Pokemon: Dawn's mom's questionable parentage

[The Eternal Lost Lurker]

Some things have been bugging me about Dawn's mom, and watching the Labor
Day D&P marathon today is making me think harder about them.

I seriously have to call Dawn's mom's parenting into question:

1. She allows her daughter to roam the countryside with two teenage boys she
has barely ever met once, with no supervision or chaperones, placing
unwavering trust in these boys SHE DOES NOT KNOW to keep her daughter in
line.

2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old girl,
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

3. When Dawn calls home in tears after losing her first Pokemon contest,
rather than being supportive and comforting, Dawn's mom is strict, abrasive,
and reprimands Dawn for her present attitude, correcting her on how she
SHOULD be acting after a contest loss, and more or less telling her not to
call home for advice and support.

All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern on
this woman's abilities as a parent.

[Frank J. Lhota]

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
Some things have been bugging me about Dawn's mom, and watching the Labor
Day D&P marathon today is making me think harder about them.
1. She allows her daughter to roam the countryside with two teenage boys she
has barely ever met once, with no supervision or chaperones, placing
unwavering trust in these boys SHE DOES NOT KNOW to keep her daughter in
line.
2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old girl,
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.
3. When Dawn calls home in tears after losing her first Pokemon contest,
rather than being supportive and comforting, Dawn's mom is strict, abrasive,
and reprimands Dawn for her present attitude, correcting her on how she
SHOULD be acting after a contest loss, and more or less telling her not to
call home for advice and support.
All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern on
this woman's abilities as a parent.

... and you never questioned the parenting of Ash's mom? Hey, she might
not be much of a mom, but she did win a bikini contest!
--
"All things extant in this world,
Gods of Heaven, gods of Earth,
Let everything be as it should be;
Thus shall it be!"
- Magical chant from "Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi"

"Drizzle, Drazzle, Drozzle, Drome,
Time for this one to come home!"
- Mr. Wizard from "Tooter Turtle"

[The Eternal Lost Lurker]

Post by Frank J. Lhota

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern on
this woman's abilities as a parent.

... and you never questioned the parenting of Ash's mom? Hey, she might
not be much of a mom, but she did win a bikini contest!

Well, Delia takes a much more active role in watching over her son's
travels, and there is also the fact that...

Okay, allow me to become slightly sexist here for a moment.

Ash is a boy.

Dawn is a girl.

Ash, at 10, set off on his own, with one Pokemon, and attracted an older
male companion and a female companion of comparable age.

Putting aside that Misty doesn't even seem to HAVE parents, and given that
they were out of contact from adults for extended periods of time, it's less
a reflection of poor parenting on Delia Ketchum's part, because *generally
speaking*, there isn't quite as much to concern oneself with about letting a
male child roam freely, so long as he periodically checks in with home and
has occasional adult supervision in the form of Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny,
etc.

Now, on to Dawn.

DAWN IS A GIRL. Dawn wears clothing that is not entirely appropriate to a
girl her age. Dawn's mother has let her go off with TWO *BOYS* she does not
know.

ANYTHING could happen to Dawn, and it's only by the best of fortune that she
happens to be with two more or less responsible boys who are completely
unlikely to do anything harmful to her.

Now, I have a very liberal mindset about things like...well, let's not get
into that...but putting that aside? If Dawn were my daughter, and wanted to
run wild with two boys I didn't know? There'd be a great big screaming
****NO FUCKING WAY*** stamped on that notion before it ever got a chance to
leave the ground.

Also, I seriously doubt I'd let her own a skirt that short.

[Galen]

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:03:17 GMT, "The Eternal Lost Lurker"

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
Some things have been bugging me about Dawn's mom, and watching the Labor
Day D&P marathon today is making me think harder about them.
1. She allows her daughter to roam the countryside with two teenage boys she
has barely ever met once, with no supervision or chaperones, placing
unwavering trust in these boys SHE DOES NOT KNOW to keep her daughter in
line.

She could readily have investigated them by contacting the
pokemon league; both are well known to enforcement by
that time.

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old girl,
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.
3. When Dawn calls home in tears after losing her first Pokemon contest,
rather than being supportive and comforting, Dawn's mom is strict, abrasive,
and reprimands Dawn for her present attitude, correcting her on how she
SHOULD be acting after a contest loss, and more or less telling her not to
call home for advice and support.
All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern on
this woman's abilities as a parent.

She's treating Dawn as an adult instead of as a child, true,
but it seems to be the custom of pokeworld to toss offspring
out of the nest at the conclusion of 4th grade. Since their
society is based on slavery instead of technology, an education
isn't really going to be that useful anyways, is it?

