Disney has decided that “The Muppet Show” — featuring Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear and Miss Piggy — contains “offensive content” and can now be seen only on an adult account.
When viewers open the streaming service, which made five series available last Friday, viewers are greeted with the disclaimer: “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” The Daily Mail reported.
“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. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe,” the statement says.
Said the Mail: “The warning is believed to refer to Muppet characters designed as stereotypes of Native Americans, Arabs and East Asians.”
In January, Disney blocked children younger than 7 from watching some classic animated movies including “Peter Pan,” “Dumbo” and “The Aristocats.” The move was made because of concerns that the films show racist stereotypes.
On Dumbo, Disney said: “The crows and musical number pay homage to racist minstrel shows, where white performers with blackened faces and tattered clothing imitated and ridiculed enslaved Africans on Southern plantations. The leader of the group in Dumbo is Jim Crow, which shares the name of laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. In ‘The Song of the Roustabouts,’ faceless Black workers toil away to offensive lyrics like ‘When we get our pay, we throw our money all away.’”
Disney also declared that “Peter Pan,” released in 1953, portrays offensive stereotypes that were inappropriate to those under seven.
Twitter users blasted Disney’s latest move.
“I’m surprised the internet hasn’t tried Cancelling the Muppets’ Swedish Chef yet, since every and any thing is offensive now,” wrote one user.
“Nothing screams offensive like fury puppets. When I think of a cultural danger to society, it’s obviously Jim Henson’s Muppets,” wrote another.
This is an excerpt from The Daily Wire.
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