The Muppet Show now comes with an alert about 'offensive content' on Disney
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Muppet Show appears to be the latest victim of political correctness with new warnings over its historic content.
The adventures of Kermit the Frog, Animal, Miss Piggy and friends now come with an alert about 'offensive content' and can only be seen on an adult account.
The move came to light when Disney made five series available last Friday on its streaming service, which costs £5.99 a month.
The adventures of Kermit the Frog, Animal, Miss Piggy and friends now come with an alert about 'offensive content' and can only be seen on an adult account
Viewers are greeted with the disclaimer: 'This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now.
'Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.'
The warning is believed to refer to Muppet characters designed as stereotypes of Native Americans, Arabs and East Asians.
In another episode, the singer Johnny Cash plays on a stage adorned with the Confederate flag.
Some episodes of the show, which was first broadcast 45 years ago, have disappeared entirely from British screens.
The move came to light when Disney made five series available last Friday on its streaming service, which costs £5.99 a month
They include a 1979 one starring comedian Spike Milligan in which he and the puppets pay tribute to the 108 nations where the show was broadcast.
It depicted national stereotypes and polarised viewers for its fleeting use of a Nazi-style gesture. It is still available to American users of Disney Plus.
Some fans of the series created by puppeteer Jim Henson are not happy with the censorship, with one tweeting: 'It's so frustrating to live in a 'free' country where corporations can decide what you can and can't watch.'
Disney says on its website it is 'committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the diversity of the human experience around the globe'. It declined to comment to The Mail on Sunday.
Other family films to carry the warning include The Aristocats, Dumbo, Peter Pan and Swiss Family Robinson.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: 'I would like to know which bunch of muppets thought this one up. It would appear if this continues kids won't be able to watch any TV programmes which are not newly made. Is nothing safe?'
Sarah Cronin-Stanley, of Talking Pictures TV, added: 'Context is key. We should not eradicate history as we have so much to learn from it.'
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I have no problem with the offensive content warning. They are not censoring the shows, they are labeling them as needed. I think they should label a happy variety show like The Muppets if and when they thought it was appropriate to background a Johnny Cash song with a confederate flag. Times have changed.
I can honestly say i have no problem with content warnings either .
Now i await to see if they do the same and finally release disneys songs of the south, with approriate warnings of depictions and start meaningful discussions about how to treat people
, i personally would like to see Uncle Reemus back on the air teaching kids to sing zippity doo dah.
Oh yeah, i have a copy of that movie.
That could be worth some money now a days , since disney has decided the policy for that movie is , that it will never be released for distribution again from the "disney vault". and unless im wrong , that policy went intoi effect a good 20 years ago.
use to be able to get it on line from over seas . dont know about now .
This is an oldie.
Miss Piggy's secretary told a caller that MP could not speak to them as she has a frog in her throat.
Kudos to Disney. They’ve really suckered the American public. The upstanding keeper of morals at home, scrupulously progressive in its morals and stigmatizing any transgressions that upset progressives, while partnering with genocidal governments Abroad to ring every last cent in profit it can.
Muppets offensive! abut thanking governments that sanction gang rape is fine with the MOuse. It’s the neo Puritanism for the 21st century.
Much ado about nothing , just like 95% of the other lather about 'cancel culture'.
Love the Muppet show. Never noticed any of that stuff.
I think we did a lot of things back in the day that we didn't notice. We look back at it sometimes and cringe.
Why are we getting upset about Disney in the UK?
If they really think someone is going to be traumatized by the content, then fine, have a warning, for sure. If it's a case of literally mocking an ethnicity in the form of "look at how stoopid them injuns are", then yeah, I can't imagine being real proud of that, and you have legitimate cause to warn people.
But in a more general way, the Muppets are an interesting case.
It's one of those shows that has a lot of what you might call stereotypes or archetypes.
In such shows, characters are deliberately designed to be clearly different from one another. And often that difference is a result of their background, just as it would be in real life. It's done for the distinction, not to demean.
It can also be a source of plot development that is specific to that character. A cast where everyone is the same would not only be boring, but it wouldn't allow the show to celebrate the differences people have or teach that people should be treated with respect, even when they are very different or unfamiliar.
And then, especially with a kids show, the writers are trying to give characters unique looks and personalities. It makes it easier to tell them apart, so that they are easily identified.
