Current Events > WB took out Pepe Le Pew but Alex and The Droogs are in the Space Jam trailer

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://twitter.com/harris_meyers/status/1416016403820335104

Looks like WB saying they care about rape culture was a lie.

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I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the number of people who have seen a Pepe Le Pew cartoon vastly outweighs the number of people who have actually sat down and watched A Clockwork Orange.

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masterpug53 posted...

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the number of people who have seen a Pepe Le Pew cartoon vastly outweighs the number of people who have actually sat down and watched A Clockwork Orange.

"See, we only care about the rapists that they know about."
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Slayer_22 posted...

"See, we only care about the rapists that they know about."

Generally, if you don't know about something, it wouldn't be something you care about. You'd care once you find out, sure, but they aren't going to scratch everything and rework a bunch of scenes at this point either way.

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That's awesome. Clockwork Orange is a great movie.

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To be devil's advocate... the whole point of Clockwork Orange is that Alex is sort of a fucked up evil individual and has "rehabilitation" to fix it. Whereas Pepe Le Pew is played a little straight

But yeah.... Not so kid-friendly

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CableZL posted...

Generally, if you don't know about something, it wouldn't be something you care about. You'd care once you find out, sure, but they aren't going to scratch everything and rework a bunch of scenes at this point either way.

Well it does make it blatantly clear that the issue isnt that Pepe is a rapist, the issue is that hes well known and could potentially hurt BRAND.

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CableZL posted...

Generally, if you don't know about something, it wouldn't be something you care about. You'd care once you find out, sure, but they aren't going to scratch everything and rework a bunch of scenes at this point either way.

Its a million percent certainty WB knew about it.

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It's because Pepe is French
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Zombified_Toast posted...

Well it does make it blatantly clear that the issue isnt that Pepe is a rapist, the issue is that hes well known and could potentially hurt BRAND.

I think it was already clear that many companies care about brand reputation over pretty much anything. In this case, though, the fact that Pepe was well-known and was a rapist was hurting their brand. Can't really separate those 3 things in this regard.

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I'm also entirely unfamiliar with "Alex and his droogs."

Who are they and what's the controversy about them?

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To be fair, Warner Brothers has only been around for 98 years. Maybe they are still creating better business practices?

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CableZL posted...

I'm also entirely unfamiliar with "Alex and his droogs."

Who are they and what's the controversy about them?

Google Clockwork Orange and Alex DeLarge.


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CableZL posted...

I'm also entirely unfamiliar with "Alex and his droogs."

Who are they and what's the controversy about them?

Rapists, murderers, etc.
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CableZL posted...

I'm also entirely unfamiliar with "Alex and his droogs."

Who are they and what's the controversy about them?

they're from A Clockwork Orange and commit rape, among other things

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CableZL posted...

I'm also entirely unfamiliar with "Alex and his droogs."

Who are they and what's the controversy about them?

Main characters of Clockwork Orange. Rape is kinda their bread and butter.

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CableZL posted...

I'm also entirely unfamiliar with "Alex and his droogs."

Who are they and what's the controversy about them?

Rapes a woman while singing Singin' in the Rain. Kills another with a penis sculpture.

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DuranOfForcena posted...

uhhh why is there a reference to A Clockwork Orange in the new Space Jam in the first place

Its a recognizable and iconic WB property.but yeah, shouldnt be a part of Space Jam lol.

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Space Jam needed a wee bit of the ol' ultra violence

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DuranOfForcena posted...

uhhh why is there a reference to A Clockwork Orange in the new Space Jam in the first place

WB was IP flexing the entire movie. Heck look at the pic in OP and you will see other flexing like Scooby Doo is in the background too.

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Slayer_22 posted...

"See, we only care about the rapists that they know about."

I mean, yeah? The less people are actually aware of the subject matter, the less likely it will stir up controversy. A lot more people have undoubtedly seen a Pepe Le Pew cartoon, and it this day and age his behavior has likely rubbed them the wrong way, or at least given them a sense of secondhand discomfort; so when the time came to axe Pepe, most people already had their own feelings about it. In this case, most people who are reading this tweet are probably going 'who?'

