By now, it’s nothing new to parents – progressive propaganda targeting our vulnerable children.
Our schools have become indoctrination centers, and it appears nothing is sacred to the media and entertainment industry.
This time, though, it’s a hard pill to swallow as a favorite show of parents and children alike is the latest to fall prey to the agenda of the left.
Arthur is the longest running animated children’s program in America.
The lovable animal characters personified as schoolchildren on the PBS series have taught kids valuable lessons about friendship, diversity, hard work, and respect for more than two decades.
The show is the creation of Marc Brown, who authored dozens of books based on the characters prior to its television debut.
Arthur’s stories have always addressed simple issues that children encounter each day with school and friends but has not often delved into deeper problems in society.
And it’s perhaps the last show we would have expected to jump on the bandwagon to celebrate homosexuality.
That all changed earlier this month, however, with the episode “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone.”
Mr. Ratburn has been the primary teacher the kids from Arthur interact with during their school day, and in this episode, they discover he is getting married.
But to whom? They try to investigate, in the end mistaking Mr. Ratburn’s bossy sister for his bride-to-be.
But on the wedding day, the kids find that the bride is really a groom as Mr. Ratburn walks down the aisle arm-in-arm with another male named Patrick.
Arthur and his friends, of course, don’t appear shocked at this and continue to participate in the wedding festivities. In fact, they are “relieved” when they find that the bossy woman they thought would be his bride turned out to be someone “nice.”
And this is exactly how the left wants all of our children to feel when they encounter two men or two women joining in “marriage.”
Although the homosexual marriage episode of Arthur is shocking for many parents who watch the program with their kids, it is not their first foray into the subject matter. That show, however, didn’t make it into many viewers’ homes.
In a 2005 episode of Arthur’s spinoff, Postcards From Buster, a same-sex couple was featured. Thankfully, then-Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings contacted PBS saying that the purpose of the network was education and preparation for school – not indoctrination.
“Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the life-styles portrayed in this episode. Congress’ and the Department’s purpose in funding this programming certainly was not to introduce this kind of subject matter to children, particularly through the powerful and intimate medium of television,” she wrote at the time, according to LifeSite News.
At the time, taxpayer-funded PBS pulled the show before it was broadcast on all but a handful of affiliate stations.
Sadly, nearly fifteen years later, it appears the response has changed as the constant onslaught of propaganda has begun to normalize all alternative lifestyles.
PBS now states that their “bottom line” is to empower children, teach diversity, and contribute to the overall well-being of children – ideals that are often skewed to meet the left’s agenda and counter its bullying message of “inclusivity.”
But the word “inclusivity” is no longer used as it once was – in regard to race, special needs, or other important differences that children should be taught to accept.
Now it is nearly always used in relation to the LGBTQ community so they are not “offended” when the majority of Americans refuse to casually accept their behavior as normal.
Thankfully, some PBS affiliates are taking a stand against this rampant propaganda.
One is Alabama Public Television, whose Director of Programming, Mike McKenzie, stated that the target audience of four to eight year olds should not be subjected to the very adult content of the “marriage” episode.
Saying that it is not appropriate, McKenzie stated it would be a “violation of trust to broadcast the episode” and that they had no plans to broadcast it in the future. They ran a previously-aired episode of Arthur in its place.
We’re with you, APT.
The left’s plan of attack is on track. Dozens of programs with young children as target audiences have aired episodes that contain same-sex couples, among them DocMcStuffins and multiple shows run by Disney.
It is sad indeed that APT, who truly does have children’s interests at heart, is receiving threats and notices of boycott from viewers.
But it lies with traditional families everywhere to continue to stand strong. It is programs like “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” that should be boycotted.
The propaganda will continue, the battle will continue to rage, and for now, we will hold our place on the frontlines to protect our vulnerable children from attack.
Will you stop watching Arthur in your home or boycott PBS altogether? Leave us your thoughts.