February 22, 2021

The "Muppet Show" disclaimer "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures."

"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 NY Post reports, adding "It’s unstated precisely what Disney considers to be offensive on the show, but some characters depict Native American, Middle Eastern and Asian people. And in season five, legendary country singer Johnny Cash is seen performing in front of a Confederate flag." 

"Native American, Middle Eastern and Asian people"? The ethnic group I remember getting poked fun at was the Swedish... 

 

But who cares about the feelings of the Swedish these days? 

As for Johnny Cash, he took his mark within some set designer's complicated notion of what "country and western" must mean and it had a Confederate flag and a U.S. flag as wall hangings:

These shows were made between 1976 and 1981. Basically, during the Carter administration. Disney wants to be able to keep showing them and has — clunkily but wisely — slapped on a warning to fend off demands that the show be taken off the air. I'd like to give Disney some support here. They have a big old archive and they ought to make it available, not replace it all with paternalistic... maternalistic pablum. 

I'm seeing some criticism like: "Nothing screams offensive like fury puppets. When I think of a cultural danger to society, it’s obviously Jim Henson’s Muppets." 

I object... and not just because that critic wrote "fury" for "furry." I object because that criticism is offensive to puppets.

Puppets can excel at delivering offense. Here's an example of striving to use puppets to offend:

 

From the clip: "[Puppets are] human enough to be believable, but imaginary enough to be convincing when they're doing things that are crazy."

Read about "Spitting Image" and its U.S. counterpart "D.C. Follies." There are deliberately offensive puppets — real satire. I'd like to see more of that — satire of specific individuals.

But many things done with puppets are just stereotypes. I know I had some marionettes when I was a child circa 1960. One was a clown. One was a cowboy. And one was a Chinese person. It was blatant stereotyping, similar to the idea of the Chinese seen in "Fantasia": 

 

"Fantasia" is, of course, one of the gems of the Disney archive. There are people today who would demand that no one be allowed to see that film — that film and many other works of art. Disney seems to be trying to manage the pressure. I wouldn't just laugh at Disney for taking its problem seriously and putting up a warning. 

"This program includes negative depictions" — ha ha. How can you do comedy without negative depictions? Isn't that the whole idea?

ADDED: "Gary, I hate to break it to you, but the world is on the brink of disaster...."

 

AND: Speaking of "South Park" and disclaimers, "South Park" has always — or it seems like always — begun with this disclaimer (which is also a parody of disclaimers):

147 comments:

rhhardin said...

Wm. Kerrigan in the 90s

We are men and women. It almost always matters which we are. Men and women are aggressive. Their regard for each other is clouded by grudges, suspicions, fears, needs, desires, and narcissistic postures. There's no scrubbing them out. The best you can hope for is domestication, as in football, rock, humor, happy marriage, and a good prose style. Jokes trade on offensiveness; PC is not a funny dialect. The unconscious is a joker, a sexist and aggressive creature. Our sexuality has always been scandalous.

Note the part about domestication. That's what it used to be, every form of which is now banned, as if that would work out well.

wendybar said...

Can we erase Clinton/Gore??? They used the confederate flag on pins when they were running...

Mark said...

Noticed it on the Jonathan Winters one as it has a running gypsy curse gag.

Seems like a reasonable way to avoid removing any of the shows, as some are much more offensive than just a confederate flag.

Ann Althouse said...

maybe feelings are feelings because we can’t control them

rhhardin said...

Try harder.

rhhardin said...

Think of structure. It takes problems and channels them into non-problems.

"But this is nothing but a channeled problem!" Right. That's how the system stays up. "There's no stamping them out."

rhhardin said...

Think of the feelings after channeling a destructive feeling into harmless and even productive and stable form. That's guys' feelings. Satisfaction at the system.

Earnest Prole said...

That’s no way to treat puppets of color.

rhhardin said...

Mocking males is the form domestication takes nowadays. What to do with all that nagging instinct.

And now mocking whites in general.

The former is probably stable, relying on male bemusement, at least in older males who know the rules about the toleration of basically unstable women. The latter probably is not.

rhhardin said...

The Confederate flag was a reconcilation between north and south. A domestication of a rebellion.

Now banned. That'll work out.

rhhardin said...

The modern leftist instinct is to destroy enemies, it doesn't matter what enemy. New ones will be discovered. A good system until it collapses.

No domestication.

Marcus Bressler said...

I've been old enough for about 55 years to not need a "warning" on any video that is not "scat porn".

