Pepe La Pew is "rapy?"

[Archae]

He's a satire of an amorous Frenchman.

What's next? Banning Bugs Bunny for being a satire of someone from the Bronx?

[11 Bravo]

1. I predict this will not end well.

[smirkymonkey]

68. Yep.

[Initech]

127. Yeah I'm just going to sit back and watch the comments. Pass the butter!

[BlueTsunami2018]

2. He's always seemed a bit rapey to me.

He’s not very subtle about it.

[pecosbob]

4. I found it a bit offensive even back in the 1960s.

[soothsayer]

21. I'm with you kids

[Nay]

102. Me, too. I always felt creeped out by Pepe even when I was a pretty small girl. nt

[Lucinda]

29. +1

[MuseRider]

56. I always disliked that cartoon.

Even before I knew what rape or sex was it creeped me out. That poor female cat always having to run and hide. Learned not too many years later what that was all about and knowing made it worse.

[JanMichael]

73. I never like him. Creeped me out even as a child.

Now I know what he was really about. Kind of a Harvey W type.

[FreepFryer]

3. The latest meaningless 'culture war' bullshit designed to make real social justice laughable

Thanks for bringing that stupid rw shit here.

[Azathoth]

6. It was in a Charles Blow column in the NYT

Is that "rw shit"?

[FreepFryer]

9. Unfortunately yeah, a lot of this is rw shit, and our folks take it up.

How is this important right now?

[EX500rider]

14. "How is this important right now?" This is "General discussion" not "important only" nt

[FreepFryer]

15. I mean in the current historical moment, not on DU. (Nt)

[Azathoth]

16. Blow was the one calling him rapey

And no, it's not as important as ten million other things. But it wasn't the OP who made the claim in the NYT.

[FreepFryer]

18. I get it. And he is rapey. But allowing issues like this to 'wedge' right now is foolish.

Nt

[Arthur_Frain]

57. Oh wait...

let’s talk about the British royal family instead!

[FreepFryer]

63. Exactly. Definitely not abortion bans in AR, nor mass voter disenfranchisement in GA :)

[treestar]

112. And what is "rapey?"

Not a good word to use for something less than rape. A harasser might never rape anyone.

[FreepFryer]

114. Words arent good or bad, i am ok w the usage in this instance to describe a fictional character.

[demmiblue]

5. Pretty much.

[FreepFryer]

11. Yup. This character has been especially gross for a long time. (Nt)

[Dr. Strange]

7. Wile E. Coyote was a serial killer.

Except for his inability to actually catch his prey.

A lot of our cartoons were disturbing to some extent.

Could be worse, though. At least we didn't have Struwwelpeter.

[Bucky]

109. here's proof

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. Here's the thing. Whether the character is satire or not, meant for adults or not, there are a lot

of kids who saw the character on Saturday mornings and were affected by it. I don't mean traumatized, but seeing a character like that can nudge a child's understanding of consent, gender dynamics, even humor, because it's presented uncritically. If Saturday morning cartoons were meant to be funny, I know quite a few former kids who felt uncomfortable, sad and a little confused when the Pepe LePew segments came on.

[Archae]

19. What next though?

Ban Tom and Jerry because they pound on each other?

Ban old Popeye cartoons since he eats spinach (satire of using drugs?) and beats up Bluto?

Ban Mighty Mouse because he beats up cats?

These are CARTOONS, people.
Obviously, a racist caricature is wrong. (One of the Bugs Bunny cartoons had him being chased by a stereotyped black guy.)

But Pepe La Pew is NOT "rapey."

[WhiskeyGrinder]

28. Why worry about what might or might not be next? We're talking about Pepe LePew

But Pepe La Pew is NOT "rapey."

How would you define "rapey"? The cartoon certainly shows a lot of violating of body autonomy and stalking behavior.

[treestar]

113. Most cartoons show a lot of that

And tons of injury

[WhiskeyGrinder]

121. Kids understand injury, and satirical injury can be funny. They don't necessarily understand

sexualized violence, and the satire of sexualized violence is difficult even for adults to pull off effectively.

