The popular cartoon television show PAW Patrol is rumored to be canceled but, in all actuality, it was renewed for a new season with a future film in the works slated for a 2021 release. The rumors began to spread as the protests against police brutality amplified across the nation that included the call for police abolition. As tweets were sent about the show’s police dog character, they called to cancel the television program to illicit a response from people who oppose the movement.
Jokes about PAW Patrol’s cancellation followed shortly after Live PD and Cops were actually cancelled for their glorification of the brutal force used by police officers featured in the shows. Both adult programs were popular but showcased how officers target Black people at a disproportionately higher rate than white people based on discrimination and apparent racism. Since the jokes about PAW Patrol started, the internet has buzzed with parents and even political figures’ outrage towards protesters going too far in regards to the cartoon.
Calls for the cancellation of PAW Patrol were not intended to be taken seriously but many have. A typical episode of the series follows the structure of a mission is introduced, they gather together to complete their mission, and save the day. They do not brutalize anyone nor do they show the characters targeting unarmed and innocent people. It is completely false that the show is cancelled but the joke also shed light on the mass amount of media dedicated to glorifying police officers.
The Black Lives Matter movement actively seeks to shed light on the discrimination that Black people face in every variable that falls under the umbrella of living in the United States. One of the largest issues is the constant targeting of Black people by police and the subsequent brutality that they experience for entirely no reason. While cancelling PAW Patrol is a joke, the reactions from Eric Trump and Ted Cruz were not.
Eric Trump tweeted “Now the left wants to cancel PAW Patrol. These people are truly insane.” If he were to have fact checked, he would have discovered that the show has actually been green lit for a new season and a movie. Furthermore, Ted Cruz chose to critique the situation even more by tweeting about the absurdity of cancel culture. Their knee-jerk reactions to the joke were exactly what Twitter expected and added a new fervor to continue with the joke. In the age of political tweets and presidential statements made over social media, the Paw Patrol cancellation joke did not go over well and spoke to a deeper issue where cartoons are valued over lives.
Regardless of whether or not more police centered television programs get cancelled, the intent of the Black Lives Matter Movement is to draw attention to the racial disparity in the United States. Twitter created the PAW Patrol cancellation joke in order to see the reactions of political figures and they got exactly what they wanted. For now, PAW Patrol lives on and are slated for a feature length film in 2021.
https://ift.tt/3fDKPb8
June 19, 2020 at 05:02AM
