“Peppa Pig is rude!”
This was said in an Uber last night (I was not the driver, nor was I the one talking Peppa—but I’m the one talking Peppa now). It was the first time I’d heard of it.
But while I was unfamiliar with the outcry, it turns out my colleagues at The Internet™ have hashed it out pretty thoroughly. It started with examination this video, and went from there.
I am not here to rehash it.
I am here to accuse the British of using Peppa Pig to make American children ruder.
I can hear your skeptical response: “But doesn’t Peppa Pig influence British children as well?”
Yes.
But we have more of them.
And British children are more predisposed to being polite (plus, with those accents, if they’re rude it’s hilarious and the recipient must feel deserving).
It’s unclear how high the entity is ordering this subversion. Is this something Parliament knows about? The prime minister? Could it go all the way to the queen?
Wherever it comes from, it’s scary, and could even be a national security risk.
Stay careful out there.
