Just Give Me A Hero
Here is an exercise for you to try out
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You will need a pad and a writing utensil. If you prefer, an electronic device and a document that you can type furiously on or vocally dictate. Now divide your paper/document in half. For the first half, create a list of cartoon dogs that are heroic or considered heroic. They may not be the main character, but somewhere in the film or cartoon series, they have done something extraordinary. Just being a pet will not count since Astro bringing George Jeston his paper is not that big of a deal. You can count Goofy since the consensus is he is a dog, but reconsider Scooby-Doo since much of his shenanigans were happenstance. Keep going until your hand cramps, or you run out of memory space on your device.
If twenty minutes have passed and you are still writing, you can stop now and pat yourself on the back for knowing so much about animation and animated dogs. Now, on the right side of the paper/document, list out the names of heroic animated cats. The same rules apply and go! If twenty minutes have passed, and you've haven't written but one name, Simba, you are probably not alone. Extra credit for remembering Nala. Dry your eyes, for this challenge, was fixed even before it had begun.
I went to IMDB to figure this out because just Googling heroic cats produced the same video of a cat who saved a baby from a stray dog. So down the list I went, and the results were somewhat sad. We already mentioned Simba and Nala, so who were the others on this list? If we stick with Disney, we can mention Baghera from The Jungle Book and Thomas O'Malley from the Aristocats. If we are honest, Baghera did save the man-cub by bringing him to the wolves, which really could have gone horribly. Thomas was looking for a hook-up, which he did, but saved the day by getting up a group of animals to take out that nasty butler. Don't get me started on Oliver and Company, please. Of course, there was Puss in Boots, but because he was part of trying to milk the Shrek franchise, I will give him half-credit. Next, we have to dig deep, and to be honest, I have never heard of these cats: Banjo the Woodpile Cat and Peter No Tail.
So, the question is before us. Why are there more dogs portrayed as heroes and not the feline family? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Man's best friend and all of that typical gibberish lead us to a circular argument. However, I once again ask you why does this unbalanced love for dogs over cats exist? What have those adorable bundles of fur and purr done to deserve such a blacklisting in Hollywood?
Okay, so a cat will give you a disdainful look when called and apparently can only respond if you add the sound of a can opener to the summoning. True, a cat is more likely to point out the location of the valuables to a burglar than a dog. Fine, a dog is always happy when you arrive, while a cat will emerge an hour or two after you get home and give you the look of, "Oh, how long have you been here?" So what if every piece of furniture is a potential scratching post and your carpet is the best place to leave a hairball?
Yes, I know, if you try to take a cat for a walk, they will immediately flop on the ground, and the walk becomes more of a drama drag. Sure, they have a habit of judging people you bring over and will knock over their glass of liquid as a final verdict. It's not all that bad when they wake you up with a paw on your mouth, although there are times I wish it hadn't been immediately after leaving the litter box. They can get a bit annoying when they stick the same paw in the middle of your dinner and look at you with disdain because you once again did not prepare fish. They are also not very endearing when leaping on your back while you are trying to be amorous.
Even with all of the reasons listed above, it might be time to reexamine our miniature lions, panthers, and cougars. Just because Hollywood had typecasted them into evil villains, that does not mean we should keep allowing this to happen. However, in a society which has allowed six Terminator movies, and one series, I do not have much hope to redeem the loveable companions who we adore, in spite of their habits and dispositions.
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You will need a pad and a writing utensil. If you prefer, an electronic device and a document that you can type furiously on or vocally dictate. Now divide your paper/document in half. For the first half, create a list of cartoon dogs that are heroic or considered heroic. They may not be the main character, but somewhere in the film or cartoon series, they have done something extraordinary. Just being a pet will not count since Astro bringing George Jeston his paper is not that big of a deal. You can count Goofy since the consensus is he is a dog, but reconsider Scooby-Doo since much of his shenanigans were happenstance. Keep going until your hand cramps, or you run out of memory space on your device.
If twenty minutes have passed and you are still writing, you can stop now and pat yourself on the back for knowing so much about animation and animated dogs. Now, on the right side of the paper/document, list out the names of heroic animated cats. The same rules apply and go! If twenty minutes have passed, and you've haven't written but one name, Simba, you are probably not alone. Extra credit for remembering Nala. Dry your eyes, for this challenge, was fixed even before it had begun.
I went to IMDB to figure this out because just Googling heroic cats produced the same video of a cat who saved a baby from a stray dog. So down the list I went, and the results were somewhat sad. We already mentioned Simba and Nala, so who were the others on this list? If we stick with Disney, we can mention Baghera from The Jungle Book and Thomas O'Malley from the Aristocats. If we are honest, Baghera did save the man-cub by bringing him to the wolves, which really could have gone horribly. Thomas was looking for a hook-up, which he did, but saved the day by getting up a group of animals to take out that nasty butler. Don't get me started on Oliver and Company, please. Of course, there was Puss in Boots, but because he was part of trying to milk the Shrek franchise, I will give him half-credit. Next, we have to dig deep, and to be honest, I have never heard of these cats: Banjo the Woodpile Cat and Peter No Tail.
So, the question is before us. Why are there more dogs portrayed as heroes and not the feline family? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Man's best friend and all of that typical gibberish lead us to a circular argument. However, I once again ask you why does this unbalanced love for dogs over cats exist? What have those adorable bundles of fur and purr done to deserve such a blacklisting in Hollywood?
Okay, so a cat will give you a disdainful look when called and apparently can only respond if you add the sound of a can opener to the summoning. True, a cat is more likely to point out the location of the valuables to a burglar than a dog. Fine, a dog is always happy when you arrive, while a cat will emerge an hour or two after you get home and give you the look of, "Oh, how long have you been here?" So what if every piece of furniture is a potential scratching post and your carpet is the best place to leave a hairball?
Yes, I know, if you try to take a cat for a walk, they will immediately flop on the ground, and the walk becomes more of a drama drag. Sure, they have a habit of judging people you bring over and will knock over their glass of liquid as a final verdict. It's not all that bad when they wake you up with a paw on your mouth, although there are times I wish it hadn't been immediately after leaving the litter box. They can get a bit annoying when they stick the same paw in the middle of your dinner and look at you with disdain because you once again did not prepare fish. They are also not very endearing when leaping on your back while you are trying to be amorous.
Even with all of the reasons listed above, it might be time to reexamine our miniature lions, panthers, and cougars. Just because Hollywood had typecasted them into evil villains, that does not mean we should keep allowing this to happen. However, in a society which has allowed six Terminator movies, and one series, I do not have much hope to redeem the loveable companions who we adore, in spite of their habits and dispositions.
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