[meadowlander]

33. If the culture has moved on, we're under no obligation

to keep showing things to kids that are repugnant to our current values just because they are old/traditional.

There's lots of great new stuff that reflects our current values so why bend over backwards to try to keep this stuff alive no matter what the cost?

We didn't show stuff to kids in the 50s that reflected Victorian values (e.g. "The boy stood on the burning deck" - absolute unquestioning obedience to your parents even if it means the kids' death).

So why show 21st century kids stuff with 50s values (violence and sexism are funny and not to be taken too seriously)?

[leftstreet]

58. +1

very good points

[treestar]

115. who would take it lightly for reality?

We don't make outlines of ourselves going through walls either.

[Blue_true]

69. Using your logic, maybe blackface cartoons should be brought back.

There was a day when they were very popular, and they were just harmless cartoons to many people.

Or maybe we should bring back cartoon scenes where a character blew his head off with a gun, only to live and have his head pop right back out, normal. After all, they are just cartoon scenes that amuse kids.

[Archae]

71. Should "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" be banned?

The bad guy gets squashed flat. Literally!
Then dissolved.

In the first "Men In Black" movie a guy does get his head blown off, it grows back immediately.

And how many times did Daffy Duck get shot by Elmer?

[Blue_true]

75. Yes. Or at the least, the offending scenes should be edited. nt

[MicaelS]

79. Nice to know censorship is still alive and well. n/t

[Blue_true]

82. It is interesting that you mentioned the head blowoff scene is Men In Black.

That scene was particularly uncomfortable to watch and my first thought was that it could have been changed to something else.

I disagree with you that changing the scene is censorship. As it is, it serves no real purpose and could easily be changed to several other alternatives. Censorship is when something does have or serve a purpose and it is suppressed by authority.

Someone mentioned some school boards banning the Classics and other books in the 70s. I have mixed feelings about that. A book like Catcher in the Rye is appropriate for Juniors or Seniors in high school. The Pearl was ok because eventhough a baby was shoot dead, the book taught important lessons about understanding what is important in life and choosing what is important over less important things. Books like the Iliad likely are not due to graphic battle accounts and sex accounts, IMO, even though likely 90% of students in the 12th grade have either made out or outright had sex, some being experienced at having sex - I just don’t see the Iliad being appropriate for that age group.

[MicaelS]

85. Sorry wrong guy.

I said nothing about MIB.

[Blue_true]

86. Gee, it's tough to get old.

In a decade or so, I’ll likely be yelling at grass blades to get off my lawn.

[MicaelS]

88. Getting old sucks for sure. n/t

[Blue_true]

93. For sure. But, what choice do we have?

I find myself dreaming about my teens and college years more lately. If I could give a teen only one piece of advice, it would be to enjoy their teen years and don’t insist on becoming an adult too fast, there will be plenty of adult years, but so precious few teen years.

If I could be a young college freshman and sophomore again, I would add in some partying, I was a bookworm and for years now, I have felt that I should have had more balance.

[treestar]

117. If it's gone, no one is talking about bringing things back

Banning things that have not totally gone yet. Just let them be gone on their own. This one is not wildly popular right now, is it? This seems more like the old nearly out of print Dr. Seuss books no one buys anymore because they weren't that good - didn't last like the other ones did.

[Archae]

123. Yeah, an article was posted at The Atlantic, about Seuss's attempt at drawing nudes.

"The 7 Lady Godivas"

Sales of that book sank like a rock.

Even Geisel himself said it was a mistake.

Cartoons that are bad in some way, (usually racist,) fall out of favor, and simply putter out. Mostly.

I just don't like these calls for banning (whatever) since someone doesn't like it.

I felt this way when "Huck Finn" was a big target of the "ban everything we say is bad" people.

Yes, Jim was a slave, a runaway one.
And he was constantly called a (n-word).

But he was one of the really decent people in the story, while "noble white people" were liars, crooks, con artists and just plain jerks.

[Act_of_Reparation]

129. I can't summon the will to give a fuck what happens to Tom, Jerry, Popeye, or Mighty Mouse.

This shit was old before I was born. Who cares.

