Writing an essay about such ideas as cultural heros, hyperreality and the noble lie, I'm curious to ask to the G1 Transformer fandom to which I count myself: Growing up with G1 Optimus Prime and G1 Megatron, I'd like to ask: in what way do you think have these cultural icons help form the way you see reality?
Growing up on the cartoon, I never actually heard Optimus or Megatron say their respective mottos. I think those were relegated to the profiles printed on the boxes and the comics only. So in my case, I'd have to say their mottos had no effect on my outlook of reality. I can't recall when I first heard those mottos, but I know for sure it wasn't while I was a kid in the demographic.
Megatron didn't help me do shit as a kid, (except steal some one-liners he had from the cartoon). Optimus is a whole other story. I still have the essay I wrote in 2nd grade on why Optimus Prime would be a good president. I feel almost like a doofus admitting it, but Optimus was my hero all through school. I even still had an Optimus on my desk in high school when that kind of thing was "uncool". As far as why, I can't really give a specific example, I just always thought he did the right thing and as a kid, I always tried to base my decisions on what this fictional character would do. I'm sorry for rambling, as instead of helping you on your essay, I was just rambling about my childhood. Sorry
I grew up without my father around. So Optimus was my father figure from age 12. I was fully aware of it at the time, and even so made it more special for me. I wouldn't say the character really taught me anything I didn't already know.... but I saw everything in practice. He actually stood up for what he believed and protected the weak. Not something I saw much of in real life. Optimus Prime was someone I could look up to and admire when there was no one else to fill that role. It's not like there weren't other fictional heroes I could have looked up to.... but he was the only one that to me was some-what believable. As crazy as Transformers seems.... it is really in the realm of possibility. Mind you I never once thought of it as anything other than fiction.... but haveing Optimus Prime as a role model, someone to aspire to, look up to, that was very real to me. That being said.... that made all the other characters relatable.... because frankly all other Autobots (and in a way the Decepticons too) looked up to him as well. Making the other characters a serigat family. When experencing season 1 of G1.... I never really felt the 'Cons were evil in the traditional wicked sense. They were not pure darkness like say Super Villans or the likes of OT Darth Vader. I really didn't see that much difference between the two sides... except in their belief systems and goals. Sure the 'Cons were painted as the take over the world types, but to me that was just simple tool used to make it seem more like the typical G vs. E tale. What I saw was, the Autobots are what man wishes to be... and the Decepticons are actually closer to who were are as human beings. Plundering Earth's natural resources for our own gain, the backstaber (Starscream) making his way up the social status chain, finding entertainment in the misfortunes of others (Skywarp), and blind loyalty given to a less than honerable leader (Soundwave). I see this in everyday life. It's the messy reality of how people are. Both sides had a kind of comradery that made them cooler to watch, to learn from. To see how do deal with different kinds of people and work with them. As often as Starscream tried to take leadership of the Decepticons, plotted against Megatron.... Meg's kept him around. Sure, it was only because they wanted to keep selling Starscream toys... but within the context of the story.... it taught me something about accepting people that I would never get along with, if only to be able to work with them. It's better to keep people around rather than just throwing them away at the first sign of them being a problem.
Seeing the G1 toys and cartoon was the very first time I had the urge to ask my parents for toys. My parents told me we couldn't afford it.
Does this count for other series or are you just looking for G1? Optimus Primal had a big impact on how I portrayed myself as a child. I saw how smart and laid-back he was and wanted to aspire to that.
^Sounds more like an essay for high school English/English Literature class... I'd contribute, but i didn't grow up with G1. And Optimus...just wasn't my favorite character. Nor Megatron.
let me first say that backpack love your comment also i'm sad for you that you had no father growing up. even thought i have a father i still look up to optimus as a sum what as a father figure. everytime i hear his voice i get goosebumps.before i get to far around of myself prime and megs in a little bit of away help me see that there is good and evil in the world.
Oh there is no need to feel sad for me. I had a very happy childhood, and at the time I didn't even notice that I missed out on anything without my Dad around. It kind of took a cartoon to show me that something was missing in my life. He was the type that would come and go.... so to me it was normal. It really wasn't until I was older that I realized what a horrible guy he was and what I should have gotten for a more ballanced developement.
Optimus made me see that all humans have a right to happiness and their own choices... no matter how hard I want to punch them in the face for being stupid. And that giant alien robots that turn into cars is awesome.
It does doesn't it? But Optimus and Megatron were just chosen as an example. What interests me, is these usage of archetypes in a certain way, that they could possibly have effects that remain over the years. To me, Optimus and Megatron long held a strong position as the examples of how good and evil could both work for a similiar goal, yet by different means. Both were seeking to create a society, yet according to their own ways and ideas. This micro-reality as such, reflects our own shared realiity and affects it by giving us ideals and such in an universally understandable form. Now Transformers in general are just an example, but it shows, we need such cultural stories or myths even, to understand our own shared reality. Yeah that's basically the gist of it.
I have an interesting one. I've always considered myself somewhat of an atheist, and I hate organised religion with a passion (although I have no problem with religious people and there beliefs, just any institution which charge people for their faith). I have always believed that when we die, that's it. We didn't exist before, we don't exist after, at least not in the way that makes us, us. Then I got into a debate with someone about the Transformers. Specifically, their origins. Were they machines created in a factory, who turned against their creators? Or were they beings given lifeforce by Primus, their equivalent of god? I've never been able to accept the former origin. This eventually got me thinking that it was strange that I considered humans to be born, live and die with no greater resonance than biology, but with Transformers, fictional robots from a fictional planet, I felt it important, no,more than that, I refused to believe that they were godless, soul-less aberrations. Even though I totally realise they're made up. This got me thinking about mans, and even my, propensity towards a god-type creator figure. It got me thinking more about iconography and mythology maybe more than spirituality, but for the first time in my life I considered the idea of faith / religion with a more open mind. I still hate organised religion, and the people who profiteer from them,and the frankly horrible things that have been done to millions of people over the years in the name of religion, all of them. But, I have a greater respect for the people who have spirituality in their hearts and minds, who try to be decent and act in a good way and treat others how they'd want to be treated. I no longer consider them to be people with something missing in their life, looking for emotional crutches and false ideology to get them through the day, we're all just people, with all the good and bad that comes with it. I have my own theories, I believe in natural evolution and the big bang, which to me is the equivalent of a god role, I think we're all looking for and believe in the same thing, we just give it different names or faces. It all works at an individual level, it's only when the group mentality, dogma and fanaticism get involved that religions forget that freedom really is the right of all sentient beings. Maybe that's a dated sentiment, but it it's not the right, then it's certainly a privilege.
Wow...you've actually managed to make me think about them in a whole new way. Wow. I was a teen when G1 came around and I became obsessed with it, but at the moment I'm hard pressed to quantify any effects on my own views, other than that 'evil' is usually just a label and those to whom we apply it may not be 'evil' at all but simply have a different philosophy and way of doing things that may or may not be particularly 'good' or particularly 'evil'...but also the 'good' side may do things that aren't particularly 'good' at times, too. Essentially, that we're all people, no matter what side we're on. --Moony
