Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Attaching a Negative Meaning to Trivial Events: Do You See Racist Overtones in the Smurfs?

In 1998, writer Marc Schmidt wrote a parody article citing the cartoon characters, the Smurfs as an example of the impact of socialism in continental European culture. French sociologist Antoine Buéno, on the contrary, described them in a 2011 book as a totalitarian and racist utopia. Thierry Culliford, the son of Peyo (who created the Smurfs), dismissed Buéno's accusations as "grotesque and frivolous."

Does Antoine Buéno's opinion that the Smurfs have racial overtones evidence mental illness in Buéno? Afterall, his opinion is based on attaching a negative meaning to a cartoon character.


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