[demmiblue]

27. That character is probably the mascot for the incel furries. n/t

[DenaliDemocrat]

50. Can it? How do I know this is not just conjecture?

Are there studies? Real ones with p-values? ANOVA analysis?

I just don’t believe a cartoon skunk has a lasting impression on a child that they carry into puberty.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

51. My n is less than 20, so I guess you're out of luck there!!!

[pecosbob]

10. Don't see many 'Speedy Gonzales' cartoons any more

There's a good reason...they're offensive.

[Blue_true]

74. Or blackface cartoons.

We correctly say that the right is longing for days that won’t be coming back and should NEVER come back. But look like we have some of the same “Oh come on, it’s just harmless”.

[Dave Starsky]

94. Cartoon Network tried to get rid of Speedy. They brought him back.

After overwhelming outcry from the LatinX community. They see him as a positive character who is super smart and one step ahead.

Apparently, Speedy is not as offensive as many here might think.

[FreepFryer]

12. Republicans can't govern, so they want a 'culture war'. Time we stopped letting them set the agenda.

Nt

[frogmarch]

13. Well, even when I was a young girl

Pepe gave me the creeps because of how he "romantically" pursued the female cat, obviously creeping her out too, and scaring her.

Bugs was funny and his personality still reminds me of my Uncle Al.

[ellie]

54. This

I felt the same way. Creepy. I wanted him to get hit by a car or the Acme Indestructo Steel Ball

[meadowlander]

17. Being from the Bronx is a victimless crime.

Rape/sexual harassment, not so much.

Let's not teach kids that this is OK/funny:

[treestar]

118. How do you get the idea it says it is OK?

Nobody would see him as a role model.

[Caliman73]

20. Maybe not rapey, but certainly "sexual assaulty"

There are a great many things that were in cartoons, for kids, that would not be "okay" now. Go back and look at how Le Pew was always groping and manhandling Penelope.

[Archae]

23. Not always!

Penelope got a stuffy nose, and started chasing Pepe in one cartoon.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

22. Can I simultaneously agree that this skeevy cartoon should definitely be retired ...

And also that its disposition one way or another really doesn't f***ing much matter, given everything else that's going on?

Cause that's my vote.

As an aside, I remember being like 7 years old, and totally embarrassed for/of this clown, thinking 'OMG what a frigging loser idiot this guy is'. It was rather obvious that the message was 'this it NOT the way that a man should behave'. Hence my figuring it out at a very young age.

If the general gist of the show had been 'this guy is great, and all this is okay', I could understand having angst over it. But it absolutely was not that way.

[sfdennis1]

24. Yeah, sorry he's kinda Rape-y

Cartoon icons are not immune from the passage of time and changing social norms. Pepe's definetly in "creeper"/stalker territory...couldn't or wouldn't take "NO" from the poor female cat who's constantly trying to struggle out of his arms...maybe Cuomo watched too many of these cartoons as a child? /s ;->

But in all seriousness, is this type of forcefull/ignorant/tone deaf "courtship" the message we want young boys to internalize? I don't think Peps's creeper schtick has aged particularly well....Adieu, Pepe...time to watch your Sexual Harassment Avoidance Training video in HR.

[treestar]

119. Won't young boys know this cartoon is old?

It'll go away by itself, like any other old show.

My niece as a kid saw old reruns on TV and said "black and whites are boring." Technology improves and kids aren't interested in the old stuff; never have been.

[misanthrope]

25. So where is outrage from the French

that their ethnicity is presented in this fashion?

[oasis]

83. French perfumes/stinky skunk. Humorous twist?

[Haggard Celine]

26. I'm afraid to tell people that I have French ancestry

because of Pepe LePew. They might think I'm A skunk! I have mental scars and I've remained a virgin all my life because I'm afraid I might rape someone. Maybe I should sue someone! That might make me feel better.

[C_U_L8R]

30. Satire is doomed.

[Azathoth]

31. The thing people miss is that Pepe was not portrayed as a sympathetic character

Last edited Wed Mar 10, 2021, 03:07 AM - Edit history (1)

He's buffoonish and a satire on the stereotypical pushy Gallic "ladies' man" from an era when it was socially expected for the man to pursue the woman.

