Talk:Bugs Bunny
An event in this article is a July 27 selected anniversary
Should the fact that many BB cartoons are not seen anymore due to their stereotypes against races and the disabled be mentioned (e.g. the ones with black characters having giant lips and speaking in stereotyped black "dialect" or the one with "Fruitcake Sanitorium - "We are full of nuts!)
- It wasn't just Bugs. Lots of cartoons had that stuff. On the other hand, Bugs is always dressing up in women's clothing. Ortolan88
- I suppose we can hope that temporal/regional taboos against racial humour, sexual-orientation humour, violence, bad grammar, etc, will eventually themselves just be footnotes in the Wikipedia and that classic art will prevail in the end. I'm sure Michelangelo's David is taboo in many places/times too. But putting our own (US, 2002) bias on the record is just that: bias on the record. Steverapaport
Derogatory humour is the kind that has seen things like some Loony Tunes cartoons banned - are you advocating that kind of humour?
- It isn't a matter of advocacy, but of discussion from an NPOV. "Coal Black and de Sebbin Dwarfs" is a brilliant cartoon, one of the greatest shorts ever filmed, but it is not acceptable to mass audiences today because of the racial stereotyping, although still available on compilations. Much humor (some of the best) is derogatory, unpleasant, grating, and appeals to prejudices. In our enlightened times, only blondes and white southerners can be made fun of. Since I am the latter and married to the former, I notice this, but in truly enlightened times, we could make fun of everybody. Ortolan88
- It's hard to think of a joke that isn't at _somebody's_ expense. Those who cannot laugh at themselves ought not to leave the house. (Okay, now tell me the one about the Jewish Moonie with the Polish wife... ;-) --Ed Poor
- i apologise - i am physically disabled and as such have been treated quite badly by ignorant people - coloured my view of what is acceptable - it is hard to be NPOV in my situation
-- Paul Melville Austin
- No need to apologize. Bugs Bunny was not a particularly nice character. He might have been funny, but he was never a model for my behavior. I think of him as a relic of World War II. He displayed a kind of bravado that may have been useful in the face of the enemy, but no one should act like that in civilian life. --Ed Poor
- It's a tough question, so I won't give a flip answer. I agree with Ortolan that everyone has to be able to laugh at themselves, and it seems to be a fact of life that most humour is at someone's expense, so "advocating" banning all humour that is derogatory to someone is just not gonna work, and tends to be counterproductive since we end up with political-correctness police.
- On the other hand, if some group is truly being continuously persecuted by people who don't even realize they're doing it, and humour is a large part of that, then we need to sit up and notice. This happened, for example, in Victorian England, where it was perfectly acceptable to make fun of 'wogs' and 'niggers' (and later 'suffragettes').
- Usually offensive humour is the effect, rather than the cause, of social injustice. But in the Victorian England a good case could be made for the reverse. The problem was that it was possible to laugh off any attempts for these groups to be taken seriously. If we're similarly really hurting some people, we should be forced to notice it. But banning all offensive humour isn't the way. Perhaps just noticing it and wondering publicly if it's harmful to someone is the middle path... --Steve Rapaport
- Food for thought, Steve. Thanks. --Ed Poor
Firstly a personal note so that you might contextualise my highly personal comments: I experience pejudice on a regular basis because of my personal apperance. This is in Toronto, Canada (the most successful enthicly diverse city in North America. It could easily be about race and sometimes has; its about something different.
It is important to realize that Bugs Bunny is a working actor whose greatest body of work occured during the Studio System years. Many of the most popular entertainment are an embarassment to watch. I think of Public Enemy and their pointed commentary in Burn, Hollywood,Burn.
Many of the racisms so flagrantly shown in Warner Brothers films continue to exist. Do you know what social class and ethnic group Elmer Fudd played early in his career? He wasn't always "Elmer Fudd, millionaire: I own a mansion and a yachat." He's not a walking talking racial slur anymore but it is little more than a stereotype (yes I know its a funny cartoon: Elmer becomes "shell shocked" from his war with Bugs. People with visible psycheatric disturbance receive more prejudice than any other group.) I was distained and tarred with detractions on Elmer's original Ethno-social group inprobable as it sounds here in the Wikipedia. I will provide full details in any forum that Ed Poor specifies. This occured with the full knowledge and approval of a sysop: I will provide full disclosure in forum of the wikipedia even a mailing list. I have no desire for vengance: the value of the future out weighes the value of the past. The commmunity, must however prove itself a community, by restoring adherance to the Wikipedian Ethos and NPOV. To find directed ethnic slurs spewwedin cyberspace is completely repugnant.
I took Bugs as one role model and am damn proud of the person I became. (even if it might be unbecoming :-]. I find inspiration in Bugs' genius. Lockdown Sv Rule.
- I too am from Toronto, and would be happy to claim Bugs as a role model. And I see little or no racism in Bugs himself! (Although he's pretty contemptuous of stupid folks.)
- I'm curious what social class and ethnic group Elmer stereotypes, though... I don't see many height-challenged, mentally-challenged, speech-impaired white guys with guns wandering around in Toronto "hunting wabbits"... :-)
- I'm also curious what you mean by "Elmer's original Ethno-social group" and the implications that he once was a "walking talking racial slur". Elmer Fudd has always been caucasian. Elmer Fudd evolved out of a lesser-known (but still caucasian!) Tex Avery character called "Egghead" in the 30s. His first few cartoons as the Elmer Fudd we know today were as a hunter and as a nature photographer. Are you sure you're not confusing Bugs' antagonist (the Stepin Fetchitt caricature) in "All This And Rabbit Stew" with Elmer Fudd? Jeff schiller 06:52, 2004 Nov 8 (UTC)
Might mention surrealist interest in Bugs Bunny, Gallery Bugs Bunny, &c. --Daniel C. Boyer 21:55, 30 Jul 2003 (UTC)
I don't think the sections (BTW: how about section headers) about Gremlins or the Little Red Hood don't belong into this article, but in the article about those two topics. andy 12:26, 1 Sep 2003 (UTC)
To the anonymous user who keeps adding some variation of this paragraph:
- For many years, Bugs Bunny was the cartoon mascot for Warner Bros. Studios, appearing in the opening WB logo sequence to every movie and TV show produced by the studio.
Please stop. This is not true, and if you continue to add it, it will continue to be deleted. —tregoweth 01:35, Nov 8, 2004 (UTC)
I, personally, view Bugs as the embodiment of the American soul. Blaque Jacque Shellaque being the Frenchman. --anon.
- I always thought of Blaque Jacque Shellaque as French-Canadian. His accent sounded that way to me, anyway, but it's been a while. Anyone else remember him?Steverapaport 11:28, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)
- Blaque Jacque is, indeed, French Canadian. See Bonanza Bunny and Wet Hare.