On the heels of Dr Seuss another beloved childhood memory is also called problematic … one Pepe Le Pew.
The Looney Tunes character falls into the spotlight of NYT columnist Charles M. Blow – who has a op-ed titled “Six Seuss Books Bore a Bias” … where he argued that racism is deeply embedded in American culture (especially pop culture) and is fed to children at a young age.
He educated cartoons like Speedy Gonzales and Mammy Two Shoes. The former was another LT character who he said pushed racist stereotypes against Mexicans, and the latter a Tom & Jerry character, portrayed as a heavy black girl speaking with a caricatured voice. You usually only see her legs / feet … but her full figure is also depicted.
These two examples specifically address his racial concern, but he throws in Pepe, as well as another tone that telegraphs the wrong message … and says that the French skunk has normalized and continued rape culture. Of course, many people have had very different reactions – some agree, and others that Blow yearns because they suggest that a drawing can influence actual behavior.
It helped to teach boys that ‘no’ does not really mean no, that it was part of ‘the game’, the starting point of a power struggle. Learning to overcome a woman’s harsh, even physical, objections was normal, adorable, funny. They did not even give the woman the ability to SPEAK.
– Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) 6 March 2021
@CharlesMBlow
To that Blow replied … “RW blogs are crazy bc. I said Pepe Le Pew added to the rape culture. Let’s see. 1. He grabs / kisses a girl / stranger, repeatedly, without permission and against her 2. She’s struggling to get away from him, but he will not let her go. 3. He locks a door to prevent her from escaping. ‘ claws.
However, some say that he wants to make a point … and that the cartoon was never meant to be interpreted that way and that it was all fun and that no child would adopt Pepe’s behavior as something to imitate. Fair enough, but the cartoon theory is not novel.
The big Dave Chappelle once touched on this exact issue in a stand-up special of his, ‘Killin’ Them Softly ‘, where he also raised Pepe Le Pew … and called him a rapist. He discussed other children’s programs that look very different through an adult lens – such as ‘Sesame Street’ characters … which he jokingly compared to troubled adults.
Say what you will … but the 20th century media is definitely worthy of 2021.