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On the heels of Dr. Seuss being muzzled for racist portrayals in a few books, another beloved childhood memory is also referred to as problematic … that of Pepe Le Pew.
Looney Tunes character fell in the sights of the NYT columnist Charles M. Blow – who wrote a editorial titled “Six Seuss Books Bore a Bias” … where he argued that racism runs deep in American culture (especially pop culture) and nurtured children at a young age.
He brought up cartoons like Speedy Gonzales and Mammy Two Shoes – the former being another LT character he said pushed racist stereotypes against Mexicans and the latter being a Tom & Jerry character described as a dark maid. heavy who speaks with a caricatured voice. You usually only see her legs / feet … but her full figure was also pictured.
These two examples specifically address his racial concern, but he tossed out Pepe along with another ‘toon’ who telegraphed the wrong message … saying the French skunk normalized and perpetuated rape culture. Of course, a lot of people had very different reactions – some agreeing, and others lambasting Blow for suggesting that a drawing could influence behavior in real life.
It helped teach the boys that ‘no’ didn’t really mean no, that it was part of the ‘game’, the starting line for a power struggle. He taught that overcoming a woman’s arduous, even physical objections, was normal, adorable, funny. They didn’t even give the woman the ability to TALK.
– Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) March 6, 2021
@CharlesMBlow
To that, Blow replied … “The RW blogs are crazy because I said Pepe Le Pew added to the rape culture. Let’s see. 1. He catches / kisses a girl / stranger, repeatedly , without his consent and against his will. 2. She has trouble getting away from him, but he won’t let go of her 3. He locks a door to prevent her from escaping. “That’s right .. Penelope Pussycat was often in Pepe’s clutches.
Still, some say he manages to make a point … and that the cartoon was never meant to be interpreted that way, adding that it was all a lot of fun and that no child would absorb the behavior of Pepe like something to emulate. Fair enough, but comic book theory isn’t new.
Great Dave chappelle once addressed this exact question in a stand-up sound special, “Killin ‘Them Softly,” where he ALSO brought up Pepe Le Pew … and bluntly called him a rapist. He discussed other children’s shows that looked very different through an adult lens – like characters from “Sesame Street” … which he hilariously compared to struggling adults.
Say what you want … but the media of the 20th century is certainly worthy of cringe in 2021.
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