Why Leshawna Is My Favourite (TDI Drama Part 2)

In my previous post on Total Drama Island, I talked about a few points that certain people were concerned about with the show.

One of them being Leshawna, and why she's so ghetto.

Well, listen up. She's my favourite. Why? Because she's different. No one complains about how Gwen is goth (and if you sifted through all the posts in the thread I posted, someone even says they don't have a problem with her because of that) or how Sadie and Katie are too attached. It's always

"God, I hate the way they made Leshawna so ghetto." Oh, I'm sorry. Does it bother you that there are actually girls like that out there? I understand that they could have made here any other way: Thin waist, quiet, timid, and submissive. But there are already characters in the show with those qualities, and quite frankly I don't think her character could have been any better. As far as I know not ONCE did she fall for anyone in the show. She was real the whole way. It was as if all the other girls except Eva, another strong character in the show, who was booted way too early and Gwen, "the individual" were made for the sole purpose of either:

1. Being a ditz
2. Falling in love
3. Being a manipulator
4. Getting betrayed

And the last time I checked, the only item on this list that applied to any of these three girls was falling in love. And that's not something too stereotypical for a goth (correct me if I'm wrong).

Enlist, Serve, Learn.

No I'm not talking about the Canadian Army. I'm talking about the All-Girl Army.
This is amazing. Finally a chance for young women from 10-23 of all shapes, sizes colours, and types to express themselves with some sort of authority. I find it important that young people are given a voice, especially when they're the age group that gets labeled the most.

I especially enjoyed reading a post by Irmelin called Se(x)education. It tells about how sex-ed was taught to her, and how Scarleteen (a BIG favourite of mine) showed her how it should have been. Her story is quite moving, if I may be a little bit cliché.

Here's some news; I've sent in an application to be in the AGA. It's really exciting for me! Hopefully I'll get chosen. I LOVE this project.

And interestingly enough, it's influencing me to write more.
Great, eh?

Total Drama Island Drama!

While doing some lurking around at IMDb.com I decided to search one of my favourite shows, Total Drama Island.

Huzzah! A Canadian show with Canadian stars and Canadian characters in a Canadian setting (it's said that it's "somewhere in Muskoka, ON). When I saw this show for the first time, I fell in love with it immediately (however due to my inability to remember when all of my favourite shows air I didn't watch it regularly). It's such a great show. It's a cartoon reality TV show that pokes fun at things like Survivor and Big Brother using the concepts of elimination, surveillance, challenges and such, but in a way that makes it both down to earth and exaggerated (watch the show if you're confused).

Even though the first season is finished, I was happy to know that TDI was airing in the states on Cartoon Network. I don't know, maybe it's just the fact that I love when Canada shows off in the US, but it struck a very nice chord with me. However when I was lurking at IMDb.com I found three things that made this chord quite dissonant.

• Here, a "viewer" is surprised to hear "children" saying "get bent" and guys saying things like "hot chicks". I understand that you live in a sheltered world, but that doesn't make sixteen year olds children. And at least they're not saying "F**k you!" or "a nice piece of a**." Doesn't anyone understand that if they're worried about their kids watching junk they shouldn't be watching TV at that time anyway? In the US (the country where most of the complaints are coming from) it airs at 9:00ET/10:00 PT. When I was in fifth grade my bed time was 9:30. Another thing. This is a show aired for ages 12-14. Seven year olds, will not get most of the jokes. And who cares if the rating is Y (C-C8)? The last time I checked, each human was put on this Earth with common sense. Don't watch it if it's "bad".
• Here another "viewer" as well as some others say that the show is mocking homosexuals. This clearly wasn't the intention. Being a person who knows a bunch of teenage guys, they're always trying not to sound "gay". It wasn't a joke making fun of gays, it was a joke making fun of how stupid guys sound when they're trying not to sound gay. And someone else in the same thread even has the guts to emphasize the fact that something about homosexuals is in a children's show. Why does it matter? It's funny how being PC can bring out the homophobe in some people. Catdogwordpainter pretty much sums up my feelings in this post.
  
• And then there's the whole Why is Leshawna so ghetto? issue. Well, for one...she's a stereotype. So there. Why isn't anyone saying Why is Gwen a goth? or Why is Owen fat? Because everyone's minds have already associated her ghetto-ness with being black. No one really associated Gwen's gothiness or Owen's fatness with being white. Why? Because there are extremely ghetto black people out there. If you don't believe me, get out of your house...or don't if you're "...scared [of getting] shot." I mean there's D.J. and he's really brawny but he LOVES animals. No one has yet commented on that.
  

So there. We give the US something nice, and they pout. I think it's about time they had something at least a little bit realistic on Cartoon Network.