Why you can't watch Masha and the Bear. The secret of "Masha and the Bear"

2016-11-03 19:16 5529

The primary source of information about the harmfulness of the cartoon

Information was widely publicized in the central media that Russian psychologists had compiled a list of harmful cartoons. The first place in this rating was taken by the series "Masha and the Bear", the second -, the third -, and the fourth - "Tom and Jerry". The primary source of the publication was the Planet today website. The news was published on October 30th and in the original it looks like this:

Russian psychologists have studied the effect of various popular cartoons on the psyche of children and have compiled their TOP of the most dangerous animated series.

One of the most successful modern projects for children - the cartoon "Masha and the Bear" took the first line of the rating. According to scientists, due to the fact that the main character Masha can be capricious and misbehave with impunity, children can adopt her demeanor and not understand why they are doing something wrong.

The second place was taken by the American cartoon about monster girls "Monster High". Experts believe that the vocabulary used in conversations between the main characters can significantly spoil the vocabulary of kids.

The anti-rating bronze was won by the SpongeBob Squarepants TV series, which has become popular among the older generation as well. According to psychologists, the main character is too selfish a creature who constantly criticizes adults, even if they give him good advice.

It is interesting that the classic series "Tom and Jerry" took only fourth place, despite the fact that in each episode one main character (mouse) constantly mocks the other (cat), and Tom, in turn, constantly shows aggression.

Scandal development

Despite the high resonance caused by this information, it is still not known what kind of group of psychologists evaluated cartoons in this way, and no detailed arguments about the harmfulness of cartoons have yet appeared in the press. In this situation, the director of the cartoon Masha and the Bear Denis Chervyatsov hastened to declare that "the Internet is a garbage dump in which everyone can write whatever they want." And psychologists, according to him, most likely have not even watched the cartoon, and in general, allegedly no one will tell you "how this or that work of art affects the human psyche."

Other publications, such as Pravda.Ru, began to spread the opinion of Anatoly Severny, president of the Association of Child Psychiatrists and Psychologists, who called the situation with the hype around the cartoon Masha and the Bear "a provocation." According to him, there is nothing criminal in the cartoon, and harmful advice can allegedly even be useful for children. “Russian psychologists did not give such an assessment to the cartoon Masha and the Bear, I am telling you this for sure. Yes, this is anti-advertising, ”said Anatoly Severny, who for some reason assumed the right to speak on behalf of all psychologists in Russia.

Opinion of Doctor of Psychological Sciences L.V. Matveeva about the cartoon "Masha and the Bear"

Although the situation with the announcement of the list of harmful cartoons looks really strange, we urge readers not to give in to the assurances of the safety of the animated series "Masha and the Bear" of such affiliates as Denis Chervyatsov and Anatoly Severny, one of whom says that psychology cannot assess the influence of art at all. and the second justifies teaching children harmful behaviors.

As an argument, we present in this article an interview with a much more qualified specialist - Professor of the Department of Methodology of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Doctor of Psychology, Head of the Psychology of Mass Communications research group, which studies the problem of the influence of the media on the human psyche and the problem of human psychological safety in the global information space of Lidia Vladimirovna Matveeva, who in 2013 headed the Commission for monitoring the implementation of Federal Law 436 "On the protection of children from information ..." under the Ombudsman for the Rights of the Child under the President of Russia.

For example, let's look at how the animated series Masha and the Bear affects children. It is made according to the laws of children's perception and therefore children like it. But, as we know, not everything that a child likes is useful to him. As a specialist, I believe that this animated series is harmful to the child's psyche, moreover, from a psychological point of view, it is an "information bomb" placed under the Russian mentality. Historically, it so happened that in Russia a woman is the one who supports a man, helps him in his work, emotionally and energetically nourishes, accepts, disinterestedly regrets, sympathizes. The maximum embodiment of this role is a loving and unselfish mother who gives her love. It is this position of a woman that for centuries has helped our country overcome difficulties, preserving itself. It is this image, embodied, in particular, in art. Now, thanks to the advent of information technology, cartoons created by someone can be seen by many children. What images do they lay in them and to what extent do these images correspond to our mentality?

Let's talk a little about what children see on the screen. If you analyze the video sequence, you can see that the pictures in the cartoon change quickly enough - a child who often watches a lot of cartoon series may have a logoneurosis, since the cognitive information he receives is not assimilated. In the first episode of the cartoon, an acquaintance with the characters takes place. We still do not see everyone, but as soon as the girl appears on the screen, we see the reaction of the animals - all the animals are hiding more reliably, since a destructive force is coming, which is dangerous. From the very beginning, the opposition of the child and nature is laid. As psychologists, we know that small children, on the contrary, often associate themselves with animals, they perceive themselves as a part of nature and are in harmony with it. The authors of the cartoon destroy this connection, showing the child that the world around him and everyone who lives in it is just a means to achieve your goal.

