I grew up watching The Jetsons during a time when Hanna-Barbera classic cartoons were still aired on TV. I can’t recall what networks they played on but I remember watching The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Where are You! (and all of its spin-offs), Wacky Races, The Yogi Bear Show, The Smurfs, Shirt Tales, Pound Puppies, and countless others.
But there’s one show that sticks out more than any other at this moment, as my robotic vacuum zooms in the background as I type. When people make jokes demanding to know why, in the year 2020, they still haven’t gotten their flying cars and jetpacks, they’re probably referencing The Jetsons. Since its debut in 1962, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon has become synonymous with the gleaming utopia promised by technology.
But this pandemic has us realizing what the creators of the Jetsons knew over 50 years ago. Today, we are expected to work from home, take online classes; we are even being pushed by our health care providers to schedule a video conference rather than doing it in person. Have the Jetsons actually predicted a bone-chilling dystopia?
Now all we need are those flying cars, talking dogs, and complete robot maids to help with the house chores. In a world full of Kardashians, be a Judy Jetson!
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