Before Reagan, popular media had tons of intellectual content. Superheroes would hang out with Edgar Allan Poe or Sitting Bull. Cartoons like Mr. Peabody taught kids the names of historical figures and Bugs Bunny played opera.
Then Reagan deregulated kids TV and you got half hour long commercials for GI Joe and The Transformers.
Here’s something not many people consider.
Before Reagan, popular media had tons of intellectual content. Superheroes would hang out with Edgar Allan Poe or Sitting Bull. Cartoons like Mr. Peabody taught kids the names of historical figures and Bugs Bunny played opera.
Then Reagan deregulated kids TV and you got half hour long commercials for GI Joe and The Transformers.
Holy shit, you are right….and I can remember that shift vividly.
I’m getting upvotes, so apparently we aren’t the only ones who figured it out.