We all have our favorite Looney Tunes characters. And we cannot imagine this show without these characters. Like Pepe Le Pew and Speedy Gonzales. But sadly, people are trying to cancel these two characters from the show. Oh, no!
You can scroll down to understand where the backlash is coming from.
Earlier this month, it was announced that six Dr. Seuss books would no longer be published due to racist imagery.
The affected books are as follows: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat’s Quizzer.
“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” Dr. Seuss Enterprises said in a statement.
“Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” they continued.
While the move angered fans (they’ve since driven up book sales), one person, in particular, was pleased.
This is New York Times columnist, Charles M. Bow, who wrote that he “cheered as some bemoaned another victim of so-called ‘cancel culture.'”
He also shared that “racism must be exorcised from culture, including, or maybe especially, from children’s culture.”
“Teaching a child to hate or be ashamed of themselves is a sin against their innocence and a weight against their possibilities,” he continued.
In his piece, he also called out other cartoon characters:
“Some of the first cartoons I can remember included Pepé Le Pew, who normalized rape culture; Speedy Gonzales, whose friends helped popularize the corrosive stereotype of the drunk and lethargic Mexicans.”
If you remember, Pepe Le Pew is a character who was often shown trying to grab and sniff at female characters.
“As a kid, Pepe Le Pew really bothered me. I’d think, ‘Oh, no, not another cartoon about the really horny skunk terrorizing a cat,'” wrote this Twitter user.
I loved Pepe le Pew when I was a kid. As an adult & having had to navigate the waters of unwanted male attention, it’s now cringey. If you’ve never experienced an inappropriate touch or whisper in your ear that makes your skin crawl, maybe you can’t understand 🤷🏻♀️
— Mrs. James (@4rgrls) March 8, 2021
“On the other hand, it’s a little disturbing now that back then nobody minded how racist Speedy Gonzales was. Like, almost by definition, it’s a racist cartoon,” they added.
One person who doesn’t believe Speedy Gonzales is racist is the actor who voiced him: Gabriel Iglesias.
I am the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam. Does this mean they are gonna try to cancel Fluffy too? U can’t catch me cancel culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico 💨 pic.twitter.com/Ov4wjO00kM
— G a b r i e l – I g l e s i a s (@fluffyguy) March 7, 2021
The comedian took to Twitter to set the record straight.
“I am the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam. Does this mean they are gonna try to cancel Fluffy too?” Iglesias tweeted, alongside an animated GIF of the mouse.
“U can’t catch me cancel culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico,” the comedian added.
“I don’t think there are many people here, on the left or the right, who think Harvey Weinstein shouldn’t have been ‘canceled’ for what he did,” he tweeted.
“Likewise, these are all nuanced conversations.”
white people: Speedy Gonzales is offensive
mexicans: why?
white people: because he’s mexican
mexicans: why do you think being mexican is offensive
— Indy 🐧 (@IndecisiveJones) March 7, 2021
“I think most Latin people love Speedy Gonzalez [sic], which is a pretty good argument that he shouldn’t be ‘canceled.'”
Speedy also has lots of support from fans online.
Another user said:
I am the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam. Does this mean they are gonna try to cancel Fluffy too? U can’t catch me cancel culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico 💨 pic.twitter.com/Ov4wjO00kM
— G a b r i e l – I g l e s i a s (@fluffyguy) March 7, 2021
“do not speak for me, I am Mexican, and Speedy Gonzalez is a character too dear to my people, speedy Gonzáles makes us proud, and if you want to cancel it, maybe you are the racist,” tweeted this user.
While there’s hope for Speedy Gonzales to remain in the upcoming film, Space Jam: A New Legacy, the same can’t be said for Pepe Le Pew.
This move led to even more controversy, with people saying “it’s a cartoon” and “I hate my generation.”
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Since then, however, a new trend has started on Twitter.
#CancelACartoonCharacter
Patrick Star has been confirmed to kill at least one person: pic.twitter.com/VqtVdSa51v— ⚡️BloodyPikachuuu⚡️ (@BloodyPikachuuu) March 8, 2021
So at the end of the day, at least we know that the internet can come together to make some funny memes.
https://twitter.com/Nicktoongrl/status/1369074614853378053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1369074614853378053%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiply.com%2F6484475%2Fpeople-are-trying-to-cancel-pepe-le-pew-and-speedy-gonzales-from