THEOLDMAN

My take is that perhaps some people need monolithic corporations to guide their thinking. YMMV.

Marcus Bressler said...

I think I'm going to start using words that are just a bit outside of their true definition. When someone objects or tries to point out their exact meaning and my "misuse", I will reply: when I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less

I'm taking lessons from my liberal betters and putting them to use.

THEOLDMAN

Have a blessed day.

David Begley said...

The Happytime Murders was directed by Brian Henson. From the trailer, I thought it was offensive. It bombed.

Humperdink said...

As one rides a roller coaster that is hurtling downhill a 70+ miles per hour, one knows there is an uphill ramp to slow the coaster down. Our country is careening down with no ramp in sight.

n.n said...

This feeling doesn't translate with normal people. Unfortunately, diversity dogma, under the Pro-Choice ("ethical") religion, and Progressive Church, is a forward-looking condition and cover-up of bigotry, which is exploited by special and peculiar interests for sociopolitical leverage. Semantic games. Conceptual corruption. Conflation of logical domains. Follow the lion, lionesses, and their [unPlanned] cubs. #HateLovesAbortion

rehajm said...

They want it as a tool when it suits them but it's not a value they hold. In fact it's so gratifying to break their own rules they do it all the time, every time.

rehajm said...

There was a summer replacement show with Lena Olin where she had to move the family to Sweden for some reason. All they did was make fun of Sweden and the culture. It was kind of funny...

Leland said...

The only warning label I need is Disney.

Watch Disney Channel for about an hour, and you will come away with two messages. Children are smarter than their parents, are held back by their parents, and should be wary of parental advice. And Disney is the only entertainment the children need either from the TV or via the theme parks, so don't go away.

rehajm said...

It's a great source of comedy because they seem like part of the tribe but just a little off, like the rabbit ears need adjusting or something...

Rory said...

Longer quote from the article:

"This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now....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."

What's missing is half-a-dozen of "we think" or "our opinion is."



tommyesq said...

Does this mean "Song of the South" is back in play?

Temujin said...

Disney ceased being 'Disney' years ago. The entire Woke Industry is in a headlong rush to erase the past, correct speech and thought, and an attempt to coerce the rest of humanity to follow along, or...or...or what?

This is going to blow up in the near future. It simply cannot hold. But there will be casualties along the way. Disney may be one. I hope so. If they cannot show their classics, what's the point of using their name? They stand for nothing, if not their foundational work.

Swedes should protest.

Ralph L said...

Feelings have little to do with it, power everything.

Is someone Swedish only partly a Swede, or just faking it?

Eleanor said...

My kids were in high school and middle school when "DC Follies" was on. If you didn't keep up with current events, you didn't know why the show was funny. They wanted to get the jokes so they started paying attention to what was going on around them. I'm not sure my 9 year old would have paid much attention to who Bob Dole was except he wanted to know why he kept kicking cats on DC Follies. I would rather Disney slap a disclaimer on something than put it away in a vault never to be seen again, but it might be easier for TV channels, radio stations, and social media and websites to just run a permanent disclaimer saying "Anything we present for public consumption may offend someone. Use this content at your own risk." Then we can just go ahead and laugh, cry, or get angry at what we see and hear and be able to talk to our kids about what makes us have those emotions.

mezzrow said...

A rutabaga can be a swede if you're in the right place.

Scotty, beam me up... said...

With the road that Disney is going down, every, and I mean every, thing they have ever produced or bought will have a disclaimer. There is at least one person that can be offended by anything they ever have produced or property bought up or will produce or buy up in the future.

gspencer said...

"But who cares about the feelings of the Swedish these days?"

The place is becoming wall-to-wall Muzzie, aka the "New Swedes."

The Swedish Chef actually made things, stuff you could eat along with some humor. Muzzies on the other hand are takers, takers, takers. And troublemakers.

gspencer said...

The good times continue,

Elvis sings Dixie,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWVgLLnGaWs

Howard said...

Ten thousand swedes ran through the weeds,
chased by one norwegian.

The dust from the weeds,
made snoose for the swedes,
and they called it Copenhagen,

Kate said...

I love the term "fury puppets". Kermit always seemed so angry to me, waving his arms and creasing his brow. I guess the furry part is supposed to make you forget the fury part.

mezzrow said...

"Kermit always seemed so angry to me, waving his arms and creasing his brow. I guess the furry part is supposed to make you forget the fury part."

Hence Jordan Peterson. Maybe he can do his next series of lectures wearing a bear suit or something. His Q score will go up by 10 points. I'm just happy to see him getting better.

