Internet trolls recently called for the “cancellation” of Paw Patrol’s police dog character, and the internet response – including outrage from Ted Cruz and Eric Trump – was exactly what the trolls were going for. The online rumor started on social media and led to a series of tweets and memes designed to illicit outrage from those who opposed the U.S. movements protesting police brutality.
Paw Patrol, a children’s animated television show, was not the first program targeted in the discussion of police representation in popular culture. In fact, the joke was born after popular, serious adult programs, such as Live PD and Cops, were actually cancelled. These programs were terminated after mainstream attention shifted to racial disparity, and popular sentiment rejected the glorification of racially-charged police behavior.
The Black Lives Matter movement became pervasive so quickly, that workers on the set of police-focused TV programs were even recognized for donating to BLM causes. But because Paw Patrol is a cartoon, focusing on a dogs in human professions (firefighter, construction worker, etc), the calls for cancelling the program – or at least, “cancelling” its police character Chase – were completely tongue-in-cheek.
Still, when Twitter starts an avalanche, Snopes.com has to get involved; in this case, they debunked the myth that calls for Chase’s removal from the show – or the cancellation of the show itself – were sincere. Paw Patrol had shared a tweet in solidarity with the hashtag #amplifymelanatedvoices.
In response, Twitter trolls hit back hard at the furry cartoon police dog. “Defund Paw Patrol” was a common message sent, echoing the BLM protest rallying cry to defund the police. Others were more targeted; user @babykingtobey suggested “get rid of the cope or delete ur account,” while @cat_beltane said, “I hope the cope dog falls into a toaster.” Most readers could tell that the replies were made in jest (even if they were a bit harsh for the twitter feed of a kids’ cartoon).
Not everyone appreciated the joke, though. Eric Trump tweeted, “Now the left wants to cancel Paw Patrol. These people are truly insane.” Fellow republican Ted Cruz echoed that disgust, saying, “The absurdity knows no end,” and suggesting that this was an outrageous representation of “cancel culture.” Countless social media accounts then went on to assert they “stand with” the cartoon; they didn’t believe it should have to be eliminated from the TV lineup simply because it portrays a cartoon police dog in a positive light.
As with any trolling effort, the joke is on those who take it too seriously. In this case, social media users who simply couldn’t recognize levity when they saw it fell victim to outspoken Twitter trolls. In any event, it perpetuated the conversation about overzealous police, their portrayal in popular culture, and whether defunding police forces – real ones, not cartoon dogs ones! – are problems worthy of consideration.