The humor was in how he was totally oblivious to the fact he was torturing the object of his affection. You felt sorry for the cat and laughed at Pepe, not with him. And as I recall, the cartoons used to end with a cautionary twist where the cat would then do the same thing to him.

[treestar]

120. Yes, I'm surprised where it is thought

that he is a role model kids will learn from and end up being harassers from.

[Lucinda]

32. Totally. n/t

[Stallion]

34. Maurice Chevalier Has Not Fared Well in Modern Revisionism

the opening scene in Gigi for example. Pepe Le Pew was a cartoon Maurice Chevalier

[Haggard Celine]

46. I forgot all about Maurice Chevalier.

That was probably Jeffrey Epstein's favorite song.

[Blue_true]

77. Yeah, that was pretty creepy and there is no way something like that makes it's

way into a modern movie.

[ironflange]

35. It was extremely funny when he tried to seduce Sylvester

[BannonsLiver]

36. I never really understood the appeal of Pepe

But fast forward 5-10 years and the twitter mob will be coming for shows like South Park. There's already been calls to boycott and cancel the Simpsons over the years.

If you like these shows, get em on DVD while you can.

[eissa]

37. Oh, my cherie, we shall make bootyfull muzik zogether!

Come on, leave Pepe alone! And I loved Penelope's "Le meow"

[Archae]

41. Warner Brothers cartoons picked on a lot of animals.

I still remember one cartoon where a cat who's been scared up to a ceiling, drops. stops just short of the ground and rotates to land on it's feet.

And there was the gigantic bulldog that fell for a tiny kitten.

Foghorn Leghorn was pretty much a stereotyped Southern man.

[eissa]

44. What about Porky?

First, his name is offensive to us weight-challenged folks. Second, I find the mocking of his stutter to be shameful. Cancel the pig!!

[Archae]

70. Hee hee!

[MicaelS]

89. Not to mention no pants. n/t

[eissa]

104. Which reminds me, time to get rid of Winnie the Pooh

He's exposed himself to vulnerable forest animals and children long enough. Plus his gluttonous consumption of honey sets a bad example. And are we just going to pretend that Eeyore doesn't suffer from depression?

[MicaelS]

106. Eeyore is definitely depressed.

That terrible job of plastic surgery, those horrible stitches.

Eeyore needs a complete makeover, and lots of therapy.

And Tigger.

The worst case of ADHD ever.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

38. I always thought he was creepy as hell and avoided his cartoons

When I was a kid, many years ago. I wasn’t comfortable watching his behavior even though he was “only” a cartoon. He needs to be shitcanned, AFAIC.

[MicaelS]

39. " I did not make these cartoons for children. I made them for me."

That is a quote from one of the creators / writers / directors of the Warner cartoons made during the height of theatrical cartoons.

The works of the Golden Age of animation are no less works of art than any theatrical film. They were slapstick and meant to be. They had adult ideas that went straight over the heads of kids. “It ain’t Windell Willkie” was a favorite phrased used. What child would know the answer to that?(Google it )

As far as Pepe goes, he was a big coward. One time when the cat chased HIM, he ran away.

What is creepy as fuck is the crap people read into cartoons that are 70 years old. And fuck the PTA for getting the classics censored back in the 1960s.

[Blue_true]

76. Rape 70 years ago was largely ignored. Except when a Black man raped a White woman.

The simple fact, except for one instance, rape became a “she said, he said” contest, and the vast majority of society believed him, except if “him” was Black and “she” was White, in that case in a number of states, “him” likely lost his life.

What creeps me out is people saying that what was ok or ignored 70 years ago is applicable to the society we live in today, because it was not serious then.

[msongs]

40. bibles are way way way worse. and one notices pepe always fails nt

[AZSkiffyGeek]

42. So attempted rape is okay!

[Maru Kitteh]

66. Attempted rape is funny! If you look down thread, you'll see stalking is

hilarious! It even gets one of these:

[Hugin]

43. Y'all know skunks are not indigenous to Europe, right?

So no French skunks in Paris. He's a farce.

[Dr. Strange]

80. But they can talk, right?

I mean, that part's accurate at least.

