God damn if this doesn't epitomize everything that is fucking wrong with this country.
I know you all have heard that Turner Broadcasting is removing scenes from old Tom & Jerry cartoons in which Tom, the cat, is smoking a cigarette.
Apparently one person in England complained.
And when one person in England complains about two scenes depicting a smoking cartoon cat, U.S. multi-million-dollar media corporations are really only too happy to spend whatever it takes to review, edit, and re-release 50-year-old cartoon shorts.
Because...it's for the kids. The KIDS, people.
Presumably kids have, until now, been led into a life of nicotine addiction by an amoral animated feline.
Although no mention is made how Turner will re-edit the cartoons to save children from a life of frying pan-wielding, bear- and mouse-trap-setting, or anvil-dropping.
We'll just have to content ourselves for now with the knowledge that the cartoon cat smoking menace has finally been eradicated.
8 comments:
Tom & Jerry, as well as all the other cartoons of that era, weren't meant exclusively for kids. They showed also at the start of the Saturday evening program, a time for typically more adult fare.
Taking cigarettes out of cartoons will do nothing other than make them more cool.
A publishing house did a similar thing with Goodnight Moon a couple years ago. Pretty ridiculous.
Forgot a link: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/opinion/04karbo.html?ex=1291352400&en=7a28d82e45f39af8&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Wait. So Cigars are still okay right?
Porter: When I watched Rocky and Bullwinkle as an adult, I realized why I never laughed at it as a kid. It's basically all adult humor.
Megan: I seem to recall some kind of controversy over a statue of FDR in DC, and whether he should be depicted with his cigarette. Don't remember where the statue was placed, tho.
Mazur: As long as they're not Cuban. We don't want to teach children that anything Cuban is acceptable, even if the reference does pre-date Castro. Speaking of which, I must find a story about that Cuban book that was banned in FL schools...
Hate to think of edited versions of the "Roadrunner".
Um, perhaps in the kick-ass FDR Memorial?
Dad: There'd be nothing left
Megan: Ah, forgot you are the big FDR fan. I haven't been to DC since I was in Jr. High on that government class field trip.
Post a Comment