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Monday, March 8, 2021

IS THERE A MORAL ISSUE WITH PEPE LE PEW AND SYLVESTER THE CAT?

 



Cancel culture wants to get rid of Pepe Le Pew because he is like Governor Cuomo in his amorous pursuits. Some also say it encourages a ‘rape” culture. Yikes.

But was that the moral problem then, when these cartoons were created (late 40’s or early 50’s) or is it a different problem?

As a young child I use to watch Pepe Le Pew and Sylvester and thought these cartoon characters, as all of the Warner Brothers’ cartoon characters, were hilarious. My father loved them too, especially Pepe Le Pew. 

The premise of the Pepe Le Pew and Sylvester cartoons is that Sylvester the cat gets a white streak painted on his back which makes him look like a skunk. Pepe Le Pew who is an amorous French skunk is sexually attracted to the unsuspecting Sylvester the Cat because Pepe thinks, wrongly, that Sylvester is a skunk too, not a cat. It is very funny as Sylvester tries to escape the amorous come ons of the French skunk. 

KEEP IN MIND, THE TWO CARTOON CHARACTERS ARE MALE!

Was this the beginning of the homosexual lobby that eventually led to same sex civil marriage? Were many generations of children conditioned to see no problem in a male skunk falling for a male cat even through mistaken identity, that the other skunk is not a skunk but a cat, but both, nonetheless are male!

And don’t get me started on my other favorite cartoon even before I entered elementary school, Popeye! He and Olive Oil had a baby out of wedlock named Swee’Pee! What about that? Did it lead to the sexual revolution of the late 60’s and 70’s ? Popeye and Olive Oil were never married and both Popeye and Bluto  pursued Olive Oil for romantic purposes. And why was Bluto’s name changed to Brutus in  later episodes inquiring minds want to know. 

But who knew cartoons from the 1940’s and 50’s are the foundation of the 1960’s and 2000’s sexual revolutions!

YIKES!

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

"But was that the moral problem then, when these cartoons were created (late 40’s or early 50’s) or is it a different problem?"

Pepe was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a precursor to the gay lobby. That critter was as straight as they come.

The moral problem was the somewhat cavalier attitude that made it "cartoonish" for a male skunk to molest what he thought was a female skunk. (For word etymology lovers: "1630s, squunck, from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Abenaki) seganku, from Proto-Algonquian */šeka:kwa/, from */šek-/ "to urinate" + */-a:kw/ "fox."

It was thought acceptable for the male to "pursue" the female ever after "she" repeatedly refused his advances. An example of skunk-like behavior, which we recognize as utterly immoral and unacceptable, was Trump's "grab 'em by the p***y comment.

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

But, but, but...one can easily understand why Pepe Le Pew thought poor Sylvester was a skunk by the white paint on the cat’s back. But what in the world made him think that Sylvester was a girl???? And keep in mind that Sylvester like Pepe talked except in the Pepe oriented cartoons Sylvester conveniently lost his voice, meaning he did not speak. But he was naked as are all cats so Pepe should have known his gender. Just saying....

Anonymous said...

Pepe le Pew is just another victim of the "perpetually outraged," a group of truly, sick, twisted people. Their outrage tells us more about them, than us. Of course they are perfectly fine with transgenderism and "mostly peaceful" riots, burnings and lootings

Anonymous said...

Anonymous at 8:17 AM,

Again your "morality" extends only in one direction politically. President Trump's words pale by comparison to the actual actions of the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, Andrew Cuomo and Joe Biden. So knock it off. You are boring at this point and silly. You are just another political hack

Anonymous said...

Making excuses for Pepe's inappropriate behavior is the moral problem.

Underage male teens get fake IDs and go drinking at a local bar....

Males make cat calls as an attractive woman walks by...

Males boast about their sexual conquests in the locker room, using vile, demeaning language about women...

Males grope women and tell the world, "I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. ..."...

And we get, "Oh well, boys will be boys."

