than you can possibly imagine. It goes with the territory, so look out when you have kids. (The "nod and smile" method works great. )

I'm sure you've heard "measure twice, cut once", right? Same thing with scripture. Read twice before repeating to others, just to make sure you're saying what you think you're saying. Your original post is still something I agree with and have never forgotten. I'm much more careful with what my kids see than I EVER was with things I'd let myself watch. I was an over-zealous teenager once, but somewhere along the line, I lost my zeal, and I did a lot of really stupid things. Watch yourself. I sometimes look back at my life in horror now. There are relationships that can never be fixed, because those people in my life have moved on. I have no idea how to find them. There are times when you won't be able to fix things you've said because the person you spoke to has passed on.

I certainly don't mean to tell you that you shouldn't spread the gospel. Quite the opposite, actually. I mean to say that people remember things... even things that you have forgotten you said. People from my past pop up occasionally, and it embarrasses me when they bring up things I erroneously said back then. It shames me to know people may be lost because I never corrected their behavior, but rather joined in or ignored it.

Kudos to you kid.

[fluffywarthog]

Wow, I didn't think you'd reply that fast after all this time! It's good to hear back from you! (To ease my conscience et al. )

Also, thanks for the advice! And no, I've never heard "measure twice, cut once" , but I get it.


P.S.: The word, um, "di$gusting" seems to have transformed into an annoyed blue face with an "ing" attached to it... THAT isn't a bad word now, right??? 'Cuz that would be really ironic, considering the original topic of this thread...

[BensMom]

LOL! I've noticed lots of new icons. Talking about a bear, maybe would be more appropriate in this thread.