[Hugin]

91. I, for one, have never stuck up a conversation with a polecat.

You're welcome to try in the interest of science.

I'll hold your beer.

Go for it.

[Dr. Strange]

97. Sadly, I don't speak French though.

At least not the skunk kind.

[Hugin]

101. I guess we shall have to wait for Marlin Perkins to send Jim Fowler, Chip.

I will go set out the tomato juice and a scrub brush.

[Beastly Boy]

45. Here's what pisses me off:

itchy and Scratchy, two uber violent sadomasochistic psychopaths, get a free pass in all of this.

Oh wait... satire? What is satire?

[Deuxcents]

47. Stop this

We have gone over the deep end with this. I watched cartoons..including Pepe..Bugs Bunny..the Coyotes..whatever. I’ve never had urges to stomp anyone, cut off their rabbit hole or what the hell ever. Ever watch what the kids see today? Maybe I’m nutz as I enjoy a South Park episode every so often. Are we trying to rewrite everything and why? I’ll tell ya creepy..our last occupant in our WH lusting over his daughter. 20 some lawsuits for sexual misconduct. We got more than enough problems to fix so let’s get a grip.

[eissa]

49. THIS Unless we have an urge to turn off voters

we'll stop this nonsense. This is the kind of shit that makes people roll their eyes and scares them away. Let's stay focused on our economic message and leave this crap to Faux News.

[jcgoldie]

61. Just because racists use "cancel culture" bullshit as an excuse to vote for other racists...

... doesn't mean they wouldn't be doing that anyway.

[Celerity]

48. yes, it is a manifestation of rape culture in an ultra cringey cartoon

[Withywindle]

52. Well yeah, he is

I'm not in favor of banning it but I do like what Warner Bros has done on some of their DVD compilations: put a notice upfront that some of the depictions in it are racist, sexist, whatever attitudes that the company does not endorse. They acknowledge that the toons are a product of their time, but also say "it was wrong then and it's wrong now."

You can still watch them, they still exist, but it puts it into historical context and maybe provides an entry point to talk to kids about these issues.

Intentional or not Pepe Le Pew cartoons actually can give a bit of insight into how gross sexual harassment feels, if you immerse yourself in the cat's point of view.

[treestar]

122. True, if it all goes away,

young kids will think the issues are gone.

[luvs2sing]

53. Six-year old, innocent me thought Pepe was creepy.

I remember changing the channel if he came on. Didn't really understand why till I saw an episode when I was in my 20s. I love the Looney Toons cartoons to death, just not Pepe. He’s creepy.

[Skittles]

60. I thought he was creepy too

and he IS

[LanternWaste]

55. You seem to be under the misapprehension that...

the lack of a role in a particular movie is equivalent to banning.

It ain't. Pretending it is seems an over-reaction.

Two wholly separate concepts.

Breathe...

[Mariana]

99. The overreaction is ridiculous.

It reminds of the way some people flipped out when one radio station decided they weren't going to play "Baby It's Cold Outside" anymore. These loons went on and on like it had gone down the memory hole and they could never ever hear it again, and completely forgot that 1. it's available for purchase, 2. lots of stations still play it, and 3. lots of stations never played in the first place, and they never squawked about that.

[Ferrets are Cool]

59. He was a stalker

[Baked Potato]

62. Culture war Lib-Trigger. Used to spark a dialog and elicit, "OH COME ON!"

[FreepFryer]

64. Yup, exhaust that righteous opposition to injustice with pure foolish trivia. (Nt)

[Blue_true]

65. Characters reflect the times they are being sold in.

Pepe Le Pew had a tendency to harass females, that simply is not and should not be tolerated today.

[Bettie]

67. Weirdly, what bothered me the most about it

wasn't so much his relentless pursuit, but that she had no voice and couldn't say "NO" or "STOP".

[budkin]

72. Always made me uncomfortable in the early 80s

Going after that cat

[MineralMan]

78. Yup, he is. Never liked that character.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

81. Definitely a clueless character

I never much liked him but I don't want to ban him. Don't like it? Change the channel.

