"Hey," I said to my kids as they waited for trick-or-treaters to knock on our door. "I've got a show for you guys to watch!" I opened the DVD player and put in the movie, something from my childhood, something that with every frame screams "Halloween."
Thank you Mr. Schulz!
Little did I realize, this film probably wouldn't be able to be shown, let alone made if it came out today. For some, this little holiday film could be considered extremely offensive. There's children dressing up as witches and ghosts (depending on who you are, both either exist or don't exist...), there's bullying by siblings (Lucy vs Linus...), bullying by classmates (everyone vs Linus, Lucy vs Charlie vs football...), a woman giving up material things to be with a man (Sally and Linus...) and therefore, gives up material things when she shows support for a man, unfair distribution of wealth (some kids get goodies while others get rocks...), and at no time were there ANY parents accompanying their children as these gangs of children wandered the streets alone and unprotected.
There's even the horrors of war.
In our oversensitive world almost everything in this cartoon is offensive to someone, and that's a shame because it's a great little story. It's the story about the faith of a child and yes, his faith is misguided, but it's pure and innocent. He's ridiculed and ostracized, his friends desert him, he even doubts his own faith, but in the end, his resolve is stronger than ever. Linus is a man we can and should respect.
Yes, I wonder how long those who have taken it upon themselves to save us from ourselves will decide that Mr. Schulz, though most likely a good man, was nothing by a propagandist for so many bad things and will have this classic film banned. Probably not too long.
I mean, he also wrote "A Charlie Brown Christmas," and we all know what that show's really about.
But as for me in my house, we'll keep watching!
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