Welcome to Part 3 of this editorial concerning the series Veggietales In The House.
Earlier this December, I saw a Youtube video about the show. Veggietales creator Phil Vischer is being interviewed by two people, explaining why the character Mr. Nezzer was booted off the show.
I was taken aback by this announcement, because, for one, Mr. Nezzer was a recurring character in the original show; and two, he wasn't that bad, but sometimes needed more direction.
I was taken aback by this announcement, because, for one, Mr. Nezzer was a recurring character in the original show; and two, he wasn't that bad, but sometimes needed more direction.
For those of you that don't know, Big Idea is under DreamWorks now. That's why they have their own Netflix series.
In the video, Vischer goes on explaining that Mr. Nezzer was kicked off the show, because he was portrayed as a black stereotype; and, apparently, since that's against the policy at DreamWorks that a character with a specific ethnic stereotype HAS to be acted by an actor of THAT SAME ETHNICITY. Therefore, since Vischer is white, he couldn't have Mr. Nezzer on the show, because he plays him, and the character is apparently portrayed as a black stereotype.
-So, what is it? DreamWorks thought that was racist? That's not being nice to Vischer.
-First of all, I honestly have nothing against Mr. Nezzer. I mean, I was critical of him many times in the past. But that was because in the Veggietales videos that he's in, he just needs more direction at most times. He can he in over his head at times, but, unlike most villains, he sometimes shows remorse.
-Second of all, if Rob Schneider can get a pass on playing an Asian stereotype in Eight Crazy Nights, why can't Phil Vischer get a pass on playing Mr. Nezzer? That doesn't make any sense. I mean, in the world we live in now, you can look at the stand-ups of comedians like Carlos Mencia and Dave Chappelle, and you'll see that they make fun of different races, not just their own.
So how does Big Idea cope with this character rejection of DreamWorks? They create a white stereotype character for a white person to play. This character's name is...
-(Get a load of this...)
...Ichabeezer.
-(pause) Rhymes with Ebeneezer, right?
-Plus, this character doesn't look happy or jolly. He just looks old and cranky.
-What are we supposed to do with this character? Call him discount-Nezzer?
So, what do I think about Mr. Nezzer being booted off? I think the decision seemed silly. It shouldn't matter if a character is a certain race. I think that Phil Vischer has a right, as a creator of a TV show, to play whatever character he wants, regardless of racial stereotype. I mean, it's not like he's being racist, because he would never do that.
If y'all like this Ichabeezer character, good for you. But seriously. I believe that Mr. Nezzer should've never been booted off to begin with, because that was Phil Vischer's and Mike Nawrocki's creation, and nobody should've taken that away from them. It's as if a painter presents their painting, but a company tells them to paint the art a different color. To me, that doesn't seem right.
If you haven't seen the video of the interview with Phil Vischer, look it up on Youtube.
It's on the VeggietalesonYT Youtube channel, under the video title: "Why Mr. Nezzer was kicked off Veggietales."
Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
Veggietales In The House
"Why Mr. Nezzer was kicked off Veggietales" video
Courtesy: Big Idea/DreamWorks; and VeggietalesonYT (Youtube Channel)
-Second of all, if Rob Schneider can get a pass on playing an Asian stereotype in Eight Crazy Nights, why can't Phil Vischer get a pass on playing Mr. Nezzer? That doesn't make any sense. I mean, in the world we live in now, you can look at the stand-ups of comedians like Carlos Mencia and Dave Chappelle, and you'll see that they make fun of different races, not just their own.
So how does Big Idea cope with this character rejection of DreamWorks? They create a white stereotype character for a white person to play. This character's name is...
-(Get a load of this...)
...Ichabeezer.
-(pause) Rhymes with Ebeneezer, right?
-Plus, this character doesn't look happy or jolly. He just looks old and cranky.
-What are we supposed to do with this character? Call him discount-Nezzer?
So, what do I think about Mr. Nezzer being booted off? I think the decision seemed silly. It shouldn't matter if a character is a certain race. I think that Phil Vischer has a right, as a creator of a TV show, to play whatever character he wants, regardless of racial stereotype. I mean, it's not like he's being racist, because he would never do that.
If y'all like this Ichabeezer character, good for you. But seriously. I believe that Mr. Nezzer should've never been booted off to begin with, because that was Phil Vischer's and Mike Nawrocki's creation, and nobody should've taken that away from them. It's as if a painter presents their painting, but a company tells them to paint the art a different color. To me, that doesn't seem right.
If you haven't seen the video of the interview with Phil Vischer, look it up on Youtube.
It's on the VeggietalesonYT Youtube channel, under the video title: "Why Mr. Nezzer was kicked off Veggietales."
Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
Veggietales In The House
"Why Mr. Nezzer was kicked off Veggietales" video
Courtesy: Big Idea/DreamWorks; and VeggietalesonYT (Youtube Channel)
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