[wellst0nev0ter]

84. Let's call this what it is

SOME people are angry a studio isn't making any new Pepe Le Pew content.

That's it.

You're able to watch the old cartoons, they're readily available.

You're just angry you don't get to watch new ones.

[MicaelS]

87. Wrong.

I consider animation an art form, just like many other animation fans . Just like the Japanese do. I consider the classic full frame animation shorts to be great art, and I will fight any attempt to censor them for modern tastes.

Don't like them, don't watch them.
.
I still hate the fucking PTA for getting the classics censored on TV for violence in the 60s.

[wellst0nev0ter]

92. What is it that you're not getting?

Nobody.

Is.

Censoring.

Old.

Cartoons.


The controversy is over a scene that ended up being cut from an upcoming film because the director didn't like it.

Are you going to dictate what does and doesn't get put into creative works?

Are you not free to make a Pepe Lepew cartoon right at this moment?

If your answer is "no" to both questions, then your argument doesn't hold water.

[gulliver]

90. Who watches Pepe anymore? It was never any good. Why even talk about it?

It's not even worth talking about (like so many of the things the "talkative" insist on talking about). We're nuts I think, living to distract ourselves with dumb analogies and rumination over trivia.

[Archae]

96. The point is, where does it end?

This is what right-wingers are playing up, the "cancel culture."

Where would it end?

Could Mel Brooks make "Blazing Saddles" nowadays?
Hell no.

Should violent cartoons be censored?

Should Arnold's movies be banned?
(Well, maybe "Jingle All The Way..." )

If a cartoon skunk gets censored, when do they stop?

[Caliman73]

124. Well, do we have Minstrel shows anymore?

Do we have White actors in blackface playing Black characters?

It never ends because society is always changing. We will always have this debate when certain works from different times, are called into question. It is a good debate to have.

A cartoon skunk got a part cut out in a movie. Thousands and Thousands of hours have been cut out of movies in the past. Certain actors had a small part in films, but ended up on the cutting room floor. It happens all the time for various reasons.

Someone obviously thought that Le Pew didn't add anything substantial to the film, or perhaps would have sparked more controversy than it was worth.

Everyone censors themselves all the time. Or, are you hearing the "n-word" on television all the time? Are you seeing nudity on broadcast television?

The thing is, Right wingers don't even care. Have you ever been on a right wing website? Seen a right wing movie? They censor and ban, at the drop of a hat. They will kick you off a website for saying anything that challenges their ideas. Right wing movies are vapid and stupid and completely censored and scripted around their stupid ideology.

They do not care. They just want to use any little thing like this to show that "librulz are intolerant". Yes, there are certain things that people are intolerant about, incest, racism, promoting sexual violence against women, child pornography, and others. We are intolerant of those things and that intolerance is not a bad thing. Being liberal doesn't mean that you accept any idea. It means that you listen to the information before you make a judgement. It means that you can be open to ideas that challenge the way you thought before and if there is evidence supporting the idea, then you gradually accept it.

[Texasgal]

95. Chalk me up as someone

that does not care. I mean seriously, I really do not care about Pepe or Mr. Potato head.

I prefer to focus my attention on women that are sexually abused and people that have experienced racism.

Please forgive me that I am not concerned about a fifty year old cartoon.

[Caliman73]

128. The OP, in my opinion, is trying to have a good faith debate over a RW idea not in good faith.

Liberals tend to think and question, which is what I think the OP is doing. There is a debate to be had over media and how it shapes our thinking, and what we do with media that promotes ideas which may be harmful. There is a lot of media that glorifies things that are not necessarily pro-social. The debate has been had over rap music glorifying violence, gangs, and misogyny. Same with Heavy Metal (minus the gangs). There has been art and film that have been debated regarding the messages it sends. The discussion needs to be had.

As I said in a previous response however, Right Wingers do not care. They are not promoting this issue in good faith. They rarely do anything in good faith. They use liberal concepts like "tolerance" and acceptance of challenging ideas to get their nose under the tent. If the response is, "No, we cannot have Neo-Nazi propaganda on television, then they say that it is "the left" that is actually intolerant and "like the Nazis". They use the reaction that we have against banning and burning books to infiltrate and get their disgusting propaganda out there so that they can gain power, then burn all the books that go against their ideology. It is a bad faith argument.

