The Rugrats

How did we blatantly forget how well social issues were addressed on one of our favorite cartoons? We could blame it on youthful ignorance or maybe, we just weren’t as ready to address them like the Pickles family. The biggest surprise I found about the Rugrats was the Jewish religious background. The religious dynamic that rarely ever gets shown on American television, this social issue of religious freedom is dealt with perfectly in Rugrat episodes like “A Rugrats Passover.” Besides the Judaism role in Rugrats, they also tackled issues like homosexuality and interracial relationships. Way to go Rugrats! You are truly a 90’s cartoon inspiration!

The Spice Girls

Like I have said in my previous article, the Spice Girls are social justice goals. Even over a decade later, they are still the definition of “girl power.” In the 90’s, women all over the world felt empowered by the Spice Girls, through more ways than their music. They were fierce, strong, independent, and loyal women who were true inspirations to the 90’s culture and can still be recognized today.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air

One of the most hilarious and iconic shows of the 90’s, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, tackled social issues almost as much as Will Smith cracked jokes. Some of the common social themes they talked about were the stereotype of “dead-beat” dads, black wealth, and police brutality. It really shocked me when I started thinking about these issues being addressed on the Fresh Prince. Obviously being a white child watching this show, I never noticed all the issues of black lives and the problems that were occurring during that time. Now, a college student educated on social issues, I see the parallels from the 90’s to present day, as sad as it may be.

The Simpsons

Believe it or not, but The Simpsons actually have dealt with almost every social issue during their nearly 30 years on air. This animated comedy sketch has addressed issues ranging from immigration ban, drug and alcohol abuse, environmental issues, political elections and corruption, and homophobia. For a comedy cartoon, they have always handled these social issues with grace and, of course, a lot of humor.

Clueless

During this whole immigration ban the one thing that continues to play in my head, and fueled the inspiration for this article, was this scene in Clueless. Yeah, maybe a teen, bubble-gum 90’s movie shouldn’t be my reaction to a huge government issue, but it is actually pretty reliable. When discussing how the Haitians need to come to America, the main character, Cher, begins her speech with an analogy of planning a garden party for her father’s birthday. She explains that it was an R.S.V.P. party because it was a sit down dinner, but many people came that had not R.S.V.P. Even though she was “totally bugging” she redistributed the food and squished everyone together. As her famous quote goes, “and in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty.” And may I just agree, still to this day the Statue of Liberty has no trace of an R.S.V.P. on it!