Trust Your Elders?

Sydney Dominick

Trust Your Elders?

Four teenagers and their lovable dog, roaming around their town looking to solve mysteries and maybe eat along the way. That is the basic premise for the much-loved T.V. show, Scooby Doo Where are You. The show, which began in 1969 and is currently still producing episodes and movies, is a staple in many children’s lives. The main characters are all stereotypes: Fred the leader, Velma the smart one, Daphne the damsel in distress, and Shaggy the coward (or stoner more about that later) and of course Scooby the lovable goof. As the seasons progress, Daphne does become a little more of a progressive woman and learns Karate so she can defend herself and stops needing Fred to save her every episode. The show takes on a very counter-culture vibe of the 70s. By 1969, the counter-culture had entered the mainstream and was recognizable to teenagers and parents. The gang, in no means full hippies, do resemble teenagers of the 70s. The kids drive around in a brightly colored van and Shaggy and Scooby clearly have the munchies every episode. While Fred, Daphne, and Velma appear very straight-laced, their two friends are definitely not. But perhaps the largest nod to the counter-culture is the total distrust in adults.

Every episode, the gang is hunting an apparent supernatural creature: the Black Knight, the Creeper, or the Phantom. Ultimately, every creature is an adult that the teenagers knew and respected. The adult is usually greedy for money or possessions. For instance, my favorite villain, the Creeper turns out to be the bank president, who was stealing money from the bank. Not only does he steal from the bank but he also turns violent, beating a security guard. The kids had multiple run ins with the president. On the surface, he appeared amicable and docile but in reality, he was anything but. While Velma always solves the mystery before he is caught, the young viewer watching it is usually in shock. How could the nice man actually be the terrifying Creeper? The show demonstrates the duality of man in a simple way that enables children to understand how sinister adults can be. The adults hide their greed behind scary costumes but their true identity is always revealed. At a time when authority figures were not to be trusted, Vietnam was at its peak and Watergate was just about to happen, Scooby Doo mirrored the mistrust many kids and young adults felt towards the establishment and authority figures.

Scooby Doo taught young children that adults were not always right. Just like in If I Ever Get Out of Here and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, adults can be wrong or downright hostile. Lewis faces the teacher’s and their racism when they not only will not help him when he is bullied but berate him after he tells on his bully. Cameron is constantly let down by adults. Her grandmother and aunt betray her and send her to a camp because they cannot process her sexuality. The camp leaders, while believing they are right, continue to hurt the teenagers and even drive one to mutilate himself. Cameron is trapped by adults at a camp that is doing its best to strip her of her identity and self. Her only way of escape is to run away from the adults her are hurting her. Adolescent entertainment often grapples with the idea that adults are not to be trusted and that sometimes the kids are actually correct. At the end of every episode the villain states, “And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling kids”. And he is right. The police and detectives could not catch him, perhaps that is commentary on inept police work, but more probable it is commentary on how adults turn a blind eye to social issues and problems in authority. Teenagers are usually the ones commenting on how awful society is and how we need to better it. The gang may not overtly say that but after encountering countless villains, I am sure they know the world is not a great place.

The 1970s counter-culture is clearly over in the 21^st century but the lingering fear of authority is still widely present. The government is widely distrusted and nowhere and no one feels safe. The lack of mistrust in authority is still warranted and maybe that is why Scooby Doo continues. On the surface, it is a goofy comedy about a dog and his friends solving some mysteries but in actuality it teaches us to be a little paranoid.