So we debate the idea of "cancel culture" rather than point out that the right wingers argue in bad faith, and should not be taken seriously.

Media both reflects, and shapes culture. That is why the actual 1930's Nazis spent so much time trying to get propaganda films out there, limit the influence of other nations' media on Germany, and actually burned books. That is why fundamentalist and some mainstream religions, like to give warnings about, or flat out ban books like Harry Potter, because they know how media reflects and shapes our experiences.

It is true that we want to focus on actual crimes and social ills, but media is a part of that whole situation.

[cemaphonic]

98. Yes? You could practically use his picture in the dictionary

And also, as you point out, a kind of unpleasant ethnic stereotyping as well.

And the old cartoons are not being banned, or even removed from distribution by their owners. They're just not using him in a new movie, BFD.

And FWIW, there's a ton of questionable content in those old cartoons (not just WB, but Fleischer and Disney and others) including Bugs Bunny. Having a conversation about that, and putting those elements into some sort of cultural context isn't a bad thing.

[Archae]

100. Exactly. We need to educate, rather than just ban.

For example, Bugs Bunny was the star of a rather vile WW2 propaganda cartoon, giving out ice cream bars with grenades in them to "those dirty Japs."

We need to educate kids, why there was such hatred back then.

We need to tell kids about the stereotype "French lover," the way they viewed themselves, and why the cat couldn't stand being pawed up by Pepe.

[Mariana]

110. It hasn't been banned. nt.

[MatthewG.]

103. The Whole Point is Pepe Stinks and Doesn't Know it.

Pepe certainly is a terrible role model. That’s the whole point of the character: the joke is that he - and, not so subtly, his treatment of women - stinks, but he’s too clueless to know it.

That said, even as a kid I found his cartoons repetitive, and I certainly understand why many women don’t find him funny any more.

I won’t miss him.

One female friend suggested the character be updated by having him be the butt of unwanted assault - for example, he could be catfished on the internet, or smacked up with a cartoon hammer by the ladies he harasses, etc.

[sarisataka]

105. Interesting the suggestion that the tables be turned-

since it appears that is exactly what was planned. He learns that his actions are inappropriate.

According to Deadline, a scene involving Pepe Le Pew was removed from the final cut of Space Jam: A New Legacy. The scene was filmed by Terence Nance, the sequel’s first director, before he left the project. Malcolm D. Lee took over in the director’s chair, ultimately making the decision to eliminate the live-action footage which was never animated. The scene would have reportedly spoofed Casablanca, with Pepe in the role of a bartender that flirts with a woman played by Greice Santo. As the scene continues, Pepe’s advances turn aggressive. He kisses the arm of the woman without her consent, and she eventually gives him a hard slap. Pepe later says that Penelope Pussycat has filed a restraining order against him, leading LeBron James to reply that Pepe can’t grab other Tunes without their consent.

[MatthewG.]

107. Makes sense. Might even have worked.

I could see an update like that working.

I’d guess WB just decided to sidestep the whole issue of Pepe’s inappropriateness by keeping him out of their properties from now on.

But I think the character could be rebooted in a way that might work.

[Piasladic]

108. yes

and while we're at it...

Bugs Bunny used expressions like "Cotton-picking hands, "What a Maroon," etc.

We are adults now. Let's set a good example.

[treestar]

111. People are turning up way too high on this

Finding the line may be tough.

I had not even heard of him though. Could I actually be too young? Or too old?

[Bucky]

116. When people started complaining about "Baby, It's Cold Outside" I personally didn't *get* it

But it bothered other people who had different experiences in life. And the Christmas zeitgeist wasn't damaged by its omission.

I only knew about (and LOVED) one of the Seuss books taken out of publication. Seuss is still there. It's not about me and the American culture is doing just fine without the things we recognize as out of fashion.

[Demsrule86]

125. I find this ridiculous.

[aikoaiko]

126. I think Pepe not so much a cause as an example of seduction by any means necessary model of romance.

It permeated and still permeates a lot of people's lives.