This isnt stupid at all :/I see NYT is doing it's part to see how many pieces of children's media we can get conservatives riled up about simultaneously before they start realizing just how stupid this all is.
Yeah, I know Mexicans who love Speedy. Also, Pepe is presented as Italian in France. Both characters are problematic for sure.I've seen that Speedy Gonzalez is rather popular in Mexico, I always liked him as a kid but I havent seen any of his cartoons in years.
I've seen that Speedy Gonzalez is rather popular in Mexico, I always liked him as a kid but I havent seen any of his cartoons in years.
I always thought Pepe Le Pew was supposed to viewed as an antagonistic Looney Tune, kind of like Yosemite Sam or Elmer Fudd; you're not supposed to like those ones & want to see them get safe's dropped on their heads?
I never remember watching them as a kid & thinking the skunk was the one you're supposed to cheer for in this situation. Maybe it's just been a long time since I watched a Looney Tune sketch.
I think Pepe Le Pew is a good example in particular. Like, if you watch the shorts - from what I remember - he was never really considered the "hero" - he's an exaggerated stereotype of a lothario, taking it to its logical conclusion, pairing it with the obvious "skunks = smelly" joke. He's unpleasant and constantly chasing down a female cat, who absolutely doesn't want his attention, and he's too oblivious and self-obsessed to figure that out. He's a caricature of a real type of character based on a real type of person.
It's not that he's a hero, it's that the bad things he does are no big deal. They're the sort of: oh, what a rascal, he doesn't know how silly and annoying he is! It's the same problem that you get with "funny pervert" characters in anime. Not that they're framed as good, it's that they're framed as "bad but tolerable," when we as a society shouldn't be tolerating them.
LOLYeah, I know Mexicans who love Speedy. Also, Pepe is presented as Italian in France. Both characters are problematic for sure.
Bluto was basically trying to kidnap and rape Olive Oyl in the early cartoons.
Popeye is a whole story of it own
Honestly, it's mostly animation historians or older people that watch these cartoons. I don't think too many children watch them anymore.It's like yeah...but do these characters specifically exist in the public consciousness anymore? Do they even air Looney Tunes in general for public mass consumption outside of a paywall (HBO Max) in 2021?
Critical analysis of content is always important so we can learn and grow from it, but this take isn't dissimilar from critical analysis of Betty Boop in 2021.
I mean the people being upset about the criticism, not the criticism itself.
Ah gotcha my bad.I mean the people being upset about the criticism, not the criticism itself.
Space Jam 2 is coming out this summer and there's been some form of a new Looney Tunes show airing on Cartoon Network & co for almost every year since 1990.It's like yeah...but do these characters specifically exist in the public consciousness anymore? Do they even air Looney Tunes in general for public mass consumption outside of a paywall (HBO Max) in 2021?
Critical analysis of content is always important so we can learn and grow from it, but this take isn't dissimilar from critical analysis of Betty Boop in 2021.
Believe it or not there were complaints about them even during their time period. The Tom and Jerry character Mammy Two Shoes was retired in 1952 due to criticism from NAACP.
an excuse is not what critical theory is in search of.
Oh I believe it for sure and I also had no idea this happen so thanks for that.Believe it or not there were complaints about them even during their time period. The Tom and Jerry character Mammy Two Shoes was retired in 1952 due to criticism from NAACP.
I never got that from his character as a kid. I always thought it was a slam against the French and that the main part of the "joke" is that he has no clue that he's a skunk and therefore stinks. He's also dumb because he never understands that it's a cat he's chasing and not another skunk. I never took him as a protaginist at all. Regardless, he was not a favorite character of mine. I liked Yosemite, Foghorn, Daffy, and for the most part Bugs.The Pepe thing is a pretty old take to be fair.
I think the problem with that cartoon in particular is that the rapey skunk is kinda portrayed as this sort of "Oh that Pepe! Always up to no good ha ha ha" kind of character. It positions it as something that is bad but still okay.
Awful character.
Lmao are you seriousHow ironic it was that the man that was writing a Pepé Le Pew movie was fucking Max Landis?
i have a vague recollection of this as well but that's all it is. Curious if that's correct or clouded by other things.
Oh yes, that happened
How is this not the onionOh yes, that happened
Max Landis is writing a Pepe Le Pew movie, even though that sounds awful
In April, we reported that Warner Bros. was thinking about making a Speedy Gonzales movie, despite the fact that he’s generally seen as a rather offensive ethnic stereotype here in the United States. He’s less controversial in Mexico, though, where Speedy Gonzales actually speaks Spanish instead...news.avclub.com
the 1941 Walter Lanz cartoon "Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat" was originally released without any real resistance, but a re release of it in 1948 was heavily protested, and it was soon banned from distribution by Universal. It's now in the public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrub_Me_Mama_with_a_Boogie_BeatBelieve it or not there were complaints about them even during their time period. The Tom and Jerry character Mammy Two Shoes was retired in 1952 due to criticism from NAACP.
It technically is, just not the satirical part lol
To be fair, this is a black writer commenting on the racist portrayal of the side characters in Speedy shorts and not Speedy himself. This is a valid criticism as while Speedy himself was good, he was portrayed as an example of exceptionalism compared to the rest of the heavily stereotyped cast. Of course, there was an easy solution to this problem that ultimately happened: remove the rest of the cast in subsequent adaptations. It's just that corporate America is always going to take the easy out at first rather than putting in actual work to fix an issue.This same criticism of "racial stereotypes" happened before with Speedy Gonzales. To the point where his cartoons were removed from the air.
And then LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) literally had a campaign to bring him back. Because he is incredibly popular among Hispanic people.
Basically, white people decided he was a racist stereotype and actual Hispanic-Americans told them to fuck off... in 2002.
And here we are again.
This is about Speedy friends not him.This same criticism of "racial stereotypes" happened before with Speedy Gonzales. To the point where his cartoons were removed from the air.
And then LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) literally had a campaign to bring him back. Because he is incredibly popular among Hispanic people.
Basically, white people decided he was a racist stereotype and actual Hispanic-Americans told them to fuck off... in 2002.
And here we are again.
I've seen that Speedy Gonzalez is rather popular in Mexico, I always liked him as a kid but I havent seen any of his cartoons in years.
To be fair, this is a black writer commenting on the racist portrayal of the side characters in Speedy shorts and not Speedy himself. This is a valid criticism as while Speedy himself was good, he was portrayed as an example of exceptionalism compared to the rest of the heavily stereotyped cast. Of course, there was an easy solution to this problem that ultimately happened: remove the rest of the cast in subsequent adaptations. It's just that corporate America is always going to take the easy out at first rather than putting in actual work to fix an issue.
But broadly speaking, yes, white people love telling minorities what should and shouldn't be acceptable for them.
There has been complaints like that. That's why Tom and Jerry were turned into friends in the 1970s cartoons.Always felt it was a weird character (Pepe) but is this backed up with some actual evidence or...? Because couldn't you just as easily say "well Looney Tunes taught an entire generation that shooting or violently maiming each other is totally acceptable solution to problems"?
Literary analysis (much less an opinion article) doesn't require evidence of its effects on people. The point is to draw from the source material to support the thesis. Thus this article's focus on these harmful stereotypes that still exist in culture through popular media. Showing the actual effects of such stereotypes or proving the real world harm would come from a scientific analysis, not a literary one.Always felt it was a weird character (Pepe) but is this backed up with some actual evidence or...? Because couldn't you just as easily say "well Looney Tunes taught an entire generation that shooting or violently maiming each other is totally acceptable solution to problems"?