The Great Divide

The 1990's were polarizing years. Each demographic had its own issues and the line of demarcation that separated the sides was clear cut. In the early 90's you either were free enterprise, or you were Communism. As the decade progressed so did the issues. You were East Coast, or you were West Coast. You were Biggie, or you were Pac.  There was no fence-sitting. This black and white outlook permeated every aspect of American life, and leeched all the way down to the elementary school level. For those of us too young to argue about the ethics of nuclear proliferation or whether Death Row was badder than Bad Boy, the divisive issue of our generation was Cartoon Network Vs. Nickelodeon.

 On the rug during "choice time" at the progressive public school 234 in lower manhattan, two groups existed whether the participants would acknowledge it or not. On one side of the room were the Nickelodeon kids fondly recalling the Rocco's Modern Life from the night before. Others debated which was the best episode of Angry Beavers, and the girls would giggle privately about Clarissa Explains It All. 

Directly adjacent to the "Nick" crowd were the Cartoon Network Kids. Looked down upon by the more socially advanced Nickelodeon group, the Cartoon Network kids had endless dialogues with topics like whether "Heart" truly belonged in the Captain Planet formula. Or talking about your favorite ThunderCat while hiding your obvious crush on Cheetara.

The coolest kids in the Cartoon Network groups would sit back to back with the kids barely clinging to their elite Nickelodeon status. These kids would generally be the Ren and Stimpy sub-section to the Cartoon Network crowd and the Double Dare annex to the Nickelodeon group. Anthropologists call these units common interest associations. From the ground level I can tell you that it caused significant emotional conflict for many kids.

I, like many of my peers in the 1990's, did not subscribe to the one-or-the-other mindset. People like us lived for a day long Captain Planet marathon, but loved a good "Doug." We could watch Rocket Power (you're welcome) and "Doug" forever but enjoyed a Space Ghost or Justice League every now and then. But in the 1990's when people were getting shot because they had the wrong CD in their walk-man, "liking both" was simply not an option.

With 1990 almost 20 years behind us, I think it's time to clear the air about our allegiances. I was a Cartoon Network kid with Nickelodeon sensibilities. I was not a big Hey Arnold Fan and I watched Arthur every morning on PBS. What about it?