shows like tom and jerry and popeye are pretty violent. back in those days they didn't have viewer ratings that you see on tv today, and they didn't have as much angry moms calling the tv stations telling them the cartoons were too violent. you can look to images and icons from the past, and see for yourself...

look at this dvd case. it is suggesting sex. it is placing a woman in a role type. weak. look at her feet. look at the clothes she is wearing. could it possibly be giving out the message this is what a woman is supposed to be like?

here is another one.
as i look back i can see these cartoons affected my head, but at the same time my parents sat me in front of the tv to babysit me while they were working and going to school. this is what i had to immitate, and i watched tv for a huge portion of my day.
yes, the messages are there whatever era, but however your child turns out, cartoons are definately not to blame.
in the end i did not turn out to be a cerial killer, but i could have used some confidence, but it really had nothing to do with cartoons what it had to do with was people being there for me, supporting me, encouraging me, ect. this was not there, so the tv took over in those aspects. the discipline was there though, and I was always polite. like I remember one time i was out with my parents and someone was handing me something, and i snatched it out of their hands specifically imagining like it was like what bugs bunny would do, and my father got soooo mad at me. he was like jennifer! that was so rude! you give that back to her and take them like a nice young lady would! and apologize! and i did and i never did that again.... not necessarily because i thought it was wrong, but cuz i didn't want to get in trouble. now that i am older and i look back i would never snatch something out of someone's hands like that though because it's not polite. i watched the cartoons because they were funny, interesting, and provided me with imagination inspiration, not because they were violent or whatever.
no matter where you bring your child, there are going to be negative influences upon them. instead of controlling what one hears or sees by trying to protect and shield them, i believe in just encouraging them and providing them with a strong sense of values. idk how one goes about doing that, but i know for sure you can't shield or protect someone from te world, and if you are successful in doing so, speaking only from my personal experience, they are likely to be afraid of spreading their wings out in the world.

here is another example. this cartoon character (speedy) has so many racial stereotypes that are totally blatant. it's really funny, but it is also sending out a message that could easily lead to prejudice.

why is the evil man dark, and the good guys in this movie all white? this movie takes place in agraba, and the bad guy is the only guy who does not look white?

this is what all black people look like and act like and they carry guns.

someone told me this cartoon had racist connotations, but i've seen it a few times and can't see why...

what ever you do don't let your children watch tom and jerry because they might start smoking and that is very unhealthy.

and then they might be using meat to beat people up with, or even worse, they might start eating dairy.

cartoons of the past are pretty messed up. look at the malice in hid face, and how scared the poor little mouse is. =(

lol where does one start?
today at least there are ratings and stuff. a lot of things would not even slide today that were on tv all those years ago. i don't think cartoons have gotten any worse. society might have become more technologically advanced and there might be more conveniences, and people working more hours spending less time at home and therefore an increased sense of alienation towards one's family causing parents to be more neglectful of their children... but that is a whole different idea intirely (not that i am accusing you of that at all i have no idea what goes on in your home).