-Galen

[The Eternal Lost Lurker]

Post by Galen

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
1. She allows her daughter to roam the countryside with two teenage boys she
has barely ever met once, with no supervision or chaperones, placing
unwavering trust in these boys SHE DOES NOT KNOW to keep her daughter in
line.

She could readily have investigated them by contacting the
pokemon league; both are well known to enforcement by
that time.

True, but it still seems to me that it's a questionable decision at best.

Post by Galen

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old girl,
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

Further evidence of this point, BTW:

Loading Image...
Loading Image...

Post by Galen
She's treating Dawn as an adult instead of as a child, true,
but it seems to be the custom of pokeworld to toss offspring
out of the nest at the conclusion of 4th grade.

Yes, but even considering that, it seems to me there's a limit to how much
freedom and discretion should be afforded the children of the Pokemon world.
Especially since we've seen that despite his freedom to roam, Ash's mother
still keeps a fairly tight watch on him. And there ARE adults who are
responsible for the Pokemon trainers and coordinators...the Nurse Joys, the
Officer Jennys....I admit this. Still, even considering all of this, there
are things about Dawn's mother and her situation which don't quite sit
right.

Post by Galen
Since their
society is based on slavery instead of technology, an education
isn't really going to be that useful anyways, is it?

Now that's a rather bleak take on the whole thing. o.o;

[Gerardo Campos]

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
Some things have been bugging me about Dawn's mom, and watching the
Labor Day D&P marathon today is making me think harder about them.
1. She allows her daughter to roam the countryside with two teenage
boys she has barely ever met once, with no supervision or chaperones,
placing unwavering trust in these boys SHE DOES NOT KNOW to keep her
daughter in line.
2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old
girl, questionable at best, including (as seen in the
"Dawn-is-overpacked" scene from the first episode) some EXTREMELY
inappropriate choices of sleepwear/intimates.
3. When Dawn calls home in tears after losing her first Pokemon
contest, rather than being supportive and comforting, Dawn's mom is
strict, abrasive, and reprimands Dawn for her present attitude,
correcting her on how she SHOULD be acting after a contest loss, and
more or less telling her not to call home for advice and support.
All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern
on this woman's abilities as a parent.

I have always found questionnable some more generic aspects of the show.

1. Parental guidance and Parent-Child communication almost missing
throughout the show

2. Kids roaming freely around the world, instead of actually attending
school or getting some education

3. Lack of productive activities to earn their support (food, shelter,
clothing) unless winning the tournaments include prize money or some kind
of barter to keep going

4. A competitive system that requires to hunt free beings, caging them
against their will and forcing them to fight/get hurt in battles to
entertain an audience. (Roman circus anyone?)

So in summary, from my point of view, it shows kids: that parents are not
needed, that is cool to do whatever they want, be a parasite and have
others do the dirty stuff.

Do playing pokemon entails a retirement plan?

[Sea Wasp]

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
Some things have been bugging me about Dawn's mom, and watching the Labor
Day D&P marathon today is making me think harder about them.

This is Pokeworld.

Young kids -- of Ash's and Misty's age -- ROUTINELY go out
independently into the world. AFAIK, we don't ever find out IF Misty
has any living parents, and Ash's mom is not merely accepting but
supportive of her son's going out to pursue his dream.

You're judging Dawn's mom by OUR standards. In their world,
apparently (whether it makes sense to us or not), it is *NORMAL* for
junior-high aged kids to decide they want to be Pokemon masters, and
set out -- often in the company of other kids of both sexes, or
somewhat older questers with experience.

As noted, Dawn's mom could easily have put in a call to the Pokemon
League and checked on the antecedents of the two young men, and would
have gotten a good overall report on them, but THAT ISN'T THE WAY IT
WORKS in that world. In Pokeworld, kids who want to follow the Way of
the Pokemon DO that. They just do. You don't ask why in the context of
our world, because it's not relevant. Might as well to ask why Child
Protective Services didn't come after Gohan (not that it would've done
them any good).

[Galen]

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:02:21 -0400, Sea Wasp

Post by Sea Wasp
As noted, Dawn's mom could easily have put in a call to the Pokemon
League and checked on the antecedents of the two young men, and would
have gotten a good overall report on them, but THAT ISN'T THE WAY IT
WORKS in that world.

When Dawn called home, her mother told her to rely on
Ash and Brock; if she hasn't done a background check
on them, that advice is insane. How else could she know
that Ash and Brock know the difference between pokeblock
and concrete block?

-Galen

[gS49]

Post by Galen
On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:02:21 -0400, Sea Wasp

Post by Sea Wasp
As noted, Dawn's mom could easily have put in a call to the Pokemon
League and checked on the antecedents of the two young men, and would
have gotten a good overall report on them, but THAT ISN'T THE WAY IT
WORKS in that world.