Sure, now that this has had a spotlight cast on it, it is rather questionable to feature characters from one of the most offensive and controversial films ever made in a kid's movie, even if it is a split-second cameo. But this isn't the first time Alex and the Droogs have been toned down for the sake of comedy / reference; Bart Simpson dressed up as Alex for one of the Treehouse of Horror eps in the 90's. Granted, The Simpsons is on a level of adult humor that Space Jam isn't, but still, I doubt anyone then or now batted an eye over 10-year-old adopting the clothes and mannerisms of a serial rapist and violent criminal (could be wrong about that though, The Simpsons was plenty controversial at the time). Point being, cultural osmosis has diluted the Droogs to the point where most people vaguely recognize them as average teenage thugs as opposed to the harbingers of the old ultra-violence.

The question is, are people generally upset over Alex and the Droogs being included? Or are they just Pepe fans hoping for a gotcha? Or are they just hoping for a gotcha having never really cared about Pepe in the first place?

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An odd choice for sure
Kids are definitely not going to recognize them, so the reference is lost there, and adults are going to see it as hypocritical like what we're doing here

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Lola tried to kill a random person with her car, and she gets in. But They say no to Pepe . La Shame .

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masterpug53 posted...

The question is, are people generally upset over Alex and the Droogs being included? Or are they just Pepe fans hoping for a gotcha? Or are they just hoping for a gotcha having never really cared about Pepe in the first place?

Who complained about Pepe ? The only people who seem to have an big issue with him his the same guy who felt that sexy women can't be strong. While the post before this one is a joke, I am real about this one.

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Pepe isn't even a rapist

Sure he's a stalker, harasser and manipulator, but he never actually rapes anyone.

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cjsdowg posted...

Who complained about Pepe ?

Umm...the OP? And the person I was quoting?

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He smelly

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Slayer_22 posted...

"See, we only care about the rapists that they know about."

Has Pepe ever raped anyone?

Pepe seems to fall under sexual harassment/assault, which is still bad.

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ViewtifulGrave posted...

Has Pepe ever raped anyone?

Pepe seems to fall under sexual harassment/assault, which is still bad.

All the Tunes break the law over and over. Hell even Penelope has committed sexual assault on Pepe.

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masterpug53 posted...

I mean, yeah? The less people are actually aware of the subject matter, the less likely it will stir up controversy. A lot more people have undoubtedly seen a Pepe Le Pew cartoon, and it this day and age his behavior has likely rubbed them the wrong way, or at least given them a sense of secondhand discomfort; so when the time came to axe Pepe, most people already had their own feelings about it. In this case, most people who are reading this tweet are probably going 'who?'

Sure, now that this has had a spotlight cast on it, it is rather questionable to feature characters from one of the most offensive and controversial films ever made in a kid's movie, even if it is a split-second cameo. But this isn't the first time Alex and the Droogs have been toned down for the sake of comedy / reference; Bart Simpson dressed up as Alex for one of the Treehouse of Horror eps in the 90's. Granted, The Simpsons is on a level of adult humor that Space Jam isn't, but still, I doubt anyone then or now batted an eye over 10-year-old adopting the clothes and mannerisms of a serial rapist and violent criminal (could be wrong about that though, The Simpsons was plenty controversial at the time).

The question is, are people generally upset over Alex and the Droogs being included? Or are they just Pepe fans hoping for a gotcha? Or are they just hoping for a gotcha having never really cared about Pepe in the first place?

The issue isn't in the fact they did it, it's in the fact that they're hypocritical in the reason they removed Pepe.

It's like if they made Lola less like her original self and then added in Jessica Rabbit or something.

The message that they're sending is that they just care about the crowd getting offended, not the actual message.
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masterpug53 posted...

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the number of people who have seen a Pepe Le Pew cartoon vastly outweighs the number of people who have actually sat down and watched A Clockwork Orange.

Oh please. The vast majority of people who have seen a Pepe Le Pew cartoon are also adults and shouldn't act like babies about it.

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Alex does much worse in one scene than Pepe in his entire filmography.