Unknown said...

As a Swedish American I ask, when is this gratuitous Swede-bashing going to end? I walk down the street and overhear whispers of “herring choker”, catcalls of “ hey squarehead!”. I overheard a Sven and Ole joke the other night at the tavern. I have it on good authority that in some NHL rinks meatballs are thrown onto the ice by swedophobe fans. And let’ not even start on the name “Minnesota Vikings “!

I’ve had it, I tell you!

Unknown said...

Oh, and Rehajm- the show, Welcome to Sweden” revolved around a woman who draggged her boyfriend ( played by Amy Poehler’s brother) to Sweden. Lena Olin played the mom. She is still quite fetching in her 60’s.

Anonymous said...

"Fantasia" is, of course, one of the gems of the Disney archive. There are people today who would demand that no one be allowed to see that film — that film and many other works of art. Disney seems to be trying to manage the pressure. I wouldn't just laugh at Disney for taking its problem seriously and putting up a warning.

Disney has removed Song of the South, a G-rated movie based on the Uncle Remus books, from the USA. (They still profit from the movie internationally). Song of the South is an innocent movie. Go ahead and mock Disney, they are bad curators of art. And they don't believe in free speech, obviously.

I ordered a copy of Huck Finn recently because I didn't have one on my shelves. And I'm convinced there will be a day where I won't be able to buy it. People on the left have ugly fascist impulses. And it's people on the left who control so much of our culture, particularly on the artistic side.

rehajm said...

Oh, and Rehajm- the show, Welcome to Sweden” revolved around a woman who draggged her boyfriend ( played by Amy Poehler’s brother) to Sweden. Lena Olin played the mom. She is still quite fetching in her 60’s.

That's it! I knew I could count on the people here to know things...

Lewis Wetzel said...


"This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures."
Please tell me we can still make fun of poor white southerners! Especially their religion!

Iman said...

Yumpin’ Yiminy.

John henry said...

What about "punch and Judy" shows?

Should they be banned for glorifying spousal violence?

Or is it OK because it's a woman beating a man?

(like Ms Capp, Ms Withers, Ms Smith, Maggie etc)

John Henry

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

For many people the looming question is: what will the wokesters tolerate? Monty Python basically made fun of white people, especially the British. Is that still OK? I knew a prof who didn't want his kids to watch "Hogan's Heros," because "there's nothing funny about the Nazis." How about the movie "Funny People"--a doctor with a German accent. Sandler and Rogen get into a riff: with that accent, even good news would sound like bad news. Then they switch to Swedes: "I have a piece of furniture from you guys that I've been working on for six months."

Lewis Wetzel said...

So Ole buys a new camper for his truck & he picks up Sven to go on a fishing a trip.
A few miles down the road, Ole slams on the breaks
Sven" Whaddya stop for, Ole?"
Ole: "That sign says your vehicle can't be more than 9 feet tall to go through the tunnel, and with the camper on this truck is ten feet tall!"
Sven: Ah, Jeez, Ole, there ain't no cops around. Go for it!"

rhhardin said...

Disney "When You Wish upon a Tsar" reality czar.

Lyle said...

Jim Henson's great-great grandfather (however many back) was a Confederate engineer (topographical) during the Civil War. The was German and after the war moved to New York where he designed maps of Central Park that are now sold as postcards in NYC.

stevew said...

The era of not funny.

tcrosse said...

Every Christmas season they trot out the Nutcracker ballet. In the middle of it are negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures, to wit: Chinese dance, Russian dance, Arabian dance, Spanish dance. Roll over Beethoven and give Tchaikovsky the news.

Fernandinande said...

80% of Swedes live within 20 miles of the US border.

Nicholas said...

"Disney seems to be trying to manage the pressure. I wouldn't just laugh at Disney for taking its problem seriously and putting up a warning."

The only "serious" response to this nonsense is to ignore it. After all, the Courts "managed the pressure" about election fraud by doing just that, so why shouldn't it work for Disney?

Churchy LaFemme: said...

The Fantasia ship has already sailed.

Tommy Duncan said...

From Disney's movie "Dumbo"

Fernandinande said...

"A Swede Walks Into A Bar...
And then the Swedeishman say "Hello Sven, I would like one entire beer for some refeshment!" And the bartender says 'This is a reasonable request i will do this for you."

But then the Swedish patrons pants fall down.

Is this a good joke? I'm sorry I am from Sweden and we do not have many funny jokes in this part of the world."