When Dawn called home, her mother told her to rely on
Ash and Brock; if she hasn't done a background check
on them, that advice is insane. How else could she know
that Ash and Brock know the difference between pokeblock
and concrete block?
-Galen

Maybe she did call the league, or the local Off. Jenny. Just because we
don't
see it on camera doesn't mean it happens. Probably Brock is drawing on his
savings as they travel, but isn't shown using an ATM.

Or perhaps Dawn's mother has been watching the show all along ...

gS49

[David Johnston]

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:03:17 GMT, "The Eternal Lost Lurker"

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
Some things have been bugging me about Dawn's mom, and watching the Labor
Day D&P marathon today is making me think harder about them.
1. She allows her daughter to roam the countryside with two teenage boys she
has barely ever met once, with no supervision or chaperones, placing
unwavering trust in these boys SHE DOES NOT KNOW to keep her daughter in
line.
2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old girl,
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.
3. When Dawn calls home in tears after losing her first Pokemon contest,
rather than being supportive and comforting, Dawn's mom is strict, abrasive,
and reprimands Dawn for her present attitude, correcting her on how she
SHOULD be acting after a contest loss, and more or less telling her not to
call home for advice and support.
All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern on
this woman's abilities as a parent.

In Pokeworld, 10 is the age of majority.

[Juan F. Lara]

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
1. She allows her daughter to roam the countryside with two teenage boys she
has barely ever met once, with no supervision or chaperones, placing
unwavering trust in these boys SHE DOES NOT KNOW to keep her daughter in
line.

Yeah, I made that joke, too, when Dawn introduced Brock and Ash to
Joanna. :-) FWIW, Prof. Oak vouched for those two, but somehow it still doesn't
feel reassuring. :-)

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old girl,
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

Compared to what? To Misty's taste in clothing, maybe? In anime in
general, fashion for girls Dawn's age very rarely looks appropriate for girls
to wear in real life, doesn't it now? :-)

Now I do admit I didn't like Joanna in this scene.

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
3. When Dawn calls home in tears after losing her first Pokemon contest,
rather than being supportive and comforting, Dawn's mom is strict, abrasive,
and reprimands Dawn for her present attitude, correcting her on how she
SHOULD be acting after a contest loss, and more or less telling her not to
call home for advice and support.

I guess she has a point about Dawn needing to grow up. Nonetheless,
Joanna does come off like a major bastard in that scene. Her reaction is
kind of odd considering up to then she's been overbearing: "Mom always
worries when you say 'Don't Worry'"

- Juan F. Lara

[Impmon]

On Mon, 03 Sep 2007 16:03:17 GMT, "The Eternal Lost Lurker"

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern on
this woman's abilities as a parent.

So? Misty was allowed to go with Ash and another for a few years.

Remember this is a fiction. :-)

[The Eternal Lost Lurker]

Post by Impmon

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
All of the above combine to cast some rather serious doubt and concern on
this woman's abilities as a parent.

So? Misty was allowed to go with Ash and another for a few years.

Misty wasn't "allowed" to do anything. Have you ever SEEN a parent for Misty
or her sisters? Does it seem like they even HAVE living parents? Everything
we know about Misty's family is that she has three older sisters. Her mother
and father are NEVER mentioned.

All indications are that Misty and her sisters are on their own in a way
none of the other main characters have ever been, and pretty much do
whatever the hell they want.

[S.t.A.n.L.e.E]

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
2. She allows Dawn a wardrobe selection that is, for a ten-year-old girl,
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

Overstacked? Wonder where she stacks up in the comparison chart? ;)

Loading Image...

Oh, what the heck! Let's see more comparisons! ^_^

Loading Image...

Laters. =)

STan
--
_______ ________ _______ ____ ___ ___ ______ ______
| __|__ __| _ | \ | | | | _____| _____|
|__ | | | | _ | |\ | |___| ____|| ____|
|_______| |__| |__| |__|___| \ ___|_______|______|______|
__| | ( )
/ _ | |/ LostRune+sig [at] UofR [dot] net
| ( _| | http://www.uofr.net/~lostrune/
\ ______| _______ ____ ___
/ \ / \ | _ | \ | |
/ \/ \| _ | |\ |
/___/\/\___|__| |__|___| \ ___|

[The Eternal Lost Lurker]

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked" scene
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

Overstacked?

OverPACKED, assnuts. Learn to effing read.

[S.t.A.n.L.e.E]

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked"

scene

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

Overstacked?

OverPACKED, assnuts. Learn to effing read.

Same difference, namecaller.
Ask around if anybody cares. ;-p
(Every little thing ticks you off.)

