Political correctness has caught up with The Muppets; Disney’s streaming Service, Disney Plus, added “offensive content” alerts to 18 episodes of the kids show, which first aired over four decades ago. According to Disney, and woke culture, some of the episodes in the show contain negative stereotypes of some cultures.
Disney added 5 seasons of The Muppets to its streaming service on Friday. However, the kids-focused entertainment company added content disclaimers at the beginning of 18 episodes.
“This program includes negative depictions and or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” the alert reads. “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.”
The disclaimer appears to stem from the notion that the puppets in the show are designed based on stereotypes of East Asians, Arabs, and Native Americans. That said, the alert appears at the beginning of each episode for different reasons. For instance, the alert appears in an episode featuring Johnny Cash singing with a confederate flag in the background.
Some episodes of the legendary kids show are not available in the UK. One such episode is one from 1979 that starred Spike Milligan. In the episode, the comedian paid tribute to all the 108 countries where the show was aired. Perhaps the more controversial aspect of the episode was the use of a Nazi gesture.
But fans of the show are not thrilled with the censorship.
Andrew Bridgen, a UK MP and member of the Conservative Party, wrote, “I would like to know which bunch of muppets thought this one up. It would appear if this continues kids won’t be able to watch any TV programmes which are not newly made. Is nothing safe?”
The Muppets is not the only family film on Disney Plus that contains content disclaimer labels. Others include Peter Pan, The Aristocrats, Swiss Family Robinson, and Dumbo.
Some critics of the censorship claim Disney is eradicating history and ignoring context.
“Context is key. We should not eradicate history as we have so much to learn from it,” said Sarah Cronin-Stanley, a producer and director of kids films currently working at Talking Pictures TV.
Disney is yet to comment on this story. However, its Stories Matter initiative explains why it is adding labels to content on its streaming platform.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are in the process of reviewing our library and adding advisories to content that includes negative depictions or mistreatment of people or cultures,” a statement on Disney’s website says.
“Rather than removing this content, we see an opportunity to spark conversation and open dialogue on history that affects us all. We also want to acknowledge that some communities have been erased or forgotten altogether, and we’re committed to giving voice to their stories as well.”
