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 Pikachu yellow =
Original text (2000) |
 Ditto pink =
Additional text (2003-08) |
 Wobuffet blue =
New segments (2004-08) |
 In defense of  ...
If there's two things I can't stand, it's ignorance and prejudice; in short, people who don't think for themselves. This is where the real battle lies. Lately, Pokémon's been blamed for everything from schoolyard fights to the death of a child. Everyone's heard about the infant who suffocated on half a Burger King Pokéball which led to nation-wide recall of the balls, but what is a parent doing giving an infant a toy that is clearly marked on the package 'ages 3 and up'? And the seizures caused by strobe lights in "Electric Soldier Porygon"? For critics looking for something for which to condemn Pokémon, they need not go further than this banned episode. However, this could have happened to any program using similar special effects. It was just an unfortunate accident that it happened on Pokémon. But Pokémon is not the first craze that the public has made
the scapegoat, and certainly won't be the last. Does anyone really remember or know why saying the word 'pregnant' on television was forbidden (and the baby episodes¹ were still done brilliantly, whereas Pokémon often suffers in translation like Lucy's henna-rinsed hair²) or why Elvis was considered evil for shaking his hips? Didn't think so. Ironically, none of the said Pokémon related-incidents had anything to do with the actual content and message of Pokémon and are nothing more than critics' desperate attempt to undermine that which they might just enjoy if the took they time to understand those aspects alone. I mean, just how cynical does a person have to be to have nothing better to do than make up "worst ever" lists³...or how ignorant when doing so can offend so many others?
¹I Love Lucy episodes #41 ("Lucy is Enceinte") through #51 ("Lucy Goes to the Hospital")
²I Love Lucy episode #28 "Cuban Pals" (scene where Ricky explains Lucy's red hair to his Spanish-speaking friends)
³A 2007 MSN online article "Worst Cartoons Ever"; the very biased list included several otherwise well-loved shows, including Pokémon
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 For the Love of ...  
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