Rastamouse Controversy

I have chosen an article from Mirror.co.uk. Article <---

This article shows that there are many celebrities that are fans of the show such as Lily Allen and Adrian Chiles. The problem is that many parents thought that the show was racist. Hundreds complained feeling it promoted Slang and Racism. Parents were worried that their children would use the language and offend others at the children's schools. Another person who was appalled by the show was Levi Roots, the creator of Reggae Reggae sauce. He believed that a mouse was a a bad symbol for Rastafarians and thought that a Lion would be more appropriate. Physiologist Delroy Constantine- Simms believes that no country wants to be represented as a rodent. Its a like a Muslim being represented by a pig. 

There are others that think that Rastamouse should be applauded for the messages and its positive attitude. They think that the BBC should create more programmes with elements of black culture included in them. The voice of Rastamouse himself Reggie Yates has said that when he was a child there was no TV shows that felt relevant to him. 

This article was published in 2011 and since then Rastamouse has been very successful. It appeals to all audiences older and younger. It teaches to think positively with its motto 'make a bad ting good'. I would say the article isn't completely reliable as it is a Tabloid newspaper. This is shown by the article being slightly bias towards the disliking of Rastamouse, with Rastafarians and Parents both pushing negative views about the show. This can shape the readers opinion of the show without even watching it. Although some people don't like the show I feel that it is for reasons other than the slang in which they speak. Parents don't want to be seen as racist or see their children being seen as racist. Where as Rastafarians want to represented in a different way. My favourite part of the article is when it states; 

'The fact that he’s a mouse isn’t great. If you asked the community 99% would want a lion, but so would English football fans'. 

I feel that this is a great part of the article because it shows that everyone just wants to be seen in the best way possible. That people want to see something on TV and feel proud to be represented as brave or courageous. I feel that if Rasatamouse was a different animal then there would not be as many complaints. 

Overall I think that the article is very bias and does not give an even argument towards the subject. I also believe that some peoples reasoning for not liking the show is flawed. I think that people should see the show for its messages and not for fear of being seen as racist.