A Team Rocket Double Standard?

[Alola]

So I happened to re-watch the episode Seeing is Believing! the other day on Boomerang. Apart from the episodes main focus of May and Jessie's respective Bug types evolving yet agian, something else struck me even more. It was the fact that Ash & Co were so adamant about not letting Team Rocket catch the Pokemon of the Day: the Seedot.

Now keep in mind, the Seedot were wild Pokemon. Meaning that any trainer is able to catch them. Any trainer. Thus why is Team Rocket a no-no (when they're actually going about acquiring Pokemon the right way) yet any other character is allowed to rip a Pokemon out of its natural habitat, and most likely home, just for their personal wanting? This isn't the first time this double standard has been evoked with TR either (however I don't feel like finding and listing all the examples). In fact, I think the only time Ash & Co let it slide was when Jessie pragmatically caught her Yanma. Anyway, thoughts?

 

[Neo Blaze]

I think it's quite obvious. Team Rocket is known for their bad deeds, and except the Pokémon they catch for personal use (these are mostly Pokémon they bond with before capture), they'll be send to Giovanni, likely to use the Pokémon in Team Rocket's evil schemes on a more global scale. Capturing Pokémon isn't a bad thing in itself, Trainers are allowed to capture almost any wild Pokémon they want. It's Team Rocket's evil nature and the evil schemes they are known for that make Ash and co. not want to capture them, even if they're wild Pokémon. Ash and co. and most sane Pokémon Trainers bond with their Pokémon and treat them with respect. Team Rocket (as in, the actual Team Rocket, not the TRio) would do no such thing.

 

[Osprey]

I guess it was just stopping something before it became a problem. If TR got those Seedot, who knows what they would've done with them... I can just imagine those acorns being used to dive-bomb Ash & Co. whenever they would walk under a tree. Also, you gotta have conflict. No matter how cheap, petty or arbitrary.

 

[CynthiaLover]

I agree with Neo Blaze. Look at the Team Rocket general motto: "Steal Pokémon for profit. Exploit Pokémon for profit. All Pokémon exist for the glory of Team Rocket." To Team Rocket, Pokemon only exist to them for profit and power. Unlike Jessie and James, who actually bond with their Pokemon (more or less, depending on the series), then if they were to catch the Seedot for personal use, then it wouldn't really be a problem, or at least as big as one. But seeing how most stolen Pokemon end up in Giovanni's mits, then they Pokemon would be used for ill deeds. THAT would be the problem. So Ash and Co are trying to keep the general Team Rocket (not just JJM) from gaining more power, exploiting and abusing Pokemon for whatever they desire, and keep Giovanni from becoming an even bigger threat. Most Trainers treat their Pokemon with respect, so catching them in the wild isn't a bad thing, as they will actually get better care than on their own. But Team Rocket would abuse and exploit every aspect of the Pokemon solely for their gain to make them a worldwide power. Only Jessie and James really have any form of heart in Team Rocket, as they actually care about their Pokemon (rewatch some of their release episodes, you'll see what I mean), but Giovanni could care less about that, as Pokemon only exist to "extend his reach to the stars above".

So, in short, catching Pokemon in the wild for personal use is fine, but catching/stealing them for the sole purpose of power and money is not.

 

[dman_dustin]

So I happened to re-watch the episode Seeing is Believing! the other day on Boomerang. Apart from the episodes main focus of May and Jessie's respective Bug types evolving yet agian, something else struck me even more. It was the fact that Ash & Co were so adamant about not letting Team Rocket catch the Pokemon of the Day: the Seedot.

Now keep in mind, the Seedot were wild Pokemon. Meaning that any trainer is able to catch them. Any trainer. Thus why is Team Rocket a no-no (when they're actually going about acquiring Pokemon the right way) yet any other character is allowed to rip a Pokemon out of its natural habitat, and most likely home, just for their personal wanting? This isn't the first time this double standard has been evoked with TR either (however I don't feel like finding and listing all the examples). In fact, I think the only time Ash & Co let it slide was when Jessie pragmatically caught her Yanma. Anyway, thoughts?

It's not really a double standard.

What Team Rocket does is called poaching, your ordinary every day trainer is not going to poach.

Also there is something called "the right way to capture Pokemon" which is called a Poke ball. Team Rocket rarely use Poke balls, except for Pokemon they end up catching for themselves. What they use most of the time are cages, or other cage like contraptions. Hence poaching.

Now think of Pokemon as a sport, or even a game of hunting. In real life hunting there are some types of guns that cannot be used in hunting, likewise there might be specific contraptions you cannot use to capture Pokemon.

That is why it is NOT a double standard, trainers use Poke balls to capture Pokemon. Team Rocket don't unless it's the Pokemon they end up catching for themselves.

As for the Tyler and Yanma situation, Tyler had limited rights to the Yanma that ended up as Jessie's. Which is why Ash and co were upset. Tyler had a claim to that Yanma, and he did not give permission to Jessie to capture it, thus Jessie was taking something from Tyler.

The reason this is primarily swept under the rug is most likely BECAUSE Jessie did actually capture it with a Poke ball, and Tyler resigned to never ending up with THAT particular Yanma and it wasn't officially his to make a big fuss about it like if Ash's Pikachu was taken, and he caught a different one later on anyway.

 

[Alola]

Whew whew whew okay! Thank you everyone!

I guess I was looking at the situation in a narrow view and not the big picture. As Neo Blaze and CynthiaLover said, ultimately the intention for the Pokemon that Team Rocket targets is nefarious. Sending them to Giovanni or just the headquarters in general ensures that they would be used for evil deeds (if not released, or used at all). I forgot that. Given how often TR are the butt monkeys of episodes, I just felt sorry for them and wanted them to succeed for once if their goal happened to revolve around wild Pokemon. But yes, you guys are right: better to be free in the wild than used by one of the many villainous teams. In fact, I think this point should be brought up occasionally in the anime to remind people like me why Team Rocket, even though funny and lovable, are ultimately villains who cannot succeed in their plans.

Also dman_dustin I like your sports analogy regarding catching Pokemon. It's a very nice way to explain it.

And as a side note, this is why I love forums such as these and the people who respond. You get to hear all types of ideals, thoughts and mentalities (was that repetitive?). And with those individual thoughts, they might be able to expand your own horizon if not teach/correct you on a certain matter. So once again, I thank everyone for answering this thread and helping me to once again get the bigger picture.