Ann Althouse said...

"Try harder."

First, you try harder. Get my reference. It's in the post!

Ann Althouse said...

"But who cares about the feelings of the Swedish these days?"

We don't care about the feelings of the Swedish in general, but we care to glorious excess about the feelings of one particular Swede.

Big Mike said...

Beverley Sills tap dancing!

Iman said...

Pity poor Lambchop. Now THERE was a puppet.

MikeR said...

Full circle. It is apparently now forbidden to show "Native American, Middle Eastern and Asian people". White people only?

Iman said...

The saying goes,”Ten thousand swedes ran through the weeds, chased by a naked Norwegian.”

Gahrie said...

maybe feelings are feelings because we can’t control them

That's not the problem. The problem is, you let your feelings control you.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

MikeR said...

Full circle. It is apparently now forbidden to show "Native American, Middle Eastern and Asian people". White people only?

I'm sure it's a great time for those who own the broadcast rights for 'Leave It To Beaver'.

gilbar said...

The entire Woke Industry is in a headlong rush to erase the past

Keep in Mind, that for Progs; THE WHOLE WORLD STARTED 15 MINUTES AGO
There IS NO Past
So, OF COURSE they're erasing their archives

tcrosse said...

Does Disney show a disclaimer before their It's A Small World ride?

rehajm said...

As a boy I got stuck in It's a Small World for about an hour. It left scars...

Churchy LaFemme: said...

From Disney's movie "Dumbo"

The Pitch Meeting for Dumbo is funny, and spot-on, as are all the "Pitch Meeting" videos.

And it's Super Easy, Barely an Inconvenience to watch them..

Danno said...

Just think of the pain to Disney if their entire catalog of movies and shows would be fully canceled. Their theme parks are suffering because of covid. Delicious.

Francisco D said...

Ganderson said...As a Swedish American I ask, when is this gratuitous Swede-bashing going to end? I walk down the street and overhear whispers of “herring choker”,

That reminds me of a column by the wonderful Mike Royko back in the 1970's. He mused about how the ethnically diverse Chicago was the home of a multitude ethnic insults (e.g., Dagos, Bohunks, Micks, etc.). However, he pointed out that there was only one ethnic group for which he could not identify a known insult: Norwegians.

Uff Da!

Chuck said...

I just knew that I would not be the only commenter to express my delight with "fury puppets." First, thank you Althouse for blogging it.

And thank you, members of the Congressional Freedom Caucus for giving special meaning to "fury puppets."

Jeff Brokaw said...

My dad and I loved watching this show together and laughed our asses off. He liked "Animal" and we both laughed at the Swedish chef.

Pretty inventive and clever comedy, looking back.

See, we both have (or had) this "look for the humor in everything" attitude. Compare and contrast that with today's "look for the offense in everything" attitude.

Which is better for YOU as an individual, to arm you for the daily battle against disappointment and failures?

mikee said...

The late Garrison Keillor had a bit once in his Lake Woebegone stories on NPR wherein a Swede comes rolling home late from a bar, only to find his wife waiting up for him. She bars the front door, and yells at him, "You drunken no-good, if you want to behave like a pig, you can sleep with 'em, too!" So he staggers to the pig barn and finds some hay to make a bed, and lays down. As he's falling asleep, he hears the pigs talking to each other, "Snort snort, snort," and it seems he can almost understand them. He asks them, in Swedish, "Hey, are you pigs Swedes, too, like me? Are you talking Swedish?"

An old sow lifts her head, looks him in the eyes, and clearly says, "Noorski. Snort. Snort."

That is the only Norwegian ethnic joke I know, the only one I want to know, the only one I ever want to know, and the only one I'll ever admit to knowing.

Chuck said...

We all know how Twitter can be abused. But this is Twitter as high art in the realm of satire:

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1363837108176191491

stevew said...

I think this is from Disney:

"We are Si-a-mese if you plee-ease, we are Si-a-mese if you don't please"

Banned or cancelled?

Tacitus said...

I see Beaker as a serious SJW type. Incoherent squeaking and a life that never goes well...

Chuck said...

mikee said...
The late Garrison Keillor...


Is that some kind of Swedish joke? Norwegian joke?

Garrison Keillor -- a national treasure -- is alive and well, writing and working.

https://twitter.com/g_keillor?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Kathy said...

They've become Sam the Eagle.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

this post could also be titled "At the snowflake cafe"

Whiskeybum said...