It doesn't matter what the gender of the person (or cat or skunk) being molested or demeaned is. It is morally wrong.

Anonymous said...

The folks who are "sick, twisted people" are the ones who overlook or make excuses for immoral behavior, including that of President Trump.

Anonymous said...

First they came for Potato Head and I said nothing. Then they came for Dr Seuss and I said nothing. Now Pepe Le Pew.....

Anonymous said...

The cat in Pepe's cartoons wasn't Sylvester. The cat was always an anonymous female cat, sometimes named Frenchy sounding names like Fifi or Penelope. Chuck Jones, who created Pepe LePew and directed all his original cartoon appearances, by and large didn't use Sylvester. The only time he used Sylvester was for a few cartoons with Porky Pig where they stayed in a "haunted" hotel (it was really murderous mice).

There is one Sylvester and Tweety cartoon where I think Pepe makes a cameo at the end thinking Sylvester is a girl skunk, but it's a closing gag and not the plot of the entire cartoon.

Anonymous said...

I'm calling for the cancellation of Elmer Fudd!
This animal abusing lunatic perpetuated and has inspired mistreatment of animals for decades.
Also does he have a license for the fire arms?

Cancel Elmer Fudd NOW !!!

Anonymous said...

And to add to my previous post: The Sylvester and Tweety cartoon you posted a still from where Pepe makes a cameo is "Dog Pounded" from 1954. Sylvester paints a skunk stripe on his back to scare the bulldogs in the yard surrounding Tweety's birdhouse. It was the only time Friz Freleng used Pepe LePew (Freleng directed virtually all the Sylvester and Tweety pairings).

Anonymous said...

In the real world, how many people enjoyed Looney Tunes' characters as entertainment and did not take them as role models or tried to imitate them?

Or could it be argued that Wile E Coyote inspired ISIS suicide bombers?

Anonymous said...

"The folks who are "sick, twisted people" are the ones who overlook or make excuses for immoral behavior, including that of President Trump.

March 8, 2021 at 10:38 AM"

Include yourself because you overlook and make excuses for immoral behavior, including that of the Kennedys, Clinton, Cuomo, and Biden. You really are a silly creature

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

The cat then had to be his sister or lover because Sylvester like Popeye had a child out of wedlock! I rest my case!

Anonymous said...

Could it be retribution for Mr Farwell’s Tellietubby Tinkiewinkie debacle. Who got canceled just before Dr Seuss? I can’t remember as so much of my youth has been canceled. Mind you , many of the cartoons of my youth might have been for children, but they were often created by adults (and males). They often had a main story for the children and a sub plot to keep the adults entertained. Regarding Popeye and Sweet Pea. I researched that once, probably because of this blog. I believe that research suggested Sweet Pea was actually adopted. What would you rather watch , the cartoons we grew up with or Telletubbies? Someone should cancel cancel-culture.

Anonymous said...

Lucy Loisy here,

Lets get serious. I believe we need to cancel Beethoven.

His music played its part in establishing a stuffy, elitist Western culture that bolstered the rule of white males and suppressed the voices of women, blacks and the LGBTQ community.

Surely we can now see his music has been the "soundtrack" for white privilege and oppression?!

Also, for example, and specifically, is it not clear to us now that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony can be analogized to the rage of a white impotent rapist?

William said...

Omitting the Anonymous posts, this was a very quick read.

Anonymous said...

Is cancel culture something new?
What about the Catholic Church’s Index Librorum Prohibitorum (“List of Prohibited Books”) from 1559 to 1966?

Anonymous said...

When I was a child way back in the 1950s, I was aware that various total strangers had the power to limit what I was allowed to see and hear on TV. Relatively small groups of people would start write in campaigns, any time a subject came up that they didn’t care for, and they would send letters and postcards to the commercial companies who bought advertising on TV shows, and threaten to boycott them, if they weren’t catered to. I didn’t even find out that non-heterosexuals existed, until many years, and a LOT of then-left-wing agitation later allowed things to free up.
Everything was intensely censored. No one was allowed to talk directly about sex or sexuality, about pregnancy, or child abuse, or any number of things.
Anyone famous who was even accused, with no proof, of upsetting those small groups, lost their jobs and sometimes worse.

