TV Shows

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Viewers Troubled by Racist Scene

The holidays look a little different this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, but there is […]

The holidays look a little different this year thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, but there is one holiday tradition that endures, offering a little bit of normalcy as we head towards the day of gratitude that is Thanksgiving: the annual airing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This year, the beloved film aired on PBS following an agreement with Apple following the latter’s deal to air the Charlie Brown holiday specials exclusively on AppleTV+ and while many viewers came away with the warm feeling of continuing a time-honored holiday tradition, others came away with a bit of concern and, in some cases, ire regarding the treatment of one of Charlie Brown’s friends, Franklin.

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In A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, the Peanuts gang gathers for an impromptu holiday meal after Peppermint Patty invites herself and others to Charlie Brown and Sally’s house for the holiday. The pair end up deciding to have two Thanksgivings — one with their friends and then their planned feast with their grandmother. The friend Thanksgiving comes together with the help of Linus, Woodstock, and Snoopy who put together a rather random, but still sweet, meal. Equally as put together are the seating arrangements and that’s where the controversy comes in.

During the meal Franklin, the one and only person of color in the core Peanuts gang, ends up sitting on a different side of the table from the rest of his friends and is seated in the only piece of “non-proper” furniture, a lawn chair. The scene, for some, has undertones of racial bias and, as it does every year, has prompted some to take to social media to speak out about the moment. Here is a selection of what people are saying and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!

This has been an ongoing conversation

Annual disappointment

Done dirty

Don’t understand

Time to start paying closer attention

But why?

An interesting perspective

A few other subtle debtails

And this perspective.