Regarding the effect of the warnings Disney is posting:

So what does Disney want you to do? Watch all of their old shows (for $), but bite your lip for an hour and not laugh at anything?

“Now Tommy - that was very mean for snickering at that depiction! You are supposed to be learning how to behave and be woke! Go to your room and have a time-out to think of all the offenses you have committed!”

Next Disney needs to come clean about all of the negative stereotypes it’s portrayed of villains.

Michael said...

My mother was an Anderson from northern Minnesota, and she frequently grumbled about how you couldn't make fun of anyone else but the Swedish chef was just fine. I guess your "tribe" has it made when they can safely make fun of you on television.

I wonder what the wokeratti think of The Mikado? Actually, there's no need to wonder.

JML said...

They are just now realizing the woke movement they have been actively participating in will eventually consume them if they are not careful. But you can never be too careful. Their cake is now a target and will be eaten by the woke crowed they have been feeding. The shelf life of a useful idiot is only so long.

Rory said...

The copyright period should have expired for all of these. If you invent something that people actually need, you get to exploit it under patent for 20 years. But if you create a mere diversion that no one needs, you can exploit it for 100 years. That makes no sense.

Chuck said...

By the way, and for the record...

Of all of the massive silliness and countless bad takes on this weird little story, I think that the Althouse blog post is the most sensible thing I have seen in print about this entire Muppet story.

Roughcoat said...

Coincidentally, I re-watched "Team America" a couple weeks ago. The unexpurgated version, with the dirtiest sex scene ever made. Hilarious! I'm inclined to think that the entire movie is a work of comic genius.

rcocean said...

How many people have discriminated against Swedish food based on the Swedish chef? I say, ban his ass!

Kirk Parker said...

Iman,

That just demonstrates the accuracy of this other saying:

"Q: What does Norway have that Sweden doesn't?

A: Good neighbors!"

rcocean said...

Bing, bing, de bork be bork de bork. Hate speech against Swedes.

rcocean said...

The copyright period should have expired for all of these. I

You must be an idiot. Go look up copyright laws. Stuff from 1940 is still under copyright.

rcocean said...

Its open season on Swedes, but thank God the Irish are protected.

rcocean said...

Garrison Keillor -- a national treasure

And sexual predator. that's why he got kicked off NPR.

rcocean said...

Its funny how the Swedes and Krauts and the Italians were discriminated much worse than the Irish, but you'd never know it from the CONSTANT Irish whining and bitching. "Me Grandfadder saw an No irish need apply sign in 1860" "why we Orish weren't even considered white". I guess they have to explain away scum like Biden and Ted Kennedy and the slew of corrupt Irish Pols somehow.

Chuck said...

rcocean said...
Garrison Keillor -- a national treasure

And sexual predator. that's why he got kicked off NPR.


Trump fans, talking about "sexual predators." LOL.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

There are people today who would demand that no one be allowed to see that film — that film and many other works of art. Disney seems to be trying to manage the pressure. I wouldn't just laugh at Disney for taking its problem seriously and putting up a warning.

"This program includes negative depictions" — ha ha. How can you do comedy without negative depictions? Isn't that the whole idea?


The "problem" is treating those people as if their objections are serious. They are not.

What Disney should be doing is telling those people to get stuffed. Since they won't, and since their firing of Gina Carano indicates they are on the side of the censors, instead I tell Disney to "get stuffed".

We were planning a trip to Disneyworld before Covid. No more. I'm going to make sure we own a physical copy of Fantasia. But I will buy no new Disney, I will watch no new Disney.

Disney has announced that I am not part of their desired customer base. So be it. No more of my money to them

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...


Chuck condones the sexual exploitation of children and minors with his large donation to the white left Trump-hate cult pudge boy Lincoln Project.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Chuck said...
Trump fans, talking about "sexual predators." LOL.

Epstein, Kennedy, Clinton, Weinstein, Hollywood. The North American Man-Boy Lincoln Association

Yes, Chuck, we actual Republicans and Trump supporters get to talk about sexual predators as evil things. Because 90% of them are on your side, and get cover from your side

Chuck said...

Where is a good place -- away from Althouse's comments pages -- where we can really have at it over "sexual predators"? And where Trump fans can tell me -- ME! -- what "side" I am on.

Because I understand how much many of you hate me and I just want to assure you that the feeling is mutual.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

BTW- Chuckle Cheeze - this post is about YOUR side- the WOKE CORPORATE LEFTWING TOOLS WHO ARE DESTROYING FREE SPEECH.

