Scooby Doo with Tom and Jerry

As a child, I  detested Tom and Jerry even more than I did Scooby Doo.
(Perhaps I should add that my loathing of these shows did not stop me from watching them, so it was an informed hatred.)

My kids like the various iterations of these characters, of course, and will happily watch them when they appear on television.   Due to advancing age and chronic sleep deprivation, I have softened in my attitude towards both franchises.  Although I do still have a special distaste for Tom and Jerry of a certain vintage.

Yesterday while passively aggressively watching Tom and Jerry with my sons, I tried unsuccessfully to explain what it was about these shows that annoyed me so much.  The failings of Tom and Jerry are easier for me to describe as there is the obvious triumvarite of sadism, racism and sexism.  Certainly one could say the same of some other cartoons, but none bothered me as much as Tom and Jerry. I suspect the central problem was that I really adored animals when I was a child, and it pained me to see even cartoon animals acting like such assholes.  My sons definitely don't have that problem.

My conflicted relationship with the characters is no doubt clear on today's napkin.  Tom looks particularly deranged, which is perhaps appropriate, as he always offended me the most. Ansel might have been willing to argue for the goodness of Scooby, Jerry and Tom on television, but he was  definitely not pleased with my interpretation of them.