Laters. =)

STan
--
_______ ________ _______ ____ ___ ___ ______ ______
| __|__ __| _ | \ | | | | _____| _____|
|__ | | | | _ | |\ | |___| ____|| ____|
|_______| |__| |__| |__|___| \ ___|_______|______|______|
__| | ( )
/ _ | |/ LostRune+sig [at] UofR [dot] net
| ( _| | http://www.uofr.net/~lostrune/
\ ______| _______ ____ ___
/ \ / \ | _ | \ | |
/ \/ \| _ | |\ |
/___/\/\___|__| |__|___| \ ___|

[Antonio E. Gonzalez]

On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 00:33:09 -0400, "S.t.A.n.L.e.E"

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked"

scene

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

Overstacked?

OverPACKED, assnuts. Learn to effing read.

Same difference, namecaller.
Ask around if anybody cares. ;-p
(Every little thing ticks you off.)

You don't also find the irony of a pedophile questioning a parent's
ability to protect her child? Well, I guess he *would* know . . .



--
- ReFlex76

- "Let's beat the terrorists with our most powerful weapon . . . hot
girl-on-girl action!"

- "The difference between young and old is the difference between
looking forward to your next birthday, and dreading it!"

- Jesus Christ - The original hippie!

Katana > Chain Saw > Baseball Bat > Hammer

[S.t.A.n.L.e.E]

Post by Antonio E. Gonzalez
On Wed, 5 Sep 2007 00:33:09 -0400, "S.t.A.n.L.e.E"

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
questionable at best, including (as seen in the "Dawn-is-overpacked"

scene

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker
from the first episode) some EXTREMELY inappropriate choices of
sleepwear/intimates.

Overstacked?

OverPACKED, assnuts. Learn to effing read.

Same difference, namecaller.
Ask around if anybody cares. ;-p
(Every little thing ticks you off.)

You don't also find the irony of a pedophile questioning a parent's
ability to protect her child? Well, I guess he *would* know . . .

Hey! Hold on there.
Even Jack McClellan follows the law and
isn't against parents protecting their children.

Though in a way, we're all kinda in the same situation.
Nobody really gets hurt, but we like to look
(at young girls, albeit anime girls). ^_^

Laters. =)

STan
--
_______ ________ _______ ____ ___ ___ ______ ______
| __|__ __| _ | \ | | | | _____| _____|
|__ | | | | _ | |\ | |___| ____|| ____|
|_______| |__| |__| |__|___| \ ___|_______|______|______|
__| | ( )
/ _ | |/ LostRune+sig [at] UofR [dot] net
| ( _| | http://www.uofr.net/~lostrune/
\ ______| _______ ____ ___
/ \ / \ | _ | \ | |
/ \/ \| _ | |\ |
/___/\/\___|__| |__|___| \ ___|

[Frank J. Lhota]

Post by S.t.A.n.L.e.E
Same difference, namecaller.
Ask around if anybody cares. ;-p
(Every little thing ticks you off.)
Laters. =)

Yes, it may seem that everything ticks off the Eternal Lost Lurker, but
consider the possibility that this is all an act. Consider the Angry
Video Game Nerd character that is so popular on YouTube and the Opie and
Anthony show. (See http://www.screwattack.com for more details). This
guy is not really *that* upset about the retro games that reek, but his
exaggerated blow-ups over old games and consoles can be pretty funny.

Maybe Lost Lurker is doing a similar act. If so, he could change his
moniker to "The Angry Anime Nerd".
--
"All things extant in this world,
Gods of Heaven, gods of Earth,
Let everything be as it should be;
Thus shall it be!"
- Magical chant from "Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi"

"Drizzle, Drazzle, Drozzle, Drome,
Time for this one to come home!"
- Mr. Wizard from "Tooter Turtle"

[The Eternal Lost Lurker]

Post by Frank J. Lhota
Yes, it may seem that everything ticks off the Eternal Lost Lurker, but
consider the possibility that this is all an act.

No, I just loathe Stan in general, and most of the comments he makes
irritate me.

I really should killfile him like all the other offal I've muted around
here...

[Rob Kelk]

On Thu, 6 Sep 2007 06:59:08 -0600, "The Eternal Lost Lurker"

Post by The Eternal Lost Lurker

Post by Frank J. Lhota
Yes, it may seem that everything ticks off the Eternal Lost Lurker, but
consider the possibility that this is all an act.

No, I just loathe Stan in general, and most of the comments he makes
irritate me.
I really should killfile him like all the other offal I've muted around
here...

It should be mentioned that Mr. Morrison ("The Eternal Lost Lurker")
goes out of his way to say that he can post anything he wants to the
group and nobody should take offence at that, but killfiles people who
post things that offend him.