Popular Cartoon 'VeggieTales' Declared Racist by 'Whiteness Forum'
San Diego State University hosted a “critical look at whiteness” forum last week, where students were presented with poster boards of information on what the organizers considered to be lesser known seeds of racism.
Among the problematic issues addressed by the Thursday forum were the NFL (because many of the players are black and coaches and owners are white), white women who support President Donald Trump, and the Christian-themed cartoon “VeggieTales,” according to The College Fix.
The long-running children’s show, which tells Bible stories with vegetables as the characters, was first aired in 1993 and has been beloved by many families for 25 years.
However, one student created a poster for the forum that claimed to show “VeggieTales” perpetuates racial stereotypes — because some of the evil characters have accents, while many of the good ones sound white.
“When kids see the good white character triumph over the bad person of color character, they are taught that white is right and minorities are the source of evil,” the poster stated, according to The College Fix.
Fox News reported the “VeggieTales” poster was titled “Children in the Church” — and it was aimed straight at religion.
“When supremacists aim to taint the way children think of people of color, it will work,” the poster stated. “Whiteness in the Bible isn’t just seen as ‘power’ it’s seen as ‘good.’”
But there was a major flaw to the poster’s logic about the “good white character” in “VeggieTales,” as Fox News writer Caleb Parke pointed out.
“Just to be clear, the good guys, Bob and Larry, are red and green respectively, both of which are colors,” Clarke wrote.
The idea that the cartoon show is racist was hooted down on social media.
“The Christian cartoon ‘VeggieTales’ is racist because the villains are vegetables of colour.”
This is an actual statement that was unironically made, and I feel unclean knowing this.https://t.co/RvQdGCncYv
— ?Merry Mavvy? (@BlackMageMavvy) December 5, 2018
I… Don’t… What…? No words. NO WORDS. They’re VEGETABLES. People must have lost their minds here. I mean, no offense, but this is up there for the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. EVER.
— Rainbowmon of the Care-monic Spirits (@rainbowmon2018) December 5, 2018
Th-… They’re all colored! It’s a bloody rainbow cornucopia of produce! Literally all shapes, colors, and sizes!
— JokerSyndrail (@JinxazuMarai) December 5, 2018
Eric Metaxas, a best-selling author and former “VeggieTales” writer and narrator, said in a statement to PJ Media that his take on race among his fictional vegetable creations was a little different from what the poster was claiming.
“All vegetables are part of one race, even though they are of many colors,” Metaxas said.
“They are all descended from the same parents — the Adam and Eve of vegetables, who foolishly ate a forbidden fruit (irony?) and screwed everything up for all vegetables descended from them. At least I’m pretty sure that’s the story.”
The university event was attended by several hundred people, mostly students, The College Fix reported.
Certain studentswere even offered extra credit by professors to attend the Whiteness Forum, according to The College Fix.
However, one of those students told The College Fix that he felt the forum was actually promoting a message it claimed to be against.
“I feel like the university system (leaders) are a bunch of hypocrites, they’re talking about stopping racism and promoting equality for all, yet they have no problem bashing white people,” the student said, adding he is half-Mexican.
“They’re trying to make people feel guilty for being white.”
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