A good question to ask right now is how far people are willing to go in order to #amplifymelanatedvoices as Distractify and a few other sites have been talking about? Adults lashing out and canceling shows such as Cops is one thing, but do cartoons really need to be targeted at this point? Point of fact, does anything really need to be targeted at all when it’s entertainment? What’s truly disturbing is that amidst all the controversy that’s taken place since the murder of George Floyd, there have been plenty of deaths of black men and women that have occurred throughout the years, and the backlash has rarely ever been this bad, or ridiculous. Calling for an end to police brutality is a definite must, but banning everything that even hints at or depicts police brutality, for the sake of entertainment, is ridiculous. Going after cartoons in which the sole police presence is actually positive however is beyond childish, not to mention an example of how far the current movement is willing to go since Gone with the Wind has also been affected by this same issue. There’s a really simple solution to all of this, DON’T WATCH THE PROGRAM. It’s so unerringly simple and easy to follow, but it’s not good enough obviously since at this point Paw Patrol, a kids cartoon, is being looked at very closely.
So then what about the Law & Order shows? What about anything and everything that has to do with law enforcement of any type? Are all of those shows going to be up for discussion and possible cancellation as well, or are the networks going to finally stop kowtowing to the pressure they’ve been receiving and push back just a little? And where does it stop? Do we push only certain narratives in entertainment simply as a form of payback for any community that wants it? Or do we accept that we can benefit from each and every show and movie in the entertainment industry in some way? Let’s put it this way, the only shows that should be outwardly banned are those that actively call for violence and promote the need for people to stand up and incite violence and riots wherever they can. When last I checked, Paw Patrol was about solving issues, not creating them. This is the case with many shows that deal with law enforcement, and if one was watching closely all these years any racial issues that pop up are usually dealt with on the shows throughout the episode or over a string of episodes that bring the matter to a boil and then resolve it in a way that’s not entirely satisfying but at the very least allows life to move forward.
Canceling shows is not a forward move. It’s not punching up, and it’s not about equality when anyone has to rant and rave about a kid’s cartoon in order to sell people a false narrative that if one cop can’t be trusted than none of them can. Getting rid of Paw Patrol is not the answer to teaching kids about racism and its harmful effects, nor is it a solution to teach kids about how one should handle themselves in a situation when they have little to no power concerning what goes on in the entertainment industry. What it amounts to is a way to show children that if you don’t like something, get it canceled, pretend it no longer exists, and risk history being repeated. Perhaps that’s a bit simplistic but it cuts to the point and it’s meant to instill at least a small bit of desire for people to start thinking for themselves rather than join the mob that’s inspiring and demanding that they think the way they want them to in order to spread ‘equality’ and ‘justice’ in the way that they’re demanding. This isn’t about either at this point since the tragedy of what happened to George Floyd is over and done with, the man is unfortunately gone and can’t be brought back, but the ’cause’ that has erupted in the wake of his death, the same cause that could have started some time ago and for one reason or another did not, is now beginning to spiral up into a self-defeating hurricane of bad news that is continuously growing and threatening to break free of the control of those that believe that they have a good lock on right and wrong and have assumed a stance of moral superiority in a world where such a surface is slippery at best.
Paw Patrol is a cartoon for crying out loud, something made to make children happy, not a serious concern when it comes to police brutality. Sadly if this is allowed to happen it doesn’t lend a lot of hope that other shows and movies won’t be canceled eventually.
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