A great reference for Warner Bros. cartoons is Jerry Beck's and Will Friedwald's book, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons
What did I learn from watching Bugs Bunny cartoons? I think primarily watching these cartoons shaped my appreciation for humor. But there were other things. To expect fairness, but not be surprised if it wasn't forthcoming. That indignation over unfairness is appropriate. That retaliation and vengeance - the kind that doesn't cause real harm, only "pretend harm" - is one response to unfairness, but that this can backfire!
The censorship of Warner Bros. cartoons that I've seen in recent years is something that I find offensive. I did not learn to fire guns at people by watching Elmer Fudd fire his gun at Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck. I did not learn that wounds in real life - even severe wounds - can heal themselves in the few seconds that it takes for a scene to change in a cartoon. Just as I did not acquire a warped view of violence, I did not acquire a warped view of race and culture, despite the many depictions of races and cultures that are offensive to people in this day and age.
Thank you, Bugs, for being an important part of my life.
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