New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow complained about a cartoon skunk named Pepé Le Pew for supposedly perpetuating rape culture.
“As a child, I was led to believe that Blackness was inferior. And I was not alone. The Black society into which I was born was riddled with these beliefs,” Blow wrote in a Times column published Wednesday. “It happened for children in the most inconspicuous of ways: It was relayed through toys and dolls, cartoons and children’s shows, fairy tales and children’s books.”
“Some of the first cartoons I can remember included Pepé Le Pew, who normalized rape culture,” the writer claimed.
The French romantic skunk forever looking for love became a popularized Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies character in the mid-1900s. The lovable skunk was featured in numerous films, including the 1997 movie “Space Jam.”
After “right wing blogs” took notice of Blow’s critique, the Times writer doubled-down on his “rape culture” claim via Twitter.
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“[Right wing] blogs are mad [because] I said Pepe Le Pew added to rape culture,” he wrote on Saturday. “Let’s see. 1. He grabs/kisses a girl/stranger, repeatedly, [without] 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.”
“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,” argued Blow. “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.”
Read more: Daily Wire
