A politically incorrect Bugs Bunny wouldn't exist in today's corporate America. © AOL Time Warner.

June Bugged: Cartoon Network's Controversy (7/11/01): This controversial piece concerning the exclusion of twelve questionable cartoons from the annual "June Bugs" marathon drew comments from every angle of the controversy, including some from Thomas E. Reed and Amid Amidi, two of the heavy hitters in modern animation commentary. I enjoyed the hell out of writing this column.

Peter MacWhirter (producer, Some Entermedia, Seoul, Korea): "...the argument that suggests we view these animated works now in the context of 'their times' could quite easily be used to endorse the continued use of the Confederate flag (an interesting design) or even multiple wives for men (a biologically driven behavior)."

Peter, I could not disagree more strongly. To begin with, these cartoons were never used to "endorse" or indoctrinate anything or anyone. They were made for the purpose of entertainment, tainted as that entertainment may have been. The reason that cartoons today are not used in the way your examples illustrate only proves my point; we have come a very long way. I continue to believe that we can handle some of the more objectionable material from our past in a mature manner. Those who forget the past may be doomed to repeat it, but those who learn from the past will not. Your view seems to suggest that we remain stuck in a paranoid, politically correct mindset lest we somehow endorse and disseminate the "wrong" viewpoint. Free your mind. Trust in our ability to learn and grow. Lighten up and give your sweetie a big hug...

Sam Tallman (Arizona): "You cannot erase discrimination and racism like they never existed, but you can help to prevent it in the future, through awareness and knowledge."

You got it, Sam! (I could mention at this point that Sam, using twenty-four words, summed up what took me four pages to write. But since I don't want Heather and Dan to replace me, I won't.)

Thomas E. Reed (http://www.off-model.com, Orlando, Florida): "This kind of political correctness is bound to happen more often, as larger and larger conglomerates start producing our entertainment, news, and media. If Warner Brothers Animation were still a fairly small entity, a few people in charge could decide to take a chance with the Bugs cartoons running unedited. But this is...AOL Time Warner, who can't afford to upset anyone in even a slight manner."

Because of their high moral standards and sensitivity to issues of diversity, right, Tom? Eh? What's that you're saying between gasps of laughter? Boycotts? Yeah, sounds like "boycotts"....

Amid Amidi (http://www.animationblast.com): "It's the mentality of calling this humor regrettable [as quoted from the article] that further makes it impossible to see these shorts. Ethnic humor is a staple of comedy, as time-honored as the pie-in-the-face...Some of the humor may be crass by our modern day standards, but is it any more crass than the caricatures of Indian people (from India) on THE SIMPSONS...it's hypocritical to criticize the past so vehemently when we create equally harsh ethnic humor in modern times."

Amid, with all due respect these cartoons filled with racist imagery are regrettable. They were made at a time when blacks had neither the voice nor the political power to protest their portrayals. Blacks were living in a country that was segregated de facto, Civil Rights laws were nonexistent and lynchings were still an option (so was reporting them). That is precisely the difference between then and now. Today, at least, people can question whether or not the depiction of Apu is racist. Let's also define your terms: The object of ethnic humor is to laugh at the foibles of one's own people, and to share a bit of the humor with those of another faith or culture. Racist humor, on the other hand, involves stereotyping, dehumanization and presumed supremacy over whomever is unfortunate enough to be the butt of the jokes. You cannot compare the writings of Shalom Alecheim, for example, with humor found in The White Supremacist Weekly. The cartoons referred to are much closer in spirit to the latter. Secondly, I never said that lampooning Apu was particularly acceptable either. Amid, I'm sure you know the powers-that-be at The Simpsons. If you detest the treatment of Apu, you know who to tell and how. You certainly have my blessings. My bet is that you'd be listened to more carefully than any black protester would have been had he or she taken issue with cartoons in 1945.