How does the plot develop further? We see that it is very difficult for the heroine to define the boundaries of her behavior. We can recall the old Russian fairy tale about Masha and the bear: when she comes to the bears' house, the heroine of this fairy tale does not sit down at the table in the place of her father-bear, but chooses the place of the bear cub that is adequate for her age, that is, the place of the younger one. Unfortunately, the heroine of the cartoon behaves differently, showing disrespect towards the Bear (which simultaneously embodies the image of an animal sacred for our country and the image of a father) and constantly violates social norms with impunity, receiving positive reinforcement for this. That is, the father is not an authority, the father can be used in any way. The message that girls get hidden when watching this cartoon: “The world is an interesting place where you are in charge, you can play with this world and do whatever you want. Even if you break all social taboos, everything will be fine with you. " This is scary for children because positive reinforcement teaches them that this behavior is safe and desirable. But, as adults, we know this is not the case.

The range of emotions that Masha demonstrates is very limited - even an underdeveloped child experiences much more emotions than the heroine. In fact, all her emotions are manifested only in the field of cognitive experiences - she is interested in something, she is surprised at something, amuses and she wants to learn something. It's all. She does not sympathize with anyone and even her own pain, for example, when she falls, she does not experience. As a biorobot, she does not perceive criticism, she is indifferent to the state of others - in one of the episodes she creates a very difficult situation for Santa Claus (a sacred, archetypal character) and amuses herself with it. And there are many such examples.

As a specialist, I am most worried that the authors of the animated series, for some reason, consciously or unconsciously, have created for our children a heroine who is devoid of the ability to love. It lacks what lies at the heart of the feminine principle - acceptance, sympathy and tenderness. We know that children learn to perceive this world by imitating their favorite characters. The image of the heroine is an example that the little girl will be guided by, so psychologists and parents need to look very carefully at the image of the heroine that the authors created, and decide for themselves - do they want the children to perceive the world and communicate the way Masha communicates ? And how will this grown up Masha treat her own children?

It's no secret that modern mothers often refuse to breastfeed their child, fearing to spoil their figure, and deny them attention and love when they cry at three weeks or three months of age, or closer to a year, believing that the child is manipulating them with his cry. But in fact, the child has just intestinal colic or teeth begin to cut, he just hurts and is scared. It is enough for mom to hug him and squeeze him to her, and the pain and fear go away, but for this, the grown Masha must be able to feel the pain of others as her own, but our Masha from the cartoon practically does not experience this.

Video review "What does the cartoon Masha and the Bear teach?" and attempts to censor

On the basis of this interview, as well as the classification of signs of a harmful cartoon, the Teach Good project back in 2014 created a video review "What does the cartoon Masha and the Bear teach?" Immediately after the video began to gain many views, it was blocked on YouTube hosting at the request of the copyright holders, allegedly for copyright infringement. In fact, it was an element of outright censorship by those who seek to prevent the spread of the truth about the impact of such content on the psyche of children. In response, our project was carried out, and the video review has since been distributed through other video hosting sites and social networks, already gaining millions of views.

We hope that the current situation with the hype around the cartoon Masha and the Bear will draw even more attention to the problem that has flooded the Russian television screen and literally destroys the psyche of millions of children. We urge you to actively spread the truth, which, even in spite of censorship, will always find its way.

Boldly, comrade, glasnost is our strength!

In the series Masha and the Bear, the following are present:

1. The main characters of the cartoon behave aggressively, cruelly, maim, kill, cause harm. Moreover, all the details of this "savor", even if all this is served under the guise of humor.
2. The bad behavior of the characters in the plot either goes unpunished, or even leads to an improvement in their lives: gaining recognition, popularity, wealth, etc.
3. The plot demonstrates behavior that is dangerous, in the event of an attempt to repeat it in real life, for health or life.
4. In the cartoon, the characters are characterized by behavior that is non-standard for their gender: male characters behave like women, women - like men.
5. The plot contains scenes of disrespectful behavior towards people, animals, plants. This can be a mockery of old age, weakness, weakness, physical disabilities, social and material inequality.
6. The cartoon cultivates an idle lifestyle, promotes the ideal of "life is an eternal holiday", the policy of avoiding difficulties and achieving goals in an easy way, without labor or even deception.
7. In the plot, the values ​​of family relations are ridiculed and shown from the emphatically unsightly side. The main characters-children are in conflict with their parents, who are shown to be stupid and ridiculous. Hero-spouses behave in a mean, disrespectful, unprincipled way towards each other. The ideal of individualism and rejection of family and marital traditions is being promoted.

