How many times have you asked yourself, when reading a newspaper headline, “What were they thinking?” Sure Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s head-scratching admission to patronizing a prostitute elicited the most furrowed brows this week, but it was TMZ.com’s report of pro-life protesters disrupting last Saturday’s Hollywood premiere of Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who!” that really blew my mind.
According to the site, “All hell broke loose at the Hollywood premiere of “Horton Hears a Who!” today when a group of pro-lifers infiltrated the screening, then chanted anti-abortion slogans after the flick.”
“After the chanting ended, the group put red tape over their mouths that said “Life” on them, and paraded around the event.”
The message of “Horton Hears a Who!,” that “a person is a person, no matter how small,” has been co-opted by right-to-lifers even though the good Dr., a.k.a. Theodore Seuss Geissel, reportedly wrote the book as a response to the atomic bomb and threatened to sue one pro-life group for using the slogan on its stationery, according to biographer Philip Nel.
And in 2001, Audrey Geisel, Dr. Seuss’ widow and supporter of Planned Parenthood, filed suit in a Canadian court against Action for Life Ottawa for using the slogan on posters.
Last time I checked, abortion was still legal in this country, copyright infringement less so.
But, wherever you stand on the issue, it think it can be agreed that the premiere of a children’s movie is simply not an appropriate place to protest. Not only will the activity possibly scare, not to mention scar, the children in attendance and ruin what should have been a family-friendly day, but it is certain to backfire and create negative publicity.
We are outraged when children are used as foils in actual warfare, so shouldn’t we try to protect their innocence from being used as protest props in ideological warfare? Did the group of protesters really think this would promote their cause in a positive way?
TMZ reports that audience members fired back with “This is a kid’s premiere!” and “How dare you!” but I’m kind of hoping that at least one member returned Seussian fire by quoting Yertle the Turtle and proclaiming, “You hush up your mouth!”
posted March 11, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Awesome movie!
posted March 11, 2008 at 9:39 pm
What more can they do to alienate the very people they hope to influence? It is further proof that these folks in particular are working off the adrenaline of emotion and not snapping the synapses of their logic sections.
posted March 12, 2008 at 8:10 pm
What a shame that the pro-lifers can’t do their “protesting” in a much more appropriate setting…not outside a children’s movie. They don’t help their cause at all! Who the heck is leading that movement anyhow? Whoever it is…has NO regard for the children that are here by thinking they can make a point for their cause by being so insensitive.
posted March 14, 2008 at 8:24 am
First,this was an inappropiate venue for a protest.
We want to bring people around, not alienate them.
Until the mindset of people change about the worth of all life,no matter how small,it only makes those who don’t care even more hardened in their hearts.
Pray for our country.
posted March 16, 2008 at 10:13 am
What were these people thinking?? Having revenge on an author or his widow, for their beliefs, is going very low on the scale especially at a premiere of a family movie with many children in the audience. Shame on the “right to life” movement!!! I hope this brings much adverse
publicity for their cause!!
posted March 17, 2008 at 12:23 am
I found this movie thoroughly entertaining for me and my daughters (7&10). I left the theater feeling as uplifted as I do after church. Without reading any reviews prior to going ( and really only choosing this movie because my 7 yr old loves elephants!!), I received a deep spiritual message and couldn’t wait to see if my daughter’s felt the message speaking to their hearts. I felt the analogy of us all being mere ‘specks’ in the world God has created just like the Who’s were just a speck in Horton’s world. I even formed a relationship between Horton and my Lord and Savior. Just as Jesus came to earth to save us and suffered persecution, so did Horton (in a much simpler way) serve as a ‘savior’ for Whoville. My 10 yr old even saw a correlation between the big, black bird and Satan! My only objection to the movie was baby kangaroo’s defiance to the mother kangaroo by saying “no” to her. I would have liked to have heard something like, ” mom, let’s make the right choice”. Overall, I loved this movie (enough to type all of this–which I never usually post comments!) God bless all who are reading this!!
posted March 17, 2008 at 12:37 pm
The Good Dr. Seuss: A quiz
by David Buckna
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08030097.htm