Similarly, Star Trek is filled with ethnic stereotypes. So is X-Men. But each franchise creates the stereotypes intentionally for good reasons. in those cases, I don't think most people think they need to be warned against on account of those stereotypes.
And there's nothing wrong with laughing at our differences a little bit now and then - as long as it isn't a vehicle for disrespect.
Good Morning America, what shall we be offended by today?
I watched the first few episodes yesterday afternoon. The first warning came before the 3rd episode with guest star Jim Neighbors. I'm not sure what material it applied to on that specific episode. I was way more intrigued on how the internet was all over the news with it, than the warning itself.
Interesting. Jim Neighbors got famous playing a stereotype of white people from a rural background - specifically, the simple-minded hillbilly, Gomer Pyle. I’m guessing very few people in PC corporate America are worried about that particular “negative depiction.”
White people are not and never have been 'minorities' in America. There is a difference between a minority group being offended and mocked, and the majority group being offended and mocked.
But I think even more so there is an overall effect of the humor that has to be considered. In Andy Griffith and The Beverly Hillbillies, the rural people were regularly shown to have more common sense and kindness than the city slickers. The satire that stuck was not making fun of the hillbillies, but rather in making fun of the self importance of the bankers and elites who passed through Hooterville or Mayberry. That is why those shows were very popular with rural America.
Do the Muppets programs have the Chinaman outwit or outsmart the Muppet , or is the Chinaman just there to demonstrate difference?
Blazing Saddles used stereotypes to shed light on ignorance and bigotry, and I doubt if anyone would protest it successfully.
LMAO, sure they have been john , just not for 400 years or so. from the time of plymouth or jamestown. Unless your not counting the native american populations at the times.
Do you have a point?
only point i see is how everyone complains about the spreading of fake news or fake narratives yet they continue to do the same themselves when it benefits what they want to make a point on or how they want to direct the story .
all I have to say is if the shoe or facts fit ..........
I dont think you have a point.
Whites have never been a minority in the United States of America.
There was one sketch where the joke was misunderstanding his southern accent. It could have been that. I guess.
LMFAO, ahhh the move the goal posts to suit your argument much?
ok population of the US in 1776 when the united states was established/ declared independence was roughly 2.500, 000, or 2.5 million , and not all of them were "white". at best estimates.
best estimates of what the native american populations were at that time for what would become the entire United states is around 10 million, that is including all tribes from coast to coast .
so the statement that whites have never been a minority in the US ( or including any lands that currently are in US boundries today , is factually , false.
I think 10 million outnumbers 2.5 million , thus making the group of 2.5 million the minority. especially when that 2.5 million population is of mixed racial make up. which lowers the number of defined whites making them even more of a minority , albeit , a minority that held power .
i would even aquiess that if one counted the french , and spanish on the continent within current US boundries were counted another 2 million would be added to the 2.5 number , but even then they would still belong to the MINORITY group.
Yes they have.
Often though, it’s not their skin color that’s the issue. Whites have been discriminated against for being Irish, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, etc.
Which goes to show that no group is fully immune to being mocked.
if your contorted logic makes you happy, who am i to stand in the way?
let me ask you a question? are "illegal aliens" living within the boundaries of the United States today "Americans"? Using your reasoning they are.
More so, I doubt if the American Indians who lived in the areas that comprised the original 13 states considered themselves , at that time, to be Americans.
As the encyclopedia says, "America" commonly refers to the United States of America , and "Americans" are those who acknowledge that is their country.
But if you think you are right, fine, its not worth the trouble it takes to argue about it.
" Whites" can only be discriminated against for being white. Otherwise the discrimination does not effect them as whites, it effects them as Irish, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, etc. Can you show us a time or place in the US when widespread discrimination has occurred against whites because they were white ?
So only certain kinds of discrimination are a problem for you?
john you asked the point? the point was pointing out a factually and numbers proven lie , as you stated if your contorted logic is what you wish to believe , then so be it .
I for one do not adhere to the harry reid school of politics where its alright to lie if it works to get what you want .
let me ask you a question? are "illegal aliens" living within the boundaries of the United States today "Americans"?