For many years in a row, people who (like me) grew up on beautiful Soviet cartoons have complained that Russia, as a country that produces children's animation, has disappeared from the world map. The situation changed several years ago, primarily thanks to the animated film Masha and the Bear, which became a worldwide hit. It is watched in different countries by people far from Russian folklore, with its eternal theme of a girl wandering into bears.

"Just a couple of weeks ago in the States. We sit with relatives in a Japanese restaurant, wrap up sushi, talk ... Then the daughter says "something familiar sounds somewhere." They listened - it seemed like something somewhere, but I didn't remember at all ... My daughter went out for a walk, comes back a little confused: a couple of tables later a black woman is sitting with her daughter (the same one) and her daughter "Masha and the Bear" on a tablet"- I read it yesterday on Facebook.

Something similar can be seen today in many countries: from France to South Korea. Moreover, the general opinion, which can be read in reactions in different languages: this series belongs to that rare category that adults can watch with children. And laugh together.

But not everyone is happy with the show. There are also critics who warn about the harm that Masha can do to the child's psyche, public consciousness, and state ideology. About twenty years ago, one slightly hysterical head of an incomplete family (in common parlance: single mother) told me:

- And why no one pays attention to the fact that the fairy tale "The Wolf and the Seven Kids" is about the problems of fatherlessness.

- Fatherlessness ?!

There is no goat. The goat is raising children alone. There is no goat.

This woman could be understood. I didn't argue.

But it was with this method of interpretation that the critic approached the cartoon "Masha and the Bear""Haaretz" Rogel Alper, seeing in the popular Russian cartoon "an annoying and gloomy sediment hidden in a double day." Seeing this news on IzRus website , I didn't believe it at first.

Rogel Alper, following the method of interpretation of my friend, discovered the main problem in the absence of parents: "Girl, where are your mom and dad?" He was able to diagnose in the cartoon a whole bunch of unhealthy and ideologically harmful complexes: from paranoid existential fears of loneliness in a girl who is afraid that a bear will run away from her, because she had run away from her before (where are her parents?), To an unhealthy feeling of guilt and unfulfilled duty in a predator dreaming to escape from a child. With bestial seriousness, Alper analyzed the relationship between Masha and the animals, which are hindered by a hyperactive little girl who pokes her nose into everything. "Masha is a foreign body in this environment, reconciling with her existence," concluded Alper, urging parents to pay attention to the frightening essential content of the Russian cartoon. After all, children can involuntarily absorb these psychologically unhealthy, ideologically harmful and ecologically repugnant messages.

People who, after reading the text, immediately began to stigmatize "left bastard" and "Russophobia", began to mock "that they smoke in this Haaretz" I hasten to assure you. Alper is not alone. Russian professor Lidia Vladimirovna Matveeva, who heads the Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of Federal Law 436 "On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development" under the Commissioner for Children's Rights under the President of Russia for the Rights of the Child shared with "Psychological Gazette" with his reflections on the effect of the series "Masha and the Bear" on the psyche of a child. Lidia Vladimirovna is a hefty serious person - Professor of the Department of Methodology of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Doctor of Psychology, Head of the Psychology of Mass Communications research group, which studies the problem of the influence of the media on the human psyche and the problem of human psychological safety in information global space. She is a scholarly official empowered by the state to oversee content. And her verdict also sounds not childishly serious.

"Let's, for example, consider how the animated series" Masha and the Bear "affects children. It is made according to the laws of children's perception and therefore children like it. But, as we know, not everything that a child likes is useful to him. I believe that this animated series is harmful to the child's psyche, moreover, from a psychological point of view, it is an "information bomb" placed under the Russian mentality, "says Lidia Vladimirovna. Her verdict is so strict that it is completely incomprehensible why she does not call to ban the cartoon, and send its creators to places not so distant.

