Media Analysis #4-Charlie Brown June 9, 2008
Posted by fs2004 in Uncategorized.trackback
Charlie Brown seems as though he might be showing signs of depression. He frequently feels discouraged and is always picked on by Lucy.
The Peanuts comic strip was produced by Charles Shultz in order to entertain people reading the newspaper. In the daily comic strips, Charlie Brown is frequently picked on by Lucy, his ideas are shut down, and consequently he feels discouraged or unhappy. Linus is also made fun of for carrying his blanket everywhere. “Why do you always carry that stupid blanket?!” Lucy often screams at Linus.
Stigmas are created. Charlie Brown’s “depression” becomes a fact of life, something everyone has to deal with. The depression and constant name-calling is turned into a part of growing up. Furthermore, when Lucy plays the part of a psychologist, she is unhelpful, which creates a stigma for those real-life doctors who are actually trying to help mental health patients. Hopefully, readers will see that this is only a comic strip, and they will realize that getting endlessly bullied to the point where depression sets in is not normal. Stigmas can have lasting effects, however, and some readers might just assume that “this is how it is.”
Good choice. “Peanuts” has been the subject of lots of debate. The conventional wisdom is that Schulz legitimized childhood pain and made the cruelties of life visible. Bullying, isolation, and depression weren’t popular subjects for literature about children until he came along. Is that stigmatizing? Or sensitive? I’ve often wondered how Lucy is perceived by practicing psychologists; that would be an interesting research project.