Cartoons, the nonsense solution takes
While I’m eating my fruity pebbles watching scooby-doo a flash of cartoons runs across my thoughts. Suddenly a question- are cartoons the nonsense solution? I know right how in the world can a solution be nonsensical, that is a contradiction,right?
Well I went searching on different ai and search engines. Google provided the chemical Guys; according to CHATGPT-a nonsense solution generally refers to a proposed answer or outcome that does not logically follow from the problem, makes no practical sense, or fails to resolve the issue it’s supposed to address.
Cartoons in general make satire of life, it take what already doesn’t make sense and multiples it, to make it even more questionable- I.e why, oh my gods, they took it too far, the that doesn’t make sense. Watching a cartoon requires little thought, I believe that done intentionally due to the storyline and circling back to what the cartoon was about in the first place. There’s always a problem, action, and solution in every cartoon. The problem mirrors current events or situations; sequence of events usually make very little sense except for resilience towards solving the problem.
Perfect example: Amazing world of gumball, first it’s a family of anthropomorphic cats and fish, the secondary characters are fall in the same category like the t-Rex or balloon. First nonsense- dad doesn’t work and he’s not very intelligent but his big heart is his intelligence, the mom is an overachiever, protective and very dominant. Gumball is imaginative, outspoken and stubbornly funny, the sister she extremely intelligent, but doesn’t allow her intelligence to override her love for her family. The adopted brother is a fish he’s completes the family the one who is emotionally empowering and mature towards/for the family. The situation they get into are caused and complicated by their actions. Once everything is “back to normal” the realization of the lesson takes its true course the solution- what they learned.
Within the nonsense there was a solution, that solution not solve the problem, it also taught a lesson. The nonsense solution, it didn’t make sense then but it makes sense now.
Now some comparisons in the world of reality, the solution that’s been proposed over the last decade for problems like homelessness, climate, food, energy, poverty and other issues plaguing people have been out of the box-also in the box. It only helps the ones who can afford it, verse helping all those who can be benefit from the help. The real solution are not exclusive they are inclusive and emotional intelligent, unfortunately that solution is like emotions it takes time and patience to understand what is happening and how to fix it. Even fixing takes time. Some situations are a distraction to the actual solution. Like in current times “cover-up” is now viewed as a solution. Or deflection from the realities of the coverup being the solution. That’s real nonsense; repeating non solutions for actual solutions.
Cartoons are a very good example of breaking a cycle- looking at a problem from a unique perspective a child’s eyes. Children carry no boundaries society eventually indoctrinates societal rules and norms. Before that happens children often solve a problem through twist, turns, struggles eventually coming to societal conclusions or their own. In a previous blog Word Flip I touched on the word bully in Japanese context- the word is used more intentional for “ not fitting in” this is what society does to individuals who think and move differently. In cartoons those different solutions are not just heard there action following it. No matter how unusual, unique or outrageous, they try it and if it doesn’t work another solution shows itself. The nonsense solution takes the gold every time - what appears nonsense it wasn’t at all, it actually makes sense when it’s applied then enacted.
How does all this tie into creativity and marketing- some solutions are not logical, shit , they are not even connective to the actual product until the end. All the twist and turns keep consumer on an endless “what’s next rollercoaster”. How will they ,wow again ? Can it out wow the last time? Toward each wow, creativity leans further and further away on what’s sensible to nonsense. Like, the liquid death ad- it made sense but it didn’t make sense. All the elements were there telling a story and facts at the same time. Very satire of high school kids and great play on words- very much dark humor. All that being said I was intrigued by the ad.
