Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are doing OK for themselves. Their first show was in the early 1940s, yet they're still stirring up controversy all these years later. The latest piece of newsworthy babble about history's longest cat-and-mouse chase is that Amazon's on demand system has a pretty blunt warning about the content before you view the cartoons.
Tom and Jerry Cartoons Carry Racism Warning - BBC News
Now, this isn't a rant about whether or not Tom and Jerry contains racial stereotypes... of course it bloody does. It's not a rant about whether or not this is OK... of course it bloody isn't. And it's not a rant about how what is socially acceptable is changed over time. If you don't think Tom and Jerry contains racial stereotypes, dig out a copy of the ultra-rare cartoon "His Mouse Friday" and, unless you happen to vote for the BNP or read the Daily Mail, prepare for your jaw to hit the floor.
So what am I complaining about? The warning? No, I'm completely supporting it, because the alternative is censorship. I've always had a problem with cuts to cartoons, and as Tom and Jerry are my favourite cartoons from my childhood I obviously feel a certain sense of annoyance when people try to change them, in much the same way Star Wars fans hate the 1997 'enhanced' versions and subsequent DVD releases. But removing parts because they're racist? In my opinion that's basically on a par with holocaust denial. You can't stop racism by pretending it never happened.
The weird thing is that this isn't the first time this has happened. The Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD Volume 3 contains an introduction by Whoopie Goldberg. In her speech she defends the studio by saying that although the racial stereotypes "were wrong then and are wrong today", they were a product of their time and removing them would be to pretend they never existed. She goes on to say that the general attitude towards ethnic minorities is a part of history that can not and should not be ignored. I could not agree more with every word she says.
OK, so MGM don't have the accolade of hiring the first black animator, as Warner Bros did, but I think the same attitude should apply. The presence of the racism warning is acknowledgement that times have got better and racist jokes are rightly unacceptable nowadays. It's not an apology, but as many of the people who worked on Tom and Jerry have since passed away, an apology on their behalf would probably seem quite patronising. I think the warning is probably the best thing that could happen. It's better than not having a warning there in the first place, and it's certainly better than hiding the racist bits, which in some cases is arguably more racist than simply showing them uncut. Yes, in some edited versions of Tom and Jerry they actually replace black characters and actors with white ones - effectively stopping the racism by getting rid of the ethnic minorities!
If you want to experience Tom and Jerry at their hilarious best, I strongly recommend the original versions of Love That Pup, Touche Pussy Cat, Mice Follies, Solid Serenade and Jerry and Jumbo. All of which are excellent, and none of which contain any racial stereotypes. Enjoy!