With the beginning of a new school year, sometimes it’s nice to have something to comfort you when you’re feeling nervous about getting older. In my case, I like to watch cartoons or Disney movies I liked when I was younger. So, after recently finding myself sitting at the kitchen table and sobbing uncontrollably at the series finale of “Gravity Falls”, I found myself wondering if I was too old for that.
While there are ‘adult’ cartoons, such as “Bob’s Burgers” or “Family Guy”, I always find people thinking it’s immature to watch them. I understand that shows like “Gravity Falls” are geared towards kids, but why is it so bad for people of other ages to enjoy them?
When I was 13, I liked watching “Daria” from MTV. Even though it isn’t considered a kid’s show, I felt I needed to keep it a secret and not tell my friends in case they thought it was dumb to like it. Thinking back, there was no reason not to tell people about it, I was just scared of being labeled immature when I wanted so desperately to be mature.
While there should be no age limit for liking cartoons, there seems to be. Every time I go to put something that has to do with them on my Instagram story, I hesitate. I feel like people will make fun of me for posting stuff about a TV show that I like. The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with liking cartoons. There’s nothing wrong with liking shows geared to a younger audience either.
“More often than not, I find myself watching animated cartoons targeted to a younger audience… rather than live action dramas and films targeted more towards my demographic. Why? Because I simply find them more entertaining, and perhaps because time to time, they evoke nostalgia,” sophomore Sami Ojha said.
There is no age limit for entertainment. No one can tell others what to like and what’s the best age to like it. We can’t determine when shows come out, so there’s no reason not to appreciate a show that wasn’t produced in ‘your time.’ Simply enjoy. Enjoy the happiness and the bittersweet moments of nostalgia and joy. Enjoy the feeling of pure excitement when you get to sit down and watch another episode. Enjoy that you don’t have to worry about anyone’s opinion but your own.