Stay on topic, pudding.

Your psycho-obsessive Trump hate is really tired.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

Coincidentally, I re-watched "Team America" a couple weeks ago. The unexpurgated version, with the dirtiest sex scene ever made. Hilarious! I'm inclined to think that the entire movie is a work of comic genius.

It was genius. Unfortunately that pair always likes to push just a little too far. I think it would have been a hit without the blowjob stuff.

Gahrie said...

Because I understand how much many of you hate me and I just want to assure you that the feeling is mutual.

I don't hate you, I feel sorry for you. Mental illness is a terrible thing.

Brian McKim and/or Traci Skene said...

"How can you do comedy without negative depictions? Isn't that the whole idea?"

We wrote about this for 15 years, to no avail. The left is seeking to destroy comedy due to this very sentiment. The "offensiveness" of comedy is at once its purpose and the quality that makes it "dangerous" and which requires its overhaul (or extinction).

Churchy LaFemme: said...

"Should have expired" -- pretty sure he meant that "should" as a wish for different circumstances in copyright, not a reflection of the current reality.

Sam L. said...

All this makes me think I should go around with a sign on a 2x2 that says "I WON'T". If someone asked me WHAT I won't, I'd say "comply".

Jon Burack said...

Given Disney's disgraceful treatment of Gina Carano, I give Disney NO respect at all. They are cowards. All that governs them is money. Carano's overt conservatism threatened their bottom line, so out she goes. Cancelling the Muppets, however, would also threaten their bottom line, so all they get are pathetic warning labels that treat the audience like the infants Disney thinks we are. What is shameful is that they get to preen about what they do when what they do is sheer cowardice. It is past time to be temporizing about this. The choice they offer us is between out and out cruelty and hypocritical condescension. My praise is reserved to Carano (or Jodi Shaw at Smith College). Time for the Great Refusal. Time to say NO!

Jamie said...

My husband tell me of a porn movie he saw in high school - all puppets. He said it was both hilarious and titillating (I chalk the latter up to "teenage boy"). He's never found it again, though it's be interested to see how they did it.

James L. Salmon said...

Gina Carano is a hero. Disney sucks. Chuck is an idiot. Cancel culture will come for the leftists soon enough. They always think the crocodile will eat them last.

Mark said...

With Dominion filing all these defamation lawsuits for $89 trillion each to crush and silence political dissent, if I were the Jim Henson family and estate, I would sue Disney for $365 quadrillion for defaming Henson's good name and essentially calling him a white supremacist and racist bigot.

YoungHegelian said...

@Kate,

Kermit always seemed so angry to me,


And you don't want to make Kermit angry!

Robert Cook said...

TEAM AMERICA:WORLD POLICE is comedy gold!!

Iman said...

Because I understand how much many of you hate me and I just want to assure you that the feeling is mutual.

Don’t go away mad, Chuck. Go away educated.

rcocean said...

Chuck, chuck, chuck. Please post more chuck. Chuck.

Iman said...

Blogger Jamie said...
My husband tell me of a porn movie he saw in high school - all puppets. He said it was both hilarious and titillating (I chalk the latter up to "teenage boy"). He's never found it again, though it's be interested to see how they did it.


“Thunderbirds Are A Go-Go”?

rcocean said...

Trump fans, talking about "sexual predators." LOL.

Biden fans, talking about sexual predator's. LOL

Mikey NTH said...

"This production contains material some people may find offensive, including this disclaimer about offensive material."

PM said...

The era of not funny?

Au contraire. In SF, the woke group cleansing school names has been halted by a lawsuit from another woke group for not being 'inclusive' in its deliberations.

Anonymous said...

As for Johnny Cash, he took his mark within some set designer's complicated notion of what "country and western" must mean and it had a Confederate flag and a U.S. flag as wall hangings:

And the designer is an idiot.

The American Flag is hung incorrectly.

The blue field is ALWAYS up and left.

Chris of Rights said...

I know I had some marionettes when I was a child circa 1960. One was a clown. One was a cowboy. And one was a Chinese person. It was blatant stereotyping

I'm confused.
What was stereotyping about having Clown, Cowboy, and Chinese marionettes? Wouldn't the stereotyping occur based upon how these marionettes were used?

stevew said...

Speaking only for myself, it isn't hate. That's a negative, unproductive attitude that I do not waste energy on. Bemused, perhaps ("feelings of wry amusement") when I pay attention.

Pianoman said...

