"Leave Rastamouse alone" - (Source - The Telegraph)
I write this with a little trepidation, since I'm aware that it might be risky for a very white Telegraph writer to be pontificating on this subject, but having seen a few episodes of Rastamouse I find it hard to see why this little programme has kicked up such a big row. Certainly it's difficult to see how it's racist, as some viewers have complained. Critics have picked up on the fact that the mice speak in a kind of Jamaican-inflected patois, and taken that to mean that it must be derogatory. Why? Some of the accents seem a little unconvincing, certainly, but then again one can't help but feel that the programme makers' strict verisimilitude was lost at about the same time they decided that they were making a show about talking mice.
In fact, it's very refreshing to see a cool kids' show inspired throughout by Britain's Afro-Caribbean community. Not only the heroes but the baddies and the mayor are the same. There's no tokenism here: these are just mice living in a rasta-culture inspired world. I don't see any part that denigrates or disrespects any community, Rastafarian or otherwise. If anything it is a kind of celebration of reggae culture - the mice are clever, cool, musical. There's more wit in Rastamouse's little finger than in any number of drab, designed-by-committee BBC children's programmes.
The other criticism levelled at the programme is about the mice's unusual language. "They teef me wheels", for instance, translates as "They have stolen my wheels." Some of the worried old ladies on Mumsnet have expressed their fear that their little darlings will parrot Rastamouse's lines to an Afro-Caribbean person and thus cause offence. This fear says so much more about the mothers involved than it does about Rastamouse (whose target audience is under six) or, indeed, Afro-Carribean people, that I hardly know where to begin. Suffice it to say that if Rastamouse is the only education their children are getting, these mothers should probably be spending less time on internet mothering forums and more time, y'know, mothering.
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Comments
Overall, this is quite an informal article on the subject of Rastamouse. It is also highly in defence of the popular kids TV show as the writer claims it 'is difficult to see how it's racist' almost straight away. While the author agrees that the 'accents are a little unconvincing' he also questions why people are bothered about a programme about talking mice. The author further defends the issue of language through sarcasm when referring to the complains from users of Mumsnet - 'Some of the worried old ladies on Mumsnet have expressed their fear that their little darlings will parrot...' He makes out to largely be an issue with the older generations than who the actual target audience is who are under six. By being continually sarcastic throughout the article and consistently critical, it seems that the author almost forces the audience to take his side on the matter because he gives them no other option. However his comments could also provide backlash from the 'worried old ladies on Mumsnet' because of his blunt opinions. The audience positioning could go either way, depending on which audience is reading it.