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

Come to think about it, what about Elmer Fud and Bugs Bunny. Bugs often planted a huge wet kiss on Elmer!!!!!!8

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

And poor wily Coyote! We all were routing for him to beat the crappy out of the Road Runner!

Anonymous said...

I's ask you to cite a SINGLE time anyone here has made "excuses for immoral behavior, including that of the Kennedys, Clinton, Cuomo, and Biden."

But I won't because you can't. No one here has done that. You really are a silly creature.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Breaking news: California wants to ban boys and girls departments in stores. This world is just getting nuttier and nuttier.

Anonymous 2 said...

With all this indignation and outrage over “cancel culture,” wouldn’t it be nice if those posting here would, just occasionally at least, get as indignant and outraged over the cancellation of facts and truth at the hands of those like former president Trump? But I’m not holding my breath.

Anonymous said...

Sufferin' succotash you have your cartoons mixed up ! You are confusing Sylvester the Cat with Pepé Le Pew's love interest Penelope Pussycat
From Wikipedia:
Pepé Le Pew storylines typically involve Pepé in pursuit of a female black cat, whom Pepé mistakes for a skunk ("la belle femme skunk fatale"). The cat, who was retroactively named Penelope Pussycat, often has a white stripe painted down her back, usually by accident (such as by squeezing under a fence with wet white paint). Penelope frantically races to get away from him because of his putrid odor, his overly aggressive manner or both, while Pepé hops after her at a leisurely pace.

But wait, Wikipedia has more:

"In The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, in the episode, "Platinum Wheel of Fortune", when Sylvester gets a white stripe on his back, a skunk immediately falls in love with him. This is not Pepé, but a similar character identified as "Pitu Le Pew" (voiced by Jeff Bennett). However, he does say, "What can I say, Pepé Le Pew is my third cousin. It runs in the family." Pepé would later appear in the episode "Is Paris Stinking" (once again voiced by Greg Burson), where he pursues Sylvester who is unintentionally dressed in drag. Pepé would appear once more in Tweety's High-Flying Adventure, falling in love with both Sylvester and Penelope (Sylvester had gotten a white stripe on his back from Penelope as they fought over Tweety), actually showing a preference for Sylvester."

These plots were written by adults who were hiding real life drama in children's cartoons.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2,

LOL - still the little faculty lounge lizard who has forgotten Joe Biden got run out of 2-3 of his previous presidential runs because of plagiarism or outright lying which used to bother the media. And he’s still doing it. You are just a hack like your buddy Anonymous K

Bud Collyer said...


Anonymous at 1038: Why single out President Trump for immoral behavior in your post, when the current resident of to the White House has shown and promoted immoral behavior? Do you have TDS?

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

Adultery and fornication are indeed mortal sins which most presidents have committed. But President Biden’s promotion of demonic intrinsic evil is compounded because he is a Catholic who should know better thus compounding his culpability. He promotes infanticide as a right which is breathtaking in its depravity. He encourages mutilation of the genitals of young children and perverting their God given gender. He embraces euthanasia. There is moral depravity and there is moral depravity. President Biden takes the rotten cake to a new low!

Sophia said...

Sophia here; Game, set, match, Fr McDonald!

rcg said...

Why would a cartoon mocking a stereotype of French men (I looking at you Gerard Depardieu) be considered a role model? Why don’t the French riot about Warner Brothers appropriating their culture? This story must be from the same propagandist that told us Bart Simpson was ‘dating’ our wives while we were overseas. And if the author was prompted to imitate le Pew, why not Cellini?

Anonymous said...

Father McDonald nails it, yet the American bishops will remain supine. Only a corrupt cleric could have voted for Biden because everything he has done was clearly foreseeable and inimical to the Faith. And these bishops wonder why the American Catholic Church is in free fall.

