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Thomas the Tank Engine is classist, sexist and racist: New low for The Guardian.

Its sometimes difficult to tell whether the Guardian is a serious news site; a satire news feed or a student daily staffed by unwashed Marxist's who hate 'Capitalism' and white people.

In a possible new low, ( i say possible because in the last few years we have seen other new lows ) The Guardian is claiming that Thomas the Tank Engine is classist, racist and Sexist.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/22/thomas-the-tank-engine-children-parents

The article is beyond parody. The Guardian is literally making stuff up for click bait, and in the process is creating division and ruining children's lives.

People always go on about the Mail and its motivations, and they might be right, but i have never seen this level of pathetic and divisive drivel anywhere else but in The Guardian.

Is the Guardian a danger to the fabric of British society?

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EDIT:

To be fair to Guardian, it's getting ripped to shreds by the commentators below the line, and it's keeping the comments up.
(edited 9 years ago)

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"Tracy Van Slyke is a fellow at the The Opportunity Agenda, where she researches and writes about the intersection of social justice and pop culture."
Jesus Christ. Occasionally you see an article as ridiculous-sounding as this one that actually makes a point you hadn't thought about, but this is not one of those and is as much tripe as it sounds like. Of the three points it's trying to make, the racism one is about as tenuous as blaming Hitler for 9/11, and the classism one seems to take umbrage at the idea of upper-class people simply existing. Only the sexism one has any traction, and is perhaps a fair criticism, but certainly not one to warrant the sensationalism that the article spews out, especially considering that it's a kids programme with an audience that is probably mostly male and under the age of 5...

I wouldn't go so far as to brand the Guardian a 'danger to society', since even though I don't share its political stance it's generally a decent enough newspaper, but articles like the instant one on the other hand...
thomas the tank engine was one of the GOAT shows as a kid, awful paper
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Greg Jackson
it really is an awful paper


No it isn't.

The only time when the Grauniad gets lambasted if when a TSR user posts a "comment is free" article which are mostly bonkers.
Original post by Greg Jackson
it really is an awful paper


Original post by tehforum
No it isn't.

The only time when the Grauniad gets lambasted if when a TSR user posts a "comment is free" article which are mostly bonkers.


Oh it is. The Graun is as bad as the Mail these days.

I don't know what's worse: angry old white man who hates everything that isn't straight white and supports the Tories; or Hampstead Sally who just writes complete rubbish about how owning plants is white supremacist neo-colonialism
Reply 6
This is cringe-worthy. It is not really representative of the paper as a whole, but yeah... that is reading too much into things. I'd argue that in general TFC actually is a dig at the upper classes rather than a role model. I d seem to remember Thomas and Friends not always getting along that well though, that is not the best example. But the article is baseless.
Claims it's racist, forgets to give any examples. What a moron.


Original post by lerjj
I'd argue that in general TFC actually is a dig at the upper classes rather than a role model..


I think he's just a friendly/unfriendly figure of authority. The engines get in trouble with the fat controller, much like kids get in trouble with parents or teachers. I'd say the engines are the role models as they're naive but mean the best as opposed to being bullies.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by imtelling
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I shall compile a thread of the Graun's greatest hits
Reply 9
I loved thomas the tank engine back in the day
Some 'insights' are indeed tenuous and the article isn't fantastic, but those who are determined to act as though there is a barrier between 'culture' and 'our views', and that the former has nothing to do with the latter, are just as silly. The same goes for those who believe that only 'high' (I don't like this distinction) culture can form opinions or has ideological bent. It is as important to perform analyses of what is typically perceived to be low culture as it is 'high', whether that be Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Twilight, or, yes, Thomas the Tank Engine.

This line of thinking is no doubt in its infancy, which is why researchers treading in unfamiliar territory do indeed make ridiculous, tenuous links like the smoke=racism one, but the general practice shouldn't be ridiculed.
Original post by TheAnusFiles
Oh it is. The Graun is as bad as the Mail these days.

I don't know what's worse: angry old white man who hates everything that isn't straight white and supports the Tories; or Hampstead Sally who just writes complete rubbish about how owning plants is white supremacist neo-colonialism


The Guardian is incredibly silly at times and I don't respect its journalism that much, but the male is quite obviously more pernicious, whether because its circulation is so much higher (eight times as large this year thus far) or because it only serves to strike a chord with people's worst instincts.
Reply 12
Original post by TheAnusFiles
I shall compile a thread of the Graun's greatest hits



I'll help. Let me know once it's up. :smile:
Original post by imtelling
I'll help. Let me know once it's up. :smile:


I will, I'll be back in half an hour or so
Original post by TheAnusFiles
Oh it is. The Graun is as bad as the Mail these days.

I don't know what's worse: angry old white man who hates everything that isn't straight white and supports the Tories; or Hampstead Sally who just writes complete rubbish about how owning plants is white supremacist neo-colonialism


It's a very good paper. Their news coverage is usually excellent. Don't forget they are the ones who relentlessly investigated the phone hacking scandal and were brave enough to break the Edward Snowden story to the public. Comment is Free is nothing but clickbait but their actual journalism is very good.
Original post by imtelling
Its sometimes difficult to tell whether the Guardian is a serious news site; a satire news feed or a student daily staffed by unwashed Marxist's who hate 'Capitalism' and white people.

In a possible new low, ( i say possible because in the last few years we have seen other new lows ) The Guardian is claiming that Thomas the Tank Engine is classist, racist and Sexist.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/22/thomas-the-tank-engine-children-parents

The article is beyond parody. The Guardian is literally making stuff up for click bait, and in the process is creating division and ruining children's lives.

People always go on about the Mail and its motivations, and they might be right, but i have never seen this level of pathetic and divisive drivel anywhere else but in The Guardian.

Is the Guardian a danger to the fabric of British society?


would appear to be in the "comment is free" section rather than the news section.
Original post by Captain Haddock
It's a very good paper. Their news coverage is usually excellent. Don't forget they are the ones who relentlessly investigated the phone hacking scandal and were brave enough to break the Edward Snowden story to the public. Comment is Free is nothing but clickbait but their actual journalism is very good.


telegraph is better
Original post by Snagprophet
Claims it's racist, forgets to give any examples. What a moron.


This is her vague evidence of racism.

For the record, all the "villains" on Thomas and Friends are the dirty diesel engines. I'd like to think there was a good environmental message in there, but when the good engines pump out white smoke and the bad engines pump out black smoke and they are all pumping out smoke it's not hard to make the leap into the race territory.


:facepalm2:
Original post by Captain Haddock
It's a very good paper. Their news coverage is usually excellent. Don't forget they are the ones who relentlessly investigated the phone hacking scandal and were brave enough to break the Edward Snowden story to the public. Comment is Free is nothing but clickbait but their actual journalism is very good.


Also Im aware that there will be many g journos who groan at their colleagues for this, but bear in mind someone actually believes in it
Just knew it was going to be a really whiny middle class White women, who thinks her inane crap somehow makes a difference.

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