#mindless sheep

Yep, kids today are weak.

Because today's parents want to be FRIENDS to their children.

Where were her parents???

In movies and TV shows set in heavily populated areas, the inhabitants are often depecited as a one dimensional collective that just follows the current trend with little to know hesitation. Shows like SpongeBob, Clarence, Powerpuff Girls, and iCarly as well as movies like The Angry Birds Movie, The Mitchells vs The Machines, and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid all use this trope and I'm so sick of it. Today's post is a long time coming so strap in: I'm gonna talk about why the mindless sheep trope is so problematic.

One of the reasons why I hate this trope is because it weakens the overall story. Some of the worst episodes of The Powerpuff Girls are because of the citizens of Townsville, who are so helpless without the girls that they would most certainly be annihilated. Episodes like Fallen Arches, The Mane Event, Monstra-City, and Sweet n' Sour would've been so much better if the town wasn't so universally incompetent. The episode Too Pooped To Puff could've been a really good episode about the girls experiencing burnout and showcasing how the town could defend themselves without the girls. But NOOOOOO! It just had to be a stupid episode where everyone was taking advantage of the girls, even the Professor. This is the kind of writing that makes me mad; it's so forced and frustrating and you can't help but feel sorry for the main characters for putting up with such malarkey.

And that’s another thing I hate about this trope: it means the main characters are basically suffering because everyone else is either a nimrod or a jerk face. Well relating to the main character is key, that shouldn't come at the expense of the background characters. Every character in a show, movie or video game is just as imperative to the story as the main character. The main character shouldn't have to carry the entire project by themselves; that makes for some of the most boring entertainment imaginable. As much as I like SpongeBob as a character, I wouldn't be nearly as big of a fan of the show if he was the only likable character in Bikini Bottom (hence why I never got into The Loud House).

My biggest problem with this trope this is that it's just a poor representation of the general population. Yes people can be infuriating with how incompetent and disrespectful they are. But you know what? Those people are a small minority compared to the amount of good honest people in this world. I know for a fact that the general population aren't all shallow idiots that just follow what's popular. There are people who are apathetic or downright hate popular trends that are potentially dangerous. There are people who are genuinely kind and helpful as well as people who rightfully call others out for their ignorance. I don't often see that in the shows and movies I watch because more often than not they're just a one dimensional collective who's only purpose is to serve the plot.

Definitely, my darling.

He could have done that RIGHT AT THAT MOMENT.

When I say I snorted so loud I startled my dog.

Lmao, you just know he would and they would.

(re)

Poor doggie, I'm sorry. 😘💕

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Yes they parrot the same bullshit. They can’t think for themselves.

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