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

One of the things that the puritanical religion of political parties observe (a false religion also) is their preoccupation with the sexual sins of Trump while celebrating the most promiscuous President in our history, Bill Clinton.. Be that as it may, sexual sins are mortals sins of passion and biological needs and emotional disorders. Thus the culpability of the mortal sinner could be lessened and in some cases reduce the sin to a venial sin as “full consent of the will” could be compromised. Any crime or sin of passion, even murder, can have its culpability reduced due to passions run amuck.

Not so with what a Catholic president who should know better, is promoting. Gender ideology that will lead to the amputation of the gentians of young children who think they are anything else than what God created them, thus scarring them for life physically and emotionally. It is called sexual and emotional abuse and those who promote it and carry it out should be in prison. He promotes infanticide before and after birth and during birth and in the most gruesome ways. He promotes euthanasia. Not of these mortal sins, which are also demonic and intrinsically evil, are mortal sins of passion in anyway whatsoever. Scandal does not describe this evil.

And yet the president soothes his immoral conscience by warning people to wear a mask and prevent the spread of a contagion. GIVE ME A BREAK!.

Anonymous said...

Let’s try this argument: the creators, those that drew the characters and those that wrote the stories and those that did the technical animation, created their product because they (adults) enjoyed both the process and the product. They could also make a living at it. The fact that children also liked their product was secondary. The adults just made stuff they thought funny, they didn’t over think it.

Then came children’s educational programming and NPR. Sesame Street and whatever followed. That wasn’t adults making stuff that made them laugh. It was stuff adults made to program children. That’s why they are called children’s programs. Those weren’t made by immature adults, but by educators with an agenda.

Pepe La Pew wasn’t the problem, Big Bird was.

Anonymous 2 said...

Anonymous TJM at 7:21 p.m. on March 8:

Your constant attempts to distract from the point through “Whataboutism” and other rhetorical tricks are pathetically transparent.

First, I don’t like Biden lying or uttering falsehoods any more than I like Trump lying or uttering falsehoods. I therefore read all the fact checks of Biden and others in his Administration that I come across (and I do come across them in my news feed). Second, this said, no-one, just no-one, can compare with Trump in this respect.

I am perfectly consistent in calling out and disapproving of lies and falsehoods uttered by politicians, whoever they are. Now, do_you_have the intellectual honesty and courage to call out and disapprove of Trump’s lying and falsehoods? Once again, I’m not holding my breath.

LFLL



Anonymous said...

Anonymous 2,

You engage in whataboutism all the time from one side of the aisle. I would expect nothing less from a pretend lawyer. Biden was always a dim bulb and a liar but is the tool of the Globalists who could nor stand a president who stood up for American workers and American interests. One of Biden’s first acts was to destroy union jobs by stopping the pipeline to appease his Hollywood donors. Moreover, Biden in stark contrast is handing out taxpayer money to felons in prison and illegal aliens and to incompetently run Dem states like CA, IL, and NY who cannot manage their expenses and revenues. Biden has betrayed his Catholic Faith and in a decent world would be excommunicated along with his “catholic” voters. You are typical of the “educators” in academia today who can’t think for themselves. You don’t have an original or independent thought. You are a shining example of liberal groupthink. You are not worthy of a response

Anonymous 2 said...

Anonymous TJM:

What I asked was not whataboutism, which to me means to ask “what about . . . .?” with respect to the same issue—for example, violence by the Capitol rioters: “what about violence by BLM?” I raised an entirely different issue, one that goes to the very foundation of our Republic and democracy, which you evidently do not care about—either the issue or our Republic and democracy.

You launch ad hominem insults and refuse to answer, either because you can’t or because you lack the integrity and guts to do so.

Your sort of response is destroying us—and don’t you dare bring up abortion again because I used the word “destroy.”

And for the umpteenth time—I am on neither side of the aisle.

Oh, and you are a shining example of Trumpthink!

Anonymous said...

Now Unilever is being proactive. They are canceling the word “Normal” from its products.