Okay, it has become official, there is no place that can be assumed to be automatically safe for children when it comes to television. There was a time in which parents could point their children to television programming that was designed for youth and rest comfortably knowing that their children would not be exposed to anything that their little minds were not prepared to process. That time is over. The rate that programming is being channeled into the living rooms of Americans is so rapid that it is impossible to filter out everything that might be damaging or at least not age-appropriate. The Netflix kid program, Maya the Bee, is no exception to the new rule. It seems that the network has pulled one episode of the show because of drawing of male genitals which appears inside of a log.
There are a number of parents who are outraged by the fact that this image made into their living room. Even though Netflix responded in an expeditious manner, the damage had already been done. To introduce you to the show, here are five facts you do not know about Maya the Bee.
1. It Features a Bee Named Maya
Let us start with the obvious. The show is about a Bee named Maya who decided to leave her hive to examine the mysteries of nature. As you can imagine, the world of a bee can be huge while existing in a very small geographical setting. So is the case with Maya. The entire scene of Maya’s exploration is fixed in the same meadow in which her hive exists. During her exploration, she is introduced to other insects and she explores numerous questions about nature.
2. The Show is Designed for Children Under Age Five
While a great deal of outraged has been fostered by the phallic image that was obviously missed by the producers that screened the episode, the truth is that the age group that this show caters to most likely missed it all together. This does not make it okay, but it does properly frame the incident. One age group higher and it could have created a real problem, especially with all the technology that allows for capturing images and sharing them.
3. Netflix Will Recover and Likely Benefit from the Negative Publicity
Unless it can be proven that the image was placed that purposely with the knowledge of head executives at Netflix, a properly planned PR campaign will allow Netflix to position itself in a way it will not only survive the mix-up but benefit from it. First, Netflix responded in a timely manner by pulling the show and issuing an apology. By accepting responsibility, it took the bite out of the negative publicity and gave the reigns back to the network. One thing is certain, far more people are aware of the show now.
4. There is Still No Explanation
One thing is clear, the image in question is definitely a part of the male genitalia, so the question that remains is how did the picture get there? The fact that nothing happens in a vacuum points to the fact that at least one person knew it was there because someone had to put it there. It is likely that some lower level executives have found themselves in hot water for either missing this image or being responsible for it being there.
5. No Plans to End the Show
Outside of this one hiccup, howbeit a huge one, the show has a very good track record, so there no current discussions about pulling the show in its entirety. There will be a greater investment in taking the necessary steps to ensure that nothing like this happens again. Netflix has not offered any specifics on how they plan on avoiding things like this in the future, but they have definitely visited this topic on more than one occasion since the image was discovered by a concerned parent.
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