Another day, another celeb being canceled.
Only this time, the culprit isn’t human. Nope, there are people trying to cancel two animated characters: Pepe Le Pew and Speedy Gonzales from the beloved classic, Looney Tunes .
Is the world going looney or is this justified? Keep reading to find out 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.
Speedy Gonzales, on the other hand, is a Mexican character who’s known as the fastest mouse.
Since Bow’s piece came out, he’s had a lot of people agree with his statements.
“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.
“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.
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.
Guardians of the Galaxy director, James Gunn, also chimed in on defense of the cartoon mouse.
“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.”
“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:
“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.
The character’s scene from the film has already been cut from the film.
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He had starred in the first Warner Bros. Space Jam movie in 1996.
This move led to even more controversy, with people saying “it’s a cartoon” and “I hate my generation.”
Space Jam: A New Legacy arrives in theaters and on HBO Max July 16, so there is still time for more changes to be made if people call for it.
Since then however, a new trend has started on Twitter.
The hashtag is #CancelACartoon which is calling out, what fans feel, is the ridiculous trend that is going on right now.
Whether you disagree with Pepe or Speedy or not, the new tweets are pretty funny.
So at the end of the day, at least we know that the internet can come together to make some funny memes.
We can always count on Twitter to deliver some amazing memes right after a controversy.
What do you think of people trying to cancel Pepe Le Pew and Speedy Gonzales?
Do you think it’s overkill? Or do you think it is deserved?
Either way, let us know in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you.
