In Episode 28 behind the Secret Door, Alicia and Frances take a break from politics and discuss the latest in pop culture and talk about what’s going on in their lives. They also cover the infamous Meghan Markle and Prince Harry interview.
Pepe Le Pew is being removed from the next installment of Space Jam and any other future projects by Warner Brothers. Alicia discusses how Pepe helped normalize rape culture, while Frances remains skeptical that this is true.
Disney has also chosen to make a decision in witness to their former cartoons’ captions and narratives. They will be removing access to “Dumbo”, “Peter Pan”, “Swiss Family Robinson”, & “The Artistocats” from children-only profiles. If an adult logs into an adult profile, then the movies will be available, but a warning will be presented. The idea is to still allow access to the movies to audiences, but it allows parents the opportunities to teach their kids why certain parts of the movie are inappropriate.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises has decided to stop publishing six books including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo.” It portrays people in ways that are hurtful and inconsiderate. As Alicia’s former co-worker explains, the images of the Asian community in “Mulberry Street” were portrayed in a way that is rude and inaccurate for that time. This includes out of date wardrobe, coloring of yellow skin, and long hair. All choices that were not realistic for the time when it was printed in the 1930s, thus providing proof to the stereotype and harmfulness of the book. Dr. Seuss Enterprises will continue to publish all the other books and will only stop publication for the six that were deemed inappropriate. Of course, Alicia's sweet little church ladies (SLCL's) on FB had a lot to say about this. Tune in to find out their take as well.
Finally, in the interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left a lot to be discussed on Twitter and on Secret Door to the Left. Harry hinted to racist comments from his father, Prince Charles. The main concern was what color Archie would be when he was born. Meghan unfortunately not only dealt with racism within the family, but she also experienced brutality from the press in the UK. While she was pregnant with Archie, she evidently experienced suicidal thoughts and warned Harry that she should get help in order to prevent anything bad from happening. Unfortunately, she was not given the help she needed. Ultimately, the lack of help from the family, cruelty from the press, and racism that lead Harry and Meghan to decide to come to America. As always, Alicia and Frances have their thoughts on what happened.
TikTok recommendations for this week include: @thejeffreymarsh, @worldsokaitest, @killersundy, and @bhambluedot.
What do you think about the most recent victims of cancel culture? What did Alicia and Frances miss this week in pop culture? Do you think Meghan and Harry feel safer now?
You can comment, email, or message them to share with them your opinions and ideas.
You can reach Alicia and Frances at:
Secret Door to the Left on Facebook
Episode edited/mixed by @erynbird22