| abstract | - The show was librarian propaganda. Some of the pro-reading messages were relatively subtle (note the presence of a book in the left image), and some were blatant (see right image). As the 20th century was drawing to a close, kids were reading less and less, and the library-educational complex responded to the worries of Those Who Know Better with a War On Illiteracy. This campaign featured educational video games, television shows, and a three-month exhibition by Mapplethorpe at the Museum of Modern Art. The result was that a generation would grow up to read and edit Uncyclopedia. ::shudder:: In addition, the campaign took on other goals, such as educating viewers on the dangers of marijuana in the episode, "What's up with Alex?" In retrospect, having one of the characters be a ghost who could whip up a psychedelic cloud of letters and who was invisible to everyone else may have confused first-time viewers. Ghostwriter took place in New York City and depicted a reality where almost everyone got along, where pre-teens had excellent handwriting and stuck to phrases such as "that's no picnic" and "don't sweat it" and were allowed to roam around the city, solving mysteries (with the secret help of a ghost) as long as they got home before curfew. Nevertheless, it was quite realistic compared to typical adult shows.
|
