The Best Parental Guidance My Mother Ever Gave Me

 

In the rating system, PG stands for Parental Guidance, as we all know, but how often do parents give guidance during films or even while watching TV with their kids?  Looking back at my childhood, there was one instance that stood out.  It was the best advice my mother gave me about a cartoon, and I still carry those thoughts with me into adulthood.

In the 1990s, people dealt abrasive snap judgments on appearance and intelligence.  It was the norm.  So when I was watching Animaniacs, I saw nothing strange in the narrative of Pinky and the Brain.  After school, I deferred my swamp of homework to relax and watch TV.  After dozens of episodes of Animaniacs, which included the hapless lab rats attempting world domination, I was used to the cartoon’s routine plotline.  Brain was focused on world conquest, and the easily distracted, unaware Pinky said randomly stupid things.

As the theme song went, “It’s Pinky and the Brain.  It’s Pinky and the Brain.  One is a genius, and the other’s insane!”  My mother was listening in and sometimes she would chime in with, “The Brain is insane!”  I didn’t understand at first.  Being smart meant everyone respected you and took you seriously.  Being perceived as less intelligent meant that you would be scrutinized by a closeted eugenics-favoring school psychologist and undergo a battery of medical tests to find out what was wrong with you.  I was in the latter category.  The premise for Pinky and the Brain seemed consistent with mainstream worldviews.  I knew I wasn’t as dumb as Pinky, but I wasn’t nearly as smart as the Brain, who was strangely more respected in the series.

At one point my mom stepped in.  I think it was the episode with a role reversal where Pinky became smart.  The song lyrics deviated, “One is a genius, and the other’s ……….. the Brain.”  The producers just couldn’t imagine Brain being in a strait jacket like Pinky was in the regular theme song.  However my mother saw what was plainly obvious.  She reemphasized her point, “The Brain is the one who is insane!”  I argued otherwise, but my mom explained something important.

She told me that even though Pinky is dumb, he’s nice.  He’s harmless.  The Brain is the one who is mentally ill.  People who try to take over the world are crazy.  “Even if he’s a genius?”  My mother strongly answered, “Yes!  There are crazy geniuses!”  I was surprised to hear this, and I was 11 at the time.

I’m glad my mom stepped in and taught me that mentally ill people can be intelligent, and that less intelligent people can be sane.  Nowadays this seems like common sense.  The terms, “crazy genius” and “insanely smart” are not oxymorons.  However, when I was younger, negative conclusions were drawn quicker, and I’m grateful my mom opened my mind so I wouldn’t sink into the crevice of narrowmindedness where everyone wanted to fit in.  Sanity and intelligence are not the same measure.  Although, Pinky was technically the accomplice, he otherwise never posed a threat to himself or others.  Brain was power hungry, and taking over the world would involve controlling everyone.  Thankfully, my mother didn’t just let pop culture misguide me with animated ableism. 

I still watched Pinky and the Brain and appreciated it, but with a more mature mind.  The funny cartoon was written with trending attitudes towards IQ levels.  I learned society could be ignorant and lack moral insight, while one sane mother saw through the cloudy craziness, and taught me something important that my “normal” peers would only figure out decades later. 

Thank you, Mom, for opening my eyes. 

I know it’s early, so I say in advance,

Happy Mother’s Day!