She has a lot of accusations against the cartoon. And the pictures in the cartoon, as it seems to the professor, move too fast, and therefore the child may develop a logoneurosis. And there is also a "hierarchy mismatch" in it. In an old folk tale, having come to the house of the bears, the girl does not sit down at the table in the place of her father-bear, but chooses the place of the bear cub that is adequate for her age, that is, the place of the youngest, then Masha from the cartoon, to the great professorial regret, behaves differently. "Showing disrespect towards the Bear (which simultaneously embodies the image of the sacred animal for our country, and the image of the father) and constantly violates social norms with impunity, receiving positive reinforcement for this. That is, the father is not an authority ..." And if today the girl is allowed to break the taboo against her father and the Bear, then tomorrow, when she grows up, she will swing at the "bear" party "United Russia", or even, scary to think, at the all-Russian father - President Putin!

And Masha's emotional limitations: "Even an underdeveloped child experiences much more emotions than the heroine. In fact, all her emotions are manifested only in the field of cognitive experiences - she is interested in something, she is surprised by something, amuses and she wants something. This is all. She does not sympathize with anyone and even her own pain, for example, when she falls, she does not worry. As a biorobot, she does not perceive criticism, she is indifferent to the state of others. " Indeed, one can agree with the professor here. In the image of Masha, the topic of the fifth dimension of civil liability is not disclosed in any way, and the line of readiness to die in the Russian spring near Lugansk.

And the belittling of the status role of the Russian woman was also reflected in the image of the little girl Masha. "Historically, it so happened that in Russia a woman is the one who supports a man, helps him in his work, emotionally and energetically nourishes, accepts, disinterestedly regrets, sympathizes." And little Masha, as we see in the cartoon, is far from meeting this high standard. She gets the bear, but does not support. It does not help in work, but interferes and spoils.

But in this article we are interested in the points in which the supervising professor is similar to the critic of the liberal newspaper. And the similarity is striking. Matveeva also condemns the film for the fact that the girl in the forest is a foreign body, a destructive beginning, which all animals are afraid of: “In the first episode of the cartoon, we meet the characters. - all the animals are hiding more reliably, as there is a destructive force, which is dangerous. "

The head of the Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of the Law "On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development" also believes that the cartoon is harmful from an environmental point of view, since it destroys the child's connection with nature, with the environment, a part of which the growing up man should feel ... The professor condemns the emotionally limited Masha for the inability to love, irresponsibility, etc.

And the theme of the relationship between children and parents, which are absent in the cartoon, Professor Matveeva is also worried about: "And how will this grown up Masha treat her own children?" Professor Matveev's interview is generally full of pearls. And I am making extraordinary efforts on myself to stop quoting him, because I have already exceeded the size of the note recommended by the editorial staff of the site many times.

I will not draw verbose conclusions. I will not list the aesthetic, ethical, and psychological arguments in defense of Masha and the Bear. This masterpiece does not need my protection. I have only one question: why does the opinion of the liberal author of the progressive newspaper Haaretz so coincide with the opinion of the Russian reactionary Derzhimorda?

The cartoon "Masha and the Bear" entered the five most popular children's shows in the world, as well as in the Guinness Book of Records-2019 as the most viewed. Why the series, which is based on the characters of the Russian folk tale, is so fond of children around the world, argues the columnist "360".

During the month of research, the international agency Parrot Analytics analyzed 20 thousand children's cartoons. Of these, only five were chosen the most in demand among the audience, among which - "Masha and the Bear". Series "Masha plus porridge" on YouTube looked more than four billion times - it was she who opened the way for the cartoon to the main book of record holders. Now the series "Masha and the Bear" has been translated into 36 languages ​​and is shown in more than 100 countries around the world.

It happened with cartoons for a long time - if it is interesting or at least funny to watch not only children, but also their parents, then it was a success. In our most beloved cartoons, there was necessarily something that the children did not yet understand, but their parents did. And how much fun it made them! It was even more fun for children who watched the cartoon a few years later, when adult topics became clear.

For example, in the wonderful Soviet cartoon "The Flying Ship" there were such characters - Babki-Ezhki, they sang Yuri Entin's ditties when the Chimney Sweep came to them for the instruments for the flying ship. While you are a child, the words "I was tipsy and flew on a broom" are perceived without a catch, but for adults, remembering their naive and literal perception of everything around can be very funny. And there are many such examples - there is not enough time to describe.

The secret of the popularity of the cartoon "Masha and the Bear" is very simple and clear to any adult, even one episode is enough. Mashenka is the quintessence of most of the children in the modern world. And the unfortunate Bear, vainly trying to raise a naughty hyperactive girl, is a typical good parent of such a child. Tormented, but not yet desperate.

