The popular children’s television show Arthur premiered its 22nd season on Monday, with an episode featuring the marriage of the much-loved school teacher, Mr Ratburn. To the surprise of parents, however, the episode titled, Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone revealed Mr Ratburn is, in fact, a homosexual who was to marry his “special someone” at a same-sex wedding.
The animated television series, aimed towards children aged four to eight years, is often described as an educational program. Throughout the show’s 22 series, the program has tackled a variety of issues such as asthma, dyslexia, cancer, diabetes and autism, but never before has Arthur entered the realm of the LGBTQ ideology.
The episode’s story was told in such a way that viewers initially thought Mr Ratburn was to marry a female character named Patty. It was during the wedding ceremony that Mr Ratburn entered arm-in-arm with another groom. Mr Ratburn’s students, who were also present at the wedding, look at each other with an affirming smile as Mr Ratburn and his partner passes them, giving them a wink.
The intent is as subtle as a brick. The message for young children was loud and clear: this is the new norm. The small but effective body language of the students, their acknowledgement and affirmation of what they were witnessing suggested this was really no big deal. A point further solidified in the closing scene which depicted the two grooms dancing as a student says: “There’s one thing teachers should never, ever do… Dance!”
With the program being renewed for at least another four seasons, Arthur holds the title of the longest running children’s animated series, second to The Simpsons for the longest running animated series.
With an extremely positive response from the LGBTQ community and their supporters, there’s no telling what to expect in future episodes of Arthur. It appears subtle indoctrination of children is a thing of the past. Children’s television programs are showing very little restraint when it comes to pushing their ideologies onto young ones. For parents who understand how impressionable children can be, the propaganda machine that is television is becoming an ever-increasing threat. It’s time to unplug!