Just more evidence that maintaining your own library of content is the only way to ensure that you have "everything". In the current climate, it's only a matter of time before the Woke Mob demands that these shows be censored beyond belief.

There may be a time when Netflix will be told not to distribute unedited DVDs any more.

Back in the 50s and 60s, it used to be the Right that was uptight about morals and demanded censorship. Now it's the Left that is howling for it.

Ban All The Things!

Joe Smith said...

""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."

This is world-class bullshit right here. You're either a cancel-culture, free speech-hating lib or you're not (they are).

This is a way to keep making revenue while virtue signaling at the same time.

Kind of like Netflix and 'Cuties.' 'It's art...you must take into account the context and the lessons to be learned.'

Or, the Muppet folks could be like normal people and say 'fuck it, it's a product of the time in which it was created. You don't like it? Change the channel.'

See how easy that is?

Two-eyed Jack said...

We live in a Uriah Heep culture.
Our legacy is not served well by these "warnings" that do not warn, but signal and snivel.
The creators of the Muppets turn out to be the last giants to walk amongst us. Did not see that at the time. Not at all.

Joe Smith said...

"maybe feelings are feelings because we can’t control them"

...or because you feel them.

Kind of like how an orange-colored fruit is called an 'orange.'

Or a flying insect is a 'fly.'

Super creative those : )

Rory said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Skippy Tisdale said...

The "Muppet Show" disclaimer "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures."

What? Did they call someone a stupid n-word or something?

Rory said...

"...a stupid n-word or something?"

Isn't it funny how the really egregious stuff is all from the enlightened era after the Rural Purge?

DanTheMan said...

>>What was stereotyping about having Clown, Cowboy, and Chinese marionettes? Wouldn't the stereotyping occur based upon how these marionettes were used?

The Village People eagerly await clarification...

DanTheMan said...

>>Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact,

Could anyone supply some actual examples of harm caused by a Muppet Show stereotyping?

JaimeRoberto said...

Let's not forget there was a time when people looked down on the Swedes. Apparently it was quite the embarrassment when my father's cousin married a Swede. Uff da indeed.

Mark said...

maybe feelings are feelings because we can’t control them

That's a cop out and justification. A lot of feelings, most probably, are something we choose, something we will, especially the destructive ones, but also the beneficial.

One chooses to be angry, to resent, to hate. Perhaps sometimes not that initial wave of annoyance or urge to resent, but one most definitely chooses to keep being angry, to keep on resenting and hating, to being annoyed. But even then, the more you make this choice, the more of it you get and the more that you get that initial wave that seems to be beyond control. However, the less you choose it, the less that you get that initial wave.

Same with love. We choose to love. Or not to love. Or choose to stop loving. Yes, again there may be that initial attraction, which you may have for some and not others, but then there is the choice to convert that attraction to actual love or to something more like exploitation and taking. But here again, the more you are loving, the more you see the good in others, and the more you are attracted to them. And when the spark is gone, you can either will to stop loving or to keep loving nevertheless.

Even something like depression has a choice component. One of the perversions of depression is that people can start taking a perverse pleasure in their misery and cling to their depression like an old familiar friend. That is a choice. You choose not to let it go.

Sebastian said...

This is getting too complicated.

Let's just cancel history.

Jim at said...

The American Flag is hung incorrectly.

First thing I noticed. Then I saw the Confederate flag.

rhhardin said...

Spiral season 8 is out! Region 2 import, pricey, but it's out. Season 7 had a sort of mental cliff-hanger ending that needs resolution. At the same time, Caroline Proust said she's tired of the role of hot babe police boss. Apparently this nevertheless was made.

I wonder what wokeness will do to it all eventually. The French seem somewhat resistant.

rhhardin said...

Flag etiquette is cheap grace squared.

rhhardin said...

If you have a bra in stars and stripes, should the stars go on your left or the viewers' left?

n.n said...

The Village People eagerly await clarification...

Macho men, yes. Also, toxic masculinity, and diverse manners of selective, opportunistic, politically congruent phobias. And let's not forget rape... rape-rape culture to social justify the wicked solution (e.g. reproductive rites) and other purposes (e.g. clinical cannibalism, cancel culture). Unfortunately, diversity [dogma] and its quasi-religious (e.g. "ethical"), political, social, and economic motives are a progressive condition.

Mark said...

The Village People are among the protected alphabet people.

Joe Smith said...

"Trump fans, talking about "sexual predators." LOL."

Did an intern suck Trump's cock in the Oval Office?

