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Facebook Cartoon Profile Pics: Childhood Cartoons Invade Facebook
Cartoons from the 90s, 80s cartoons and cartoons from the 70s are taking over Facebook
You may have noticed your friends familiar faces being replaced by cartoon characters from your own childhood today. Don’t worry. It’s not the rise of the toon armies.
It’s a sudden trend with a cause behind it. Like the day we were all extolled to wear purple in honor of gay teens, or update our Facebook statuses with the color of our bras, the cartoons profile pics serve an oblique social purpose: they’re intend to raise awareness about violence against children.
That’s a noble cause for our beloved cartoons from the 70s, cartoons from the 80s or cartoons from the 90s to take up. Are the Rugrats characters really going to quash domestic violence? Will Doug lead the charge against real-life bullies? Maybe Strawberry Shortcake’s sweetness will somehow just help us all be friends?
How is this supposed to work exactly?
Like all of Facebook’s social justice campaigns, this one is long on cute and short on substance. I’ll be surprised if a single child is saved from violence because her parents put a childhood cartoon favorite on their profile pic today.
But it’s a cute conversation starter that can get people talking and thinking about an important topic. Violence against children is, blessedly, on the decline, and has been since the 1970s. Too many children – ie: any – still suffer abuse at the hands of parents, other caregivers, strangers and bullies. Raising awareness about the problem is an important step to solving it.
Raising awareness isn’t the only step though. After you’ve changed your Facebook profile to your favorite cartoon character, check out Raising Voices for more resources on preventing violence against children, at home and in the developing world.
I think I’ll be a Cheetara for the day. How about you?
Photo: Thundercats screen shot
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13 Comments
[...] you aren’t sure what is going on, here are two articles with regards to it. 1, [...]
Maestoso Amore » Blog Archive » The Facebook Cartoon Profile Pic debate. commented on Dec 04 10 at 3:20 am[...] to cartoon characters from the ’80s and ’90s in support of a campaign to … Facebook Cartoon Profile Pics: Cartoons from the 90s … Facebook has been taken over by cartoon characters today in an effort to raise awareness about [...]
Latest complete fast investigation All In One about facebook cartoon profile pic on 2010/12/6 | Love Listening World's Voice commented on Dec 05 10 at 8:57 pm[...] to cartoon characters from the ’80s and ’90s in support of a campaign to … Facebook Cartoon Profile Pics: Cartoons from the 90s … Facebook has been taken over by cartoon characters today in an effort to raise awareness about [...]
Latest complete fast investigation All In One about facebook cartoon profile pic on 2010/12/6 | Love Listening World's Voice commented on Dec 05 10 at 8:57 pm[...] to cartoon characters from the ’80s and ’90s in support of a campaign to … Facebook Cartoon Profile Pics: Cartoons from the 90s … Facebook has been taken over by cartoon characters today in an effort to raise awareness about [...]
Latest complete fast investigation All In One about facebook cartoon profile pic on 2010/12/6 | Love Listening World's Voice commented on Dec 05 10 at 8:57 pm[...] to cartoon characters from the ’80s and ’90s in support of a campaign to … Facebook Cartoon Profile Pics: Cartoons from the 90s … Facebook has been taken over by cartoon characters today in an effort to raise awareness about [...]
Latest complete fast investigation All In One about facebook cartoon profile pic on 2010/12/6 | Love Listening World's Voice commented on Dec 05 10 at 8:57 pmNelson commented on Dec 03 10 at 1:15 pmThis is EXACTLY what I was thinking. Right on the nose. I actually felt a bit insulted by this campaign because it didn’t promote further action. I don’t know who started it, but I have a feeling that most folks won’t go much further than google searching an image of their favorite cartoon character and posting it up on their profile.
I’m glad to hear you speak out on this and offer a chance to further educate people who may possibly take further action and “save” a child.
Marj commented on Dec 03 10 at 3:57 pmI wonder myself how these facebook things are supposed to actually help in any tangible way. But that said, I didn’t want to be a spoilsport and changed my facebook pic.
Maggie commented on Dec 03 10 at 9:54 pmI never heard this.
I know theres been alot of talk about violence against children charities recently, but honestly, NOBODY I know has made their picture anything aside from a pokemon.
Know why?
Its change your profile to a pokemon month.
Yeah. So Im really hoping you didnt just see a bunch of pokemon and think “AH HAH! It must be for children!” Because I have never heard of changing your profile to any cartoon character.
JesBelle commented on Dec 03 10 at 10:42 pmI don’t usually go in for the slacktivism, but this weekend my pic is Desslok from Star Blazers. That show opened a whole new universe for me when I was 11.
Majella Henderson commented on Dec 04 10 at 1:54 amI was a victim of child abuse and take this cause seriously, Not only i but my brother and three more of us. hugs xxx
Sleepy Hollow commented on Dec 04 10 at 6:43 pmSome of you may think that it doesn’t matter if we change our profile pics that nothing will change or happen…and maybe not. But the focus of it is to show the support against child abuse. I for one was abused and agree with JesBelle I take it seriously as well. Will I get upset if my friends don’t change their pics…no. The fact that I did is all that matters.
Sleepy Hollow commented on Dec 04 10 at 6:44 pmI ment Majella Henderson…oops!!
Linda, the original one commented on Dec 04 10 at 10:06 pmI resent being told that I have to or ought to have any particular thing as my FB picture and I refuse to change it. My current profile is a picture of my husband and me when we met our favorite comedian and it’s less than a month old. I’m keeping it.
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