Two ways to answer this question , first one are they americans as in are they US citizens , no they are not , and have no such rights as a us citizen .
second way to answer that is they are american , by vurtue of being native or born on either the north american or south american continent , being american and having US citizenship and rights are two different matters .
remember being labeled an illegal alien has 2 parts . illegal is to enter in manner that is against a countrys set standards and applicable laws , to be in a set country.
an alien is defined as one whom is not a citizen of a country that has not been through the legal naturalization process to become a citizen of said country . also an alien has no obligation or loyalty to any country other than to the country they were born or have citizenship in . unless they become naturalized and renounce prior countries citizenship, and that is debatable because dual citizenship is allowed ., meaning being a citizen of more than just one country.
You have never lived near a native american reservation have you ?
y'all aught to see the looks on peoples faces when they say to me you dont know what racism or discrimination based on the color of your skin is like.
and i simply point out that they just did.
a lot of them get pissed off for getting called on that.
We're done. I showed you the wikipedia article that specifically states that without explanatory context "America " refers to the United States of America. "Americans" refers to people that recognize that the United States of America is their home country. Someone who moves here from England does not automatically become an American just because they are living and breathing here. You either become an American by citizenship or by self identification.
This is really not worth the trouble.
Do you understand that that statement by you is inaccurate? Whites are not discriminated against for being Irish, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, etc., , Irish people, Italians, Jews, Catholics, etc. are.
Just tell us where in the US there has been widespread discrimination against whites for being white.
lol basing arguments on wikipiedia "facts" ,tends to losing arguments , you know and have used that .
some more "NON wiki facts to help back up what i posted.
Sen. Lyman Trumbull, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, framer of the Thirteenth Amendment told us in clear language what the phrase means under the Fourteenth:
Yeah well you didn’t say it had to be because they were white. The fact is white people have been minorities in this country and they have been discriminated against. I think it’s super weird that you’re trying to ignore that. Does it upset your worldview that says white people are always the victimizer and never the victimized? Why do you need to believe that so badly?
What is the point in talking about WHITE people being discriminated against if the reason isn't because they are white? Why even mention their race then?
Because both sides do it!
i think the coca-cola training plan kerfluffle saying be less white , just solved this , imagine being told to be less( fill in any race or ethenticity ) and how that would go over.
imagine being on the left and being told to less of a leftist douche canoe......
You tell us. You're the one who seemed to think it was important to bring it up. I mentioned that Jim Neighbors was playing a stereotype some might find offensive and you seemed to want to diminish it by claiming that white people have never been minorities.
In my view, majorities and minorities come in many flavors. You seem to think only race matters.
They started doing this with all of the Warner Bros. cartoons too. Bugs Bunny, et.al. videos, dvds, etc. have had that warning for a long time. It was just a matter of time before The Muppets had similar; quite frankly, I'm surprised that it didn't happen before.
sorry but i started laughing and couldnt stop .
was sitting in the local watering hole last summer , guy i know came in and sat down kind of gingerly, i asked if he was alright and did he hurt himself ., he pulled out his phone and opened a video that was shot over the 4th of july.
ok 30 + year old guy , the vid is of him and the "party he was at , and it showed him , launching bottle rockets ......with his anus.....and these were not "little" run of the mill bottle rockets.....
I looked at him and said , you know when i was a kid ,watching the cartoons of foghorn leghorn slipping a fire cracker under that dogs ass , was enough to convince my generation , that would not be a good idea....... and went back to drinking my beer.
I watch Bugs all the time! My dad loved him, I'm more of a liking to Daffy myself(along with Donald), kinda like their bitter disposition. My daddy always said Buggs Bunny way his hero, had his coffee cup with buggs and all his garb!
I like Daffy too. He's so cynical; I can relate.
I wonder if Fraggle Rock is part of this? Or Time Bandits? I suppose Time Bandits aren't owned by Disney though.
I mean... Mel Brooks films... they are hilarious and purposefully offensive.
there is no way mel brooks blazing saddles would be made today , nor the tv shows from norman lear like all in the family or the jeffersons or M*A*S*H*, heck the tv show lasted longer than the conflict it was based in.
Tell me about it. I'm glad to have grown up when I did. My kids LOVE Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. I want to get them to watch History of the World Part 1.
When i was a wee yonker , sunday nights consited of dinner at the grandparents , after which it was mutual of omahas wild kingdom with marlin perkins , followed by the magical world of disney where i first saw many of the things currently on disney plus in the classics category . grandpa and the kids would be glued to the tv.
Me and my grandpa used to watch Discovery Channel together and then fall asleep.