The Russian animated series Masha and the Bear is often controversial among adults. While the children enthusiastically follow the adventures of a restless girl and her club-footed friend, their parents are trying to understand whether these stories will harm the kids.
Inverted relationship
The enthusiasm for Masha and the Bear is the same among audiences of all ages. The funny and lively inventor Masha reminds adults of their own children, and young viewers dream of the same freedom of life as the main character. But opponents of the animated series have different arguments. Among the main ones - Masha shows an example of disrespectful behavior towards adults. If you pay special attention to the plot of each episode, you will notice that the drawn girl does not just offend the bear with her actions. Masha demonstratively ignores his needs and desires, and moreover, she does not repent when she hurts her four-legged friend. On the other hand, the bear does not behave like an adequate adult either. He forgives the minx all insults and does not punish her for her misdeeds, only sometimes he takes offense or hides. Although the bear plays an important role as a father in the world of the cartoon, the creators actually devalue his contribution to the upbringing of the girl.
Contrary to tradition
Another reason why some of the viewers do not approve of the cartoon "Masha and the Bear" is hidden in the violation of traditional values by the characters. For many people, female characters in fairy tales are important for their ability to support, comfort, and pity someone. This behavior is typical not only for adult heroines, mainly for fairy-tale mothers or brides. Even in the folk tale about Masha and the bear, the girl behaves like a hostess and takes pity on the lonely beast. In the modern cartoon series, a female character is shown as a destructive force. All pets are afraid of Masha, because everything living and inanimate for her is only a means of her own entertainment. Parents are often frightened that their offspring will unwittingly copy the heroine's attitude to the world around her. After all, children, due to the peculiarities of perception, automatically read Masha's behavior as permissible and desirable.
No love, no pity
Another important point concerns the psychology and emotional development of the main character. Some mothers are repulsed by Masha's inability to feel anything other than the desire to have fun. The creators do not show her compassionate or caring about someone, even gently stroking the animals. Basically, Masha is depicted as indifferent to others. This applies not only to the inhabitants of the forest, but even to the significant character in the children's world - Santa Claus. Having harmed his health, Masha first of all thinks exclusively about picking up all the gifts remaining in his bag. It is only her transformation into a Snow Maiden with a long braid that makes her distribute elegant boxes to the addressees.
All these and some other aspects of perception by small viewers of the animated series can be used in a positive way. To do this, parents should not leave the kids alone with "Masha and the Bear", but discuss the behavior of the characters and place the right accents.
