During the 1960s, a television show named The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show aired cartoons that offered tongue-in-cheek humor. Many children's cartoons at the time had double entendres targeted at the adults in the audience with much of this hidden humor generally going unnoticed by the children.
This was a variety show of sorts with different storylines. Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle the Moose were the main characters of the irreverent show and they spent their time fighting the forces of evil, typically portrayed by Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, who worked for their dictator, Fearless Leader. Written during the height of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union there was no mistaking which countries these characters were representing.
Another popular cartoon character of the era was a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman named Dudley-Do-Right who faithfully fought his archenemy Snidely Whiplash. Boris and Natasha had nationalistic reasons for their criminal behaviors, but Snidely was just mean, and a classic villain.
We all knew one or more children in grade school who had behavior issues, or at least I did. I was no angel but there were lines I would never cross. The children I am referring to are the kids whose father was possibly a cloven-hoofed goat. Some of these children when given a clear choice between right and wrong routinely chose the path leading towards the dark side. Child Psychologists might say that they were just seeking attention and that these behaviors would pass as they grew. Sometimes they did and sometimes they didn't. Some children are truly victims of circumstance but people from good situations seem to be drawn to trouble for reasons unknown.
Are we all subject to the wrinkles in our deepest DNA?
I remember hearing some of the adults in my family offer opinions about a troubled adolescent whose parent's reputation was blemished.
Well! What did you expect? He's a bad seed ...
I used to think, What an ignorant point of view!
But now, I don’t know. There are as many educated opinions on human criminality as there are flavors of ice cream. In the end, it doesn’t matter. There are those among us who have no interest in staying out of trouble, consciously or subconsciously they head straight for it.
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