Thought not...fuck off.

Joe Smith said...

"The Village People eagerly await clarification..."

Those guys always struck me as kind of gay...anyone else?

KellyM said...

No, no, a thousand times no. Nothing on the Muppets needs a disclaimer, rather those who seek to add one need to be told point blank to go pound sand. Or, better yet, given a Miss Piggy karate chop.

I happened to see a short classic Muppets blurb last evening - one of the "Veterinarian's Hospital" skits. The one liners still had punch and I giggled all the way through it.

rcocean said...

"Let's not forget there was a time when people looked down on the Swedes. "

Yeah, the 1870's were terrible for that. Square heads. The dumb swede. It was horrible. I just hope the Swedes today can live it down. Its almost bad as being Irish. Scarred for life.

rcocean said...

Remember The Killers. "The Swede" played by Burt Lancaster was a nice guy but slow on the uptake. A "Swedish Stereotype". The Swedish ADL picketed the film but it still didn't get cancelled. Unlike Oliver Twist directed by David Lean.

rcocean said...

The Quiet Man, was a hate-filled movie about the Irish. Made by notorious Protestant John Ford. No doubt related to bigoted Henry Ford. Ford had a hard time getting the movie made. Too bigoted said the Jewish Studio heads. Finally, a Right-wing studio gave it the go ahead.

But who does it Star? John Wayne. Another Protestant American who lords it over the poor Irish. God how the Orish have suffered. Thank God, they can now make enough $$ in the bigoted USA and to go back to Ireland.

rcocean said...

Johnny Cash:

Hey, Porter! Hey Porter!
What Time Did You Say?
How Much Longer Will It Be
'Till I Can See The Light Of Day?
When We Hit Dixie Will You Tell That Engineer To Ring His Bell;
And Ask Everybody That Ain't Asleep To Stand Right Up And Yell.

rcocean said...

I met her accidentally in St. Paul (Minnesota).
And it tore me up every time I heard her drawl, Southern drawl.
Then I heard my dream was back Downstream cavortin' in Davenport,
And I followed you, Big River, when you called.

Then you took me to St. Louis later on (down the river).
A freighter said she's been here but she's gone, boy, she's gone.
I found her trail in Memphis, but she just walked up the bluff.
She raised a few eyebrows and then she went on down alone.

Gahrie said...

The Quiet Man, was a hate-filled movie about the Irish.

Full of stereotypes? Sure, but hate filled? Even the evil brother was presented somewhat sympathetically.

Marcus Bressler said...

Why is Chuck still here?

THEOLDMAN

rcocean said...

"Full of stereotypes? Sure, but hate filled? Even the evil brother was presented somewhat sympathetically."

Dumbo's gotta Dumbo.

rcocean said...

we need more chuck. we need to play crossfire. I'll try to substitute:

chuck: Repeats standard, Stupid leftwing comment
Friend of chuck: you're wrong
Chuck: No! I'm right
Friend of chuck: No, chuck is wrong.

Rinse and repeat. X 50.

ken in tx said...

Although the KKK appropriated the confederate flag as a racist symbol, during most of my life, many non-racist white Southerners, and others, saw the flag as simply a symbol of Southerness. Even Bill Clinton had campaign buttons handed out with his picture superimposed on a confederate flag. I understand others objection to the flag, but I regret it. It's a beautiful banner.

rcocean said...

Yes, the KKK. The KKK. did i say the KKK?

Of course the KKK. has and about 1,000 members for the last 50 years. But the KKK, is so important. Did i forget to say i was talking about the KKK?

Anyway, the KKK is so IMPORTANT, although no one actually joins it, so I just wanted to say:

KKK. that's KKK. In case you've forgotten. Remember. Its KKK! America's most horrible organization. And the communist's? They don't exist.

REMEMBER:

KKK. KLu-klux-klan.

rcocean said...

Thanks Ken B.

That's KKK.

DO NOT FORGET!

virgil xenophon said...

Ganderson@7:09AM

Re: Lena Olin. I'll date myself here, but I was first introduced to
her in the 1974 movie Romeo is Bleeding--in a well-acted highly disturbing role in a highly disturbing (for that time) film.

PS: Growing up, one of my best childhood friends was named Gael Gunderson..

basher20 said...

A point no one seems to be raising is the amount of emotional manipulation and outright physical violence that was portrayed in the relationship between Kermit and Miss Piggy (the virtual paragon of toxic femininity).

Of course the fact that the abuse was directed at a male character by a female character has no bearing on that....