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Their decision to remove Pepe is entirely understandable. Some characters and concepts just don't age well and Pepe is one of them. That doesn't mean you can't go and enjoy old Pepe Le Pew cartoons, but it probably doesn't make sense to include him in new production without basically a character overhaul.

With that being said, they obviously should not have included anyone from Clockwork Orange as a cameo. And after making the decision to remove Pepe Le Pew they absolutely should have removed that cameo since they are literally everything people don't like about Pepe Le Pew, but played straight and with a side of actual rape and murder.

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Are people still pretending to care about the stupid cartoon skunk

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Compsognathus posted...

Their decision to remove Pepe is entirely understandable. Some characters and concepts just don't age well and Pepe is one of them. That doesn't mean you can't go and enjoy old Pepe Le Pew cartoons, but it probably doesn't make sense to include him in new production without basically a character overhaul.

He already has an overhaul.

They've shown since at least the 1950s that the characters are actors; occasionally joking about contracts and the like and visiting the Warner Bros. studio itself. All they have to do is say that Pepe Le Pew (the actor) was never comfortable with the character he was given and he's good as gold.

Besides, his most recent appearance had him as a spy. That works.

All they had to do was include Pepe, but not have him act rapey. Thats it. Space Jam 1 did it. Hollywood simply fell for the Twitter trap.

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Difference. A Clockwork Orange is a story with a point, the rape isnt glorified.


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DuranOfForcena posted...

neither is anything Pepe Le Pew ever did

Pepe never bothered me its a cartoon ffs. I imagine thats the logic here though. Pepe was a cartoon meant to make people laugh, Alex isnt.

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Zombified_Toast posted...

the issue is that hes well known and could potentially hurt BRAND.

Always has been.

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Kuuko posted...

Whereas Pepe Le Pew is played a little straight

But yeah.... Not so kid-friendly

Bugs, Daffy, Speedy, Pepe, Elmer, and all of the LT characters are actors in their own universe, the characters you see in the shorts and the actors playing the parts. If that makes any sense. Pepe Le Pew, the actor, isn't a rapist - the character he plays in the short is.

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SSJPurple posted...

Difference. A Clockwork Orange is a story with a point, the rape isnt glorified.

But the sadistic rapists are still treated as casual spectators to a basketball game when, going by the logic of what got Pepe removed, they should be in prison. Yet the romantically overbearing cartoon skunk is the real problem? lol Make it make sense.

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People talk about people getting canceled, and yet it seems like only Pepe has been. If Louis CK can get back into the fame Pepe should.

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cjsdowg posted...

People talk about people getting canceled, and yet it seems like only Pepe has been. If Louis CK can get back into the fame Pepe should.

it's racism tbqh

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superman 2000 posted...

But the sadistic rapists are still treated as casual spectators to a basketball game when, going by the logic of what got Pepe removed, they should be in prison. Yet the romantically overbearing cartoon skunk is the real problem? lol Make it make sense.

Again idgaf about Pepe Im just guessing this is the logic here.

As for The Droogs yes that is the point if them. They are supposed to be bad abhorrent peopleif you watch the movie and the takeaway is This movie promotes rape watch it again, or read the book.

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SSJPurple posted...

Pepe never bothered me its a cartoon ffs. I imagine thats the logic here though. Pepe was a cartoon meant to make people laugh, Alex isnt.

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SSJPurple posted...

Again idgaf about Pepe Im just guessing this is the logic here.

And I'm just saying it's bad logic lol

As for The Droogs yes that is the point if them. They are supposed to be bad abhorrent peopleif you watch the movie and the takeaway is This movie promotes rape watch it again, or read the book.

Pepe cartoons don't promote rape, so I don't understand the point of bringing this up.

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My point is, if realistic rapists can be treated as casual spectators to a basketball game, then a cartoon skunk whose whole gimmick was just being overbearingly romantic while stinky shouldn't be remotely problematic.

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superman 2000 posted...

My point is, if realistic rapists can be treated as casual spectators to a basketball game, then a cartoon skunk whose whole gimmick was just being overbearingly romantic while stinky shouldn't be remotely problematic.

You are right

But some people are idiots

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