Moreover, many - both ordinary people and psychologists - call "Masha and the Bear" not only harmful, but also a dangerous cartoon. Some even diagnose Masha with a number of mental disorders! But for some reason, the cartoon is still liked by hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

It can be assumed that so many people are mistaken, there have been such cases. But I still want to find something good in the cartoon. Indeed, both children and adults are probably watching it not because of the sadistic inclinations that are attributed to a little girl in a pink sarafan. Maybe Mashenka still reminds us of the happiness and spontaneity of childhood - the series always ends well, even if she plays a lot of naughty things. And the Bear still gets what he wants - he looks with concern at the calmed or contented Masha, walks with his Bear ...

Yes, it's hard for him, but who said parenting is an easy job? Maybe that's why "Masha and the Bear" is good - they are honest. They're both not perfect, but they're both willing to take care of. Let Masha's care often lead to problems for the Bear, but this happens often with children - they are just learning. Masha knows that she can be a minx, but the Bear will love her anyway. And this is very important: letting a child be a child. Otherwise, then he will not turn into an adult.

Do your children watch the cartoon "Masha and the Bear"? Yes? And our children too! And then it turned out that this cartoon, according to psychologists, is the most harmful. Experts suddenly (five years after the cartoon appeared) started talking about the dangers of Masha and the Bear. The black list also includes "Monster High", "SpongeBob Squarepants", "Tom and Jerry". Why exactly these cartoons were considered dangerous for the child's psyche, which ones can then be watched, we tell in our section "Question-Answer".

Why is the cartoon "Masha and the Bear" dangerous for children?

Psychologists found out that in this cartoon Masha demonstrates bad behavior and bad character. At the same time, far from childish antics always get away with the girl (by the way, I did this even without a cartoon in my childhood).

Young children tend to believe everything that happens, and also copy the behavior of the main characters. Thus, the child initially forms an incorrect model of behavior, and subsequently parents may experience great difficulties in raising him.

The bear appears in the cartoon as kind and gentle. In the cartoon, Masha systematically mocks him. And, in fact, behind the appearance of a bear is the image of an adult, a little inhibited, but an adequate person. He can only be offended. Experts believe that the child takes an example from Mary and forms his own model of behavior in communicating with adults: they must be mocked!

Only now, you know what ... Yesterday we tried to remove the daughter of the deputy editor-in-chief from watching the next episode of the cartoon, so she squealed all evening. And at this moment the absence of Masha and her Bear in the children's life seemed to us more dangerous than their presence. Although this is our subjective opinion and it, apparently, disagrees with the opinion of psychologists.

Let's say I agree about Masha, but what's wrong with "Tom and Jerry"?

We all grew up on this cartoon, and nothing terrible happened to us (at least we didn't notice it). But psychologists say that in "Tom and Jerry" the mouse mocks the cat, and this also affects the psyche of the child.

The cartoon "Monster High", which took the second place in the anti-rating, forms, to put it mildly, poor vocabulary in children. The main characters in it speak slang, and also set a bad example for skipping lessons. Here the experts are probably right. "SpongeBob Squarepants" teaches a child to conflict, argue with friends and scold adults (bad Bob!).

And what cartoons then watch if they show some monsters and Pokemon?

You don't have to watch what is shown on TV. Almost every home has an internet connection or a DVD player. Parents can choose their own repertoire of cartoons and fairy tales for their children.

Psychologists from the Center for Psychological and Pedagogical Examination of Games and Toys recommend giving preference to old cartoons and fairy tales. Older children will love adventure cartoons. Well, remember those wonderful "12 months", "Geese-Swans", "Snow Queen", "Thumbelina", "Winnie the Pooh". These cartoons instill goodness, justice and mercy in children. We grew up on them, and they still evoke the warmest memories.

And what, new cartoons not to watch at all?

You can watch, of course, but the repertoire should be taken very seriously. In many modern cartoons there is a rapid change of episodes, because of this, the child does not remember the plot and cannot retell the content. Such cartoons will definitely not do good. You should also beware of computer games where fights take place, since the child may subsequently transfer some episodes to real life.

At what age can children be shown cartoons?

Psychologists recommend that children under two years old do not turn on the TV. Watching any, even the kindest cartoons, can cause irreversible changes in their psyche. So until this time, you should not sit the child in front of the TV, even if you have very little time and the child needs to do something. Better to give the kid a toy.

If your child has already blown out three candles on the cake, then he can watch cartoons. But at the same time, the session should not last more than 15-20 minutes. At the same time, parents are advised to be present when watching and during the cartoon to give their explanations of what is happening on the screen and why the hero did this, and not otherwise.