Who's the Bad Guy?

It’s been quite a while since the last time I wrote something here. All these past months, I always had in mind that the day I’d get myself back to writing, I’d have to have something unbelievably spectacular to say. But as I was flipping through the TV channels the last couple of days, a simple idea triggered my thoughts to start writing again. An idea, that although so simple, can actually hold so much controversy…

“Tom & Jerry: So Who’s Really the Bad Guy?”. That’s the idea that came to my mind, and the idea which I just realized (as we speak) could actually work as a book title :)

As a kid, “Tom & Jerry” has always been an indispensable part of my growing up. I remember whenever I used to switch on the TV, they’d be literally there – always, at some point in time! The series were just endless, and that was the beauty of it. Series would always start with our very own favorite “Mammy-Two-Shoes” calling for Tom, who she always had a tendency to call “Thomas”. For those who don’t remember who Mammy-Two-Shoes is, she was a recurring character who appeared as a middle aged women, and was famous for never showing her head.

Now back to our very very controversial topic…

In all the times I watched Tom & Jerry when I was a young girl, I always thought – and in fact believed with all my heart – that Jerry was a victim to all of Tom’s bad deeds. To me, Jerry was this cute little mouse, who’s utmost aspirations were to make his way out of his home through his little hole in the wall, get a hold of his cheese and then make his way back safely into his home and enjoy his cheese, just like any mouse is entitled to.

Tom, on the other hand, has long before set “making Jerry’s life a misery” as his long-life mission. From chasing him all over the house, to setting mouse traps in front of his wall hole, to trying to smash him with a wooden stick (and of course crashing everything that comes in his way as he tries to do so) – Tom would just not stop until he gets a hold of Jerry.

But then recently, I thought to myself; why is it that we always stereotype Tom as the bad guy? Isn’t it possible that Jerry would be the evil one who we never suspect due to his small size? Couldn’t he have all those years been using his size as an excuse to look cute and innocent so that neither Mammy-Two-Shoes nor the audience (yes, us) would ever suspect that he may as well be behind all the disasters that take place at home?

As harsh as this may sound to all you Jerry-lovers out there, I am now starting to think that Jerry is the one who provokes Tom to chase him. And that Tom always gets into trouble just because he’s bigger in size, and is hence more visible to Mammy-Two-Shoes. And because we always tend to have this idea that Tom – being the ‘cat’ – would naturally be the one who wants to ‘eat’ the ‘mouse’ – who in this case would be our very one and only Jerry.

Yet again, I can’t help but remember all the times where Jerry was sitting so helplessly, and Tom would deliberately try to annoy him in one way or another.

I personally can’t decide who really IS the bad guy. All I know is that Tom and Jerry are one of the cutest, closest-to-heart and most appealing characters (to almost all age groups I’ve met till now) – and I’ll always love them both very equally :)