Alabama Public Television, a taxpayer-funded TV station, is facing criticism from the left for doing the apparently unthinkable and allowing parents to decide for themselves if and when to address controversial issues like homosexuality and gay marriage with their own children.
Last week the 23-year-old PBS kids cartoon “Arthur” suddenly outed one of its male characters as gay. This despite the character having never previously displayed any homosexual tendencies. The character wound up going on to marry another male character.
MR RATBURN IS GAY HELLO !! HE GOT MARRIED !! pic.twitter.com/T1Emc97Y0f
— eels! (@WOLFNOlR) May 13, 2019
In response to this unexpected injection of homosexuality into the previously PG cartoon, APB pulled the episode and announced that it would not be airing it. Why? Because it would appear, the station’s team believes that it’s not appropriate for impressionable children to be exposed to such controversial issues by a television program, let alone a taxpayer-funded one.
“Parents have trusted Alabama Public Television for more than 50 years to provide children’s programs that entertain, educate and inspire,” APT’s director of programming, Mike Mckenzie, reportedly said.
“More importantly — although we strongly encourage parents to watch television with their children and talk about what they have learned afterwards — parents trust that their children can watch APT without their supervision. We also know that children who are younger than the ‘target’ audience for Arthur also watch the program.”
He added that if the station were to air the “Arthur” episode, it’d rob parents of the right to decide for themselves whether or not homosexuality is an appropriate topic of discussion.
The vast majority of parents will not have heard about the content, whether they agree with it or not. Because of this, we felt it would be a violation of trust to broadcast the episode.”
This, of course, infuriated the left, which, as far-left political commentator Melissa Harris-Perry admitted a couple years back, believes that “kids belong to whole communities” versus their parents.
“Because THIS is the biggest threat to Alabama school kids. Not the fact that they have one of the worst performing schools in the nation,” CNN commentator and purported conservative S.E. Cupp, who reportedly lives in New York City, tweeted sarcastically Monday.
She wasn’t alone.
Look:
Because THIS is the biggest threat to Alabama school kids. Not the fact that they have one of the worst performing schools in the nation. https://t.co/eh4tstoLii
— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) May 21, 2019
This is absolutely shocking #AlabamaPublicTelevision refuses to air ‘Arthur’ episode with gay wedding – The message it is giving that they don’t want children watching a gay wedding is a violation of #LGBTQRights and a censorship of our culture. https://t.co/2V9ZKrRoo9
— Anthony Watson (@AnthonyWatson) May 21, 2019
I used to think the ending of Forrest Gump was so sad when Jenny died. But now I see it’s actually a happy ending, because she got out of Alabama. https://t.co/XSHGJs15E5
— Matt Fernandez (@FattMernandez) May 21, 2019
Homophobia has many faces, as Alabama Public Television makes painfully clear. https://t.co/3xwCjyOZPe
— MeredithB-S (@MBennettSmith) May 20, 2019
The director of programming at @APTV is a bigot. He refused to show Arthur (cartoon) attending a gay wedding. We’ll watch it on https://t.co/OuxxWztpIl with our 6yo and teaching him about unconditional love in the face of hate and love is love is love.https://t.co/CGvis3T9LG
— Sarah Parcak (@indyfromspace) May 20, 2019
It’s unclear what Alabama’s education system woes have to do with the station’s decision to not air the episode. Nor is it clear why these members of the blue checkmark crowd — all of whom appear to live outside of Alabama — are so concerned with the station’s decisions.
As for those who actually live in Alabama, a number of them voiced support for it.
“Why can’t I decide when it’s time to educate my kid on those relationships?” one Twitter user who actually lives in Alabama wrote. “Why is that a bad thing? Kudos to APT for understanding what is educational and what is out-of-bounds for children’s programming.”
“The idea I think they are getting at is the target audience of Arthur shouldn’t be exploring sexual orientation at that age. Not necessarily saying it’s wrong buts it’s not the right age group. That’s something for the high school oriented shows,” another Twitter user wrote.
Look at these and other tweets below:
Why can’t I decide when it’s time to educate my kid on those relationships? Why is that a bad thing? Kudos to APT for understanding what is educational and what is out of bounds for children’s programing.
— Chuck Tonini (@Chuck_Tonini) May 21, 2019
The idea I think they are getting at is the target audience of Arthur shouldn’t be exploring sexual orientation at that age. Not necessarily saying it’s wrong buts it’s not the right age group. That’s something for the high school oriented shows.
— Not an alt account (@TheMetalPony) May 21, 2019
I’ll always support good things, and so far, Alabama’s knocked 2 right out of the park. No child should ever be exposed to homosexuality- shame on anyone who would abuse a child so.
— Skyttyl (@skyttyl) May 21, 2019
It’s not the biggest threat to anyone. In fact, I would say (like you) that it isn’t a threat at all. But the two things have nothing to do with each other. Exposing children to the existence of homosexuality isn’t going to improve their school system.
— Rob Leder (@rleder) May 21, 2019
Little children shouldn’t be indoctrinated.
— Tate Casey (@TateCasey4) May 21, 2019
The program’s target audience is children 4 to 8. This is child indoctrination– confusing and inappropriate. This is adult subject matter in cartoon form. So this was a good call. Deal with it.#propagandahttps://t.co/TkLnzAUmWd
— BlueridgeWV (@Blueridgewv) May 21, 2019
The left’s behavior and rhetoric suggest it believes in using indoctrination to mold children into future political allies. From pushing for drag queens to read stories to little children to forcing lessons on so-called “gender identity,” birth control, pregnancy, STDs and even the “Green New Deal,” on little kids, the left has, it would seem, never shied away from indoctrinating the youth to ensure they turn into future Democrat voters.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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