‘The Office’ Edits Out Blackface Scene, ‘Community’ Episode Pulled From Netflix Over Blackface
Jorge Arenas
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The Office has edited out a scene featuring Black Pete, a Community episode has been pulled from Netflix over blackface, and 30 Rock creator Tina Fey has requested streamers to remove four episodes of the show.
The Office
As reported by Variety, a scene from The Office episode titled “Dwight Christmas” was edited to remove a scene featuring a character dressed up as Black Pete.
Related: Report: HBO Max Bans Five Episodes Of South Park Because They Portray The Prophet Muhammad
In the scene, the character Dwight attempts to get his work colleagues on board with the idea of celebrating a Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas. However, they don’t take to it once they realize the tradition involves Black Pete.
In fact, Dwight even texts another person dressed up as Black Pete seemingly telling him to go home.
You can see the clip in question below:
In a statement to Variety, show creator Greg Daniels apologized for what he felt was “unacceptable behavior.
He stated, “‘The Office’ is about a group of people trying to work together with mutual respect despite the inappropriate actions of their boss and assistant manager.”
He continued, “The show employed satire to expose unacceptable behavior and deliver a message of inclusion. Today we cut a shot of an actor wearing blackface that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice. ”
Related: Jenny Slate Quits Netflix’s Big Mouth Citing Animated Character’s Race
Daniels concluded, “Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful and wrong. I am sorry for the pain that caused.”
Variety also confirmed that the edit of the episode will be in effect in all syndicated runs of the episode and when it makes its way to Peacock in 2021. Peacock is the upcoming NBC streaming service platform.
Community
The Office wasn’t the only show to be censored.
An episode of the popular show ‘Community’ was outright banned from Netflix. The episode in question, “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,” was pulled due to Ken Jeong’s character wearing dark-make up in order to play as a Dark Elf during their game.
What makes that reasoning strange is the fact that Jeong isn’t even doing Blackface, it’s just Elf face. He’s dressing up as a fantasy creature that doesn’t even exist.
You can see the scene in question that got axed by Netflix:
30 Rock
30 Rock creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock requested multiple episodes from the series be removed from syndication and streaming due to the use of blackface.
In a note obtained by Variety, Fey and Carlock wrote, “As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation.”
They added, “I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused.”
“Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request,” they concluded.
Vulture reports the episodes being removed are “Believe in the Stars,” ” Christmas Attack Zone,” Live From Studio 6H,” and the East Coast version of “Live Show.”
What do you think of this massive push for self-censorship and the removal of multiple episodes from classic shows? With creators requesting whole episodes and scenes be removed, it seems the fear of cancel culture is only growing.
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