Pepe le Pew got cancel cultured
Pepe Le Pew is cancelled! After accusations of his being a glamorization of rape culture. WB will not include him in future projects.
Pepe Le Pew is suppose to be a Tune Squad member in Space Jam 2: A new Legacy. They even filmed a scene of Lebron James having a conversation with Pepe Le Pew about consent. When I was a kid, I do remember being uncomfortable with his way of courtship. I did realize though that Penelope the cat does like him but she can’t stand his smell. The running gag of most Pepe Le Pew cartoons is Penelope or another animal will accidentally got a white stripe on the back of their tail. That makes Pepe mistake them for a female skunk and he try to court her. In the modern days though, his way of courtship can be seen as sexual harassment.
Here are some news clips about the controversy about Pepe Le Pew.
So, Why is the romantic skunk got removed from the film?
New York Times writer, Charles M. Blow wrote an editorial that influenced WB’s decision to omit the skunk and cancel him from appearing for future projects. I can’t find links to this article but he condensed it on a tweet that got viral.
RW blogs are mad bc I said Pepe Le Pew added to rape culture. Let’s see.
1. He grabs/kisses a girl/stranger, repeatedly, w/o consent and against her will.
2. She struggles mightily to get away from him, but he won’t release her
3. He locks a door to prevent her from escaping. pic.twitter.com/CbLCldLwvR— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) March 6, 2021
This helped teach boys that “no” didn’t really mean no, that it was a part of “the game”, the starting line of a power struggle. It taught overcoming a woman’s strenuous, even physical objections, was normal, adorable, funny. They didn’t even give the woman the ability to SPEAK.
— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) March 6, 2021
People have divided opinions about this issue because it’s a character with long Legacy.So that means there will be people who will be defending him.
‘I Don’t Know Why You Gotta Erase Everything’: Whoopi Goldberg Slams Decision To Cancel Pepe Le Pew https://t.co/Lyz4ZbKnll
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 9, 2021
R.I.P. To Pepe le pew u will be missed thank u for being a funny character in my childhood to bad u were cancelled by people who are fake offended by u but don't worry they are going after more things they think need cancelling Cus they are NPC 's who have no brains #RIPPepeLePew pic.twitter.com/WItyAPdLN3
— Michael Myers (@padmesithluke) March 9, 2021
WB actually attempted to rehabilitate Pepe’s image in the past. In the 2011 reboot of Looney Tunes, Pepe Le Pew finally left Penelope alone. He became a spy partner for a literal vixen spy named Claudette.
I believe that the rehabilitation of the character is a much better solution than completely deleting him out of existence. His cancellation will also lead to Penelope and Claudette not having any future appearance too because they are associated with the infamous French skunk.
EileenCruz
March 10, 2021 @ 11:25 am
If they’re able to figure out a new angle on the character, that’s fine. But it’s also fine if they retire him for awhile. Years ago, they tried to remove Speedy Gonzales, but people love him. Speedy may have been created using perceived stereotypes, but he’s quick-witted, nimble and a hero to the people. Y’all can go ahead and get rid of Slowpoke Rodriguez though. Some of the characters around Speedy could sure use an update.
Al_Taransky
March 31, 2021 @ 7:02 am
They tried to make him like a detective like character in the 2011 reboot but people who watched the trailer of Space Jam 2 never watched that iteration of him that doesn’t harass females.