Apologies Amy as it's a bit old by now, but I thought you would enjoy this and find it relevant:

http://reason.com/archives/2013/08/30/watched-cops-are-polite-cops

The most depressing song* in the entire history of Children's Television Specials, "Do You Remember Me? (Lila's Theme)" from the Peanuts special, "I Hate Myself And Want To Die, Charlie Brown!" Actually, it's called "Snoopy Come Home," probably the biggest downer out of all Charlie Brown specials.

Resorting to what is plainly emotional blackmail, Snoopy's original owner Lila, hospitalized and marinating in self-pity, persuades Snoopy to abandon Charlie Brown and return to her.

After a tearful good-bye to Charlie Brown and friends, Snoopy accompanies Lila from home from the hospital (I don't remember if they actually said what she has, but apparently it's not terminal), only to discover that Lila's apartment doesn't allow dogs. This, of course, releases Snoopy from his obligation.

The reactions are surprising. Snoopy seems awash with relief, and Lila, for all her claims that she "needs" Snoopy, can only manage a look that says, "Oh, Gawd! What a bummer!"

When I first watched this special as a child, I found myself hoping that this conniving bitch has a relapse of whatever it was that put her in the hospital. But look at the bright side: after having assured Charlie Brown that he will only be "second best," Snoopy returns home.

If you think you might recognize the voice in this song, I think you might be right. It's Shelby Flint.

* Second place in the "Most Depressing Song" category in children's specials is "Alone In The World," from Mr. Magoo's A Christmas Carol."

Patrick, that movie was a tearjerker and a half, wasn't it? I must have been six or seven when we saw it in the theater. Did it make me cry? Oh yes.

"No Dogs Allooooowed!"

In the interest of child safety, a California school has hired a firm to spy on students' social media activities.

The firm even ascertains whether pupils are using their smartphone during class time.

Your tax dollars at work.

By the way, the basso profundo who sang "No dogs allooooowed," was none other than the late great Thurl Ravenscroft. He's also the voice who sang, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."

And he was also the voice of Tony the Tiger for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. "They'rrrrre GREAT!"

As for how I felt about it, it was sad, yes. But there were parts of it that I had problems with. For instance, the anticlimactic moment when Lila (who has a pet cat, a species that Snoopy has never gotten along with) realizes that her family's apartment will make it impossible for her to keep Snoopy, and doesn't seem terribly broken up about it. This would be in contrast to the anguish of Charlie Brown and his friends as they said good-bye for what they thought would be the last time.

Also, the fight sequence with Snoopy and Linus, then Snoopy and Lucy, was kind of disturbing to me back then. Yes, was angry, but not because of anything Linus did. He had no just cause to steal his blanket then attack him when Linus reclaims it. At the very least, Linus gave back what he got, and ultimately triumphed.

Lucy, on the other hand, I didn't feel sorry for. She challenged him, she's a notorious bully who takes advantage of the boys' reluctance to hit girls, and she was appropriately trounced.

In a way, it's still troubling to me. Snoopy is supposed to be a sympathetic and likeable character, but he's instigating a brawl with Linus, who did nothing to him. So, what is that telling kids? The next time someone pisses you off, go attack someone else who doesn't deserve your ire because it will be funny?

And that scene wasn't funny. Snoopy and Linus were deliberately hurting each other, and Linus ultimately KO'd him. It's not funny. It's mean and dangerous.

Amy, if you don't remember "Snoopy Come Home," would you mind taking a few minutes to watch that particular scene I linked in this post? I think it's disturbing myself, but apparently, it's supposed to entertain kids. I'd like to hear what you think.

And the student-monitoring story gets much more concerning as you read further.

Apparently, foreign workers will be checking out the kiddies online:

"To do the work, Frydrych employs no more than 10 full-time staffers -- as well as "a larger portion" of contract workers across the globe who labor a maximum of four hours a day because "the content they read is so dark and heavy," Frydrych said."

As for now, some lukewarm criticism of school administration by children will be tolerated.

"Superintendent Sheehan said students won't be disciplined for commonplace criticism.

"As far as anything said about teachers, as long as it's appropriate, it will be ignored," he said."

Peanuts is quite dark, and Schultz never failed to shit on those children.

Jesus hates a weave.

Just keepin' it real.

Let's say you're a cute teen girl.

And let's say your uncle wants you to shave his back.

And let's say your mom posts it to Facebook.

And then your mom appears at 1:50 on this video of the Ellen Show.

I wonder what the feedback from her schoolmates was like...

Patrick/Dave/others: don't know if you're still reading here, but hope you'll allow me to explain a little about Peanuts and Schulz, as I've been a fan of both for almost my whole life.

Schulz was, I believe by his own admission, something of an odd duck. He once openly admitted the reason cruel things often seem funny is because "they're not happening to us." He also struggled with depression his whole life, even when his career as a cartoonist (and his financial health) were beyond secure. He also seemed to take the view for a long time that it was okay if things like the above didn't quite make sense because "it's just a cartoon/comic strip." He didn't hate his characters, in fact he seemed to have a lot of affection for them, but he believed that ultimately, getting the laugh (or in the case of Snoopy Come Home, the emotions/tears) was what ultimately counted in the end.

Also, and despite its obvious flaws, I admit that as an adopted kid myself, I always liked the ultimate message of Snoopy Come Home: which is that your family is who cares for you enough to make room for you in their life, not the johnny-come-lately who promises you a cushy ride.

Also, IIRC, Schulz IMHO made up for a lot of the cruelty in Peanuts in the late 1980s and 1990s. He even allowed Charlie Brown to become something of a heroic character, as when in a late strip, he defended his sister Sally from bullies. There was still longing and injustice, of course, but the kids seemed much more prepared to deal with it. Probably because Schulz was generally healthier as a human being by then as well.

Also, I know that Schulz, from the 1960s through the 1990s, often took Bill Melendez's advice and let stuff into the TV specials and movies that Schulz *never* would have done in the strip, such as... providing an actual drawing/image of the Little Red-Haired Girl. Schulz said and wrote numerous times that it was the biggest mistake he ever made in doing the specials, and swore that he would never, ever, ever, allow her to be actually drawn or imaged in the strip or specials again.

Anyway, hope this explains things a little bit.