>> Melissa: MORE TV
CANCELLATIONS AND CONTROVERSY
FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF GEORGE
FLOYD, A&E CANCELING ITS
FLAGSHIP SERIES AND ONE OF
CABLES HIGHEST-RATED SHOWS ONE
WEEK AFTER IT WAS YANKED OFF THE
AIR.
THEY SAID THEY AFTER THE PLUG
WAS PULLED ON "COPS," ENDING ITS
32 YEAR ROUND AND EVEN KIDS
CARTOONS ARE NOT IMMUNE.
TAKE NICKELODEON’S "POP PATROL"
WHICH FEATURES A
GERMAN SHEPHERD POLICE DOG.
THE SHOW’S OFFICIAL TWITTER TO
PAGE ON THE RECEIVING END OF A
TORRENT OF CRITICISM EVEN AFTER
SHOWING SOLIDARITY WITH
PROTESTERS.
AMONG THE RESPONSES, HOW MUCH
WILL "PAW PATROL" BE DONATING TO
BALE FUNDS?
"DEFUND "PAW PATROL"."
"FIRE AND PROSECUTE CHASE" AND
"EUTHANIZE THE POLICE DOG."
"EVEN BIGHEARTED CARTOON POLICE
DOGS ARE MAY BE ESPECIALLY
BIGHEARTED CARTOON POLICE DOGS
ARE ON NOTICE.
THE EFFORT TO PUBLICIZE POLICE
BRUTALITY ALSO MEANS BANISHING
THE GOOD COP ARCHETYPE WHICH
REIGNS ON BOTH TELEVISION AND IN
VIRAL VIDEOS OF THE PROTESTS
THEMSELVES.
"PAW PATROL" SEEMS HARMLESS
ENOUGH, AND THAT’S THE POINT.
THE MOVEMENT RESTS ON
UNDERSTANDING THAT COPS DO
PLENTY OF HARM."
CHARLES, I WANT TO START WITH
YOU BECAUSE I’VE PROBABLY SEEN
EVERY EPISODE OF "PAW PATROL"
AND PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO DON’T
HAVE LITTLE KIDS, IT IS ABOUT
CHARACTERS THAT ARE ALL SERVANTS
TO THE COMMUNITY.
THEY HAVE A FIREFIGHTER, A
SANITATION WORKER WHO RECYCLES,
THEY HAVE SEARCH INDIRECT RESCUE
DOGS, THEY HAVE A POLICE DOG,
EVERY SINGLE CARTOON, THEY GO
AND HELP SOMEONE WHO IS IN
DANGER WHO IS THEN VERY
GRATEFUL.
AND THIS IS WHAT THE LEFT WANTS
TO WIPE OUT IN THIS SITUATION,
THIS IDEA THAT POLICE CAN BE
GOOD AND THAT CHILDREN MIGHT
WANT TO ASPIRE TO BE GOOD COPS,
YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> Charles: I HAVE FIVE
GRANDKIDS AND THEY LOVE
"PAW PATROL," PARTICULARLY MY
OLDEST GRANDSON.
LOVES IT, LOVES IT, LOVES IT AND
MAKES IT EASY FOR ME TO
CHRISTMAS SHOP.
THIS IS A NARRATIVE THAT WE’VE
SEEN PARTICULARLY FROM THE LEFT
AND I’VE HEARD MY WHOLE LIFE,
THERE ARE GOOD WHITE PEOPLE,
THEY ARE CALLED DEMOCRATS.
THERE ARE BAD WHITE PEOPLE, THEY
ARE CALLED REPUBLICANS.
NOW THERE’S NOT EVEN SUCH A
THING AS A GOOD POLICE OFFICER.
99% PLUS ARE AMAZING, THEY DO
AMAZING THINGS TO KEEP US SAFE
AND YES THERE ARE SOME BAD
APPLES OUT THERE AND YES, THE
WALLS OF SILENCE MUST GO AND
THERE MUST BE BETTER TRAINING
BUT THE NOTION THAT SOMEHOW TO
MAKE THE POLICE FORCE THEMSELVES
WHO PUT THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE
EVERY SINGLE DAY VILLAINS, I
LOVE "PAW PATROL" AND THEY
BETTER TAKE THEIR HANDS OFF IT
AND I WILL TELL YOU THIS, THE
CARTOONS I GREW UP WITH, THEY
WERE OFFENSIVE, THAT WAS
OFFENSIVE.
"PAW PATROL," I LOVE IT, LEAVE
IT ALONE.
>> Melissa: JESSICA, ALL THE
CHARACTERS IN THIS SHOW, THIS IS
THE GROUP THAT 5 MINUTES AGO WE
WERE HONORING FOR RISKING THEIR
LIVES, FIGHTING COVID-19 AND
SUDDENLY NOW WE’VE CHANGED, GO
AHEAD.
>> Jessica: OBVIOUSLY THE
MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD HAS
CHANGED AMERICA AND TURN INTO A
MOVEMENT.
I’M THANKFUL FOR THAT BUT I AM
EXTREMELY DISHEARTENED TO SEE
THIS GO THIS FAR.
THEY PROFILE A NUMBER OF
CHARACTERS THAT ARE ALL SERVING
THE COMMUNITY, PEOPLE WHO
DEDICATE THEIR LIVES, TO MAKING
OUR COMMUNITIES BETTER AND
SAFER.
I SAW THAT LEGO DOESN’T WANT TO
MAKE A POLICE OFFICER ANYMORE,
THIS IS A PROFESSION THAT WE
SHOULD WANT THE BEST AND THE
BRIGHTEST TO GO INTO AND IF OUR
CHILDREN ARE LEARNING ABOUT IT
AS AN OPTION AND MAKE SURE THAT
THEY KNOW THERE ARE ALSO THOSE
BAD APPLES AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
DOING SOMETHING WRONG AS WELL,
WE ARE GOING TO LOSE OUT ON
GETTING A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE
INTO THAT PROFESSION AND I
WONDER AS WELL, WE NEED TO MOVE
BACK TO TALKING ABOUT POLICE
OFFICERS AS POLICE OFFICERS AND
NOT AS COPS.
THE COLLOQUIALISM I THINK HURTS
THE ORGANIZATION AND WE SHOULD
THINK OF IT AS A PROFESSION WITH
A NORMAL NAME LIKE THAT.
>> Melissa: THAT’S AN
INTERESTING POINT.
KATIE, REALLY QUICK, A COUPLE
SECONDS?
>> Katie: THIS IS ABOUT THE
FAR LEFT WIPING OUT A NARRATIVE
THAT DEBUNKS WHAT THEY’VE BEEN
SAYING.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF POLICE
OFFICERS ARE GOOD, ALL THESE
SHOWS IT SHOWED POLICE OFFICERS