Taking a break from trying to remember whether or not President Donald Trump ever admitted to committing sexual assault, the hosts of Fox & Friends turned their shrieking ire to a new target: children’s cartoon Thomas and Friends.
Specifically, it is Thomas and Friends’ addition of two female characters that have ruffled the F&F feathers. Host Pete Hegseth really kicked things off with this brilliant observation, sputtering as he tried to string together an argument.:
“Traditionally, boys have probably loved trains and girls probably do too. But there are more boy engines than girl engines. They’re balancing it out. They’re getting rid of two of the males and replacing them with female trains, one from Africa. And then the other changes — they are going to make Thomas more sustainable. He’s going to follow U.N. goals and stop polluting so much, and start being more environmentally friendly.”
This then launches into an argument about allowing “childhood to be childhood,” because, apparently, a show that includes female anthropomorphic train engines is too much for some children to deal with. Male anthropomorphic train engines that love polluting, however, are just fine.
Host David Webb continued to express his concern for our children, trying to clarify his anti-female train stance:
“I’m not against girl or boy trains or any trains. I would like to see a nice high-speed train represented, whatever the case may be. You know, Abby, I just don’t see the agenda being the driver.”
Third host Abby Huntsman is the lone voice of reason in the discussion, arguing that gender equality in the cartoon train world is okay by her, all while her co-hosts attempt to interrupt her:
“Adding more women faces to trains, as a woman, I think that’s great. Also, clean energy, I’m all for clean energy in this country. I’m all for being more energy independent in this country. So, if this is something to be worried about, I just don’t know if that’s on the top of my list.”
Webb claims that the female trains on Thomas & Friends are “killing childhood.” Huntsman questions that argument, incredulously stating:
“Does that kill childhood, though? Because I know I’m about to have a girl and to read her that book or show her that, I don’t think that ends her childhood.”
Adding women to popular entertainment has long ruffled the skirts of the far right; alt-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was booted off Twitter for (among other things) directing his fans to harass actor Leslie Jones, who was starring in the female reboot of Ghostbusters.
Keep in mind that this was a four minute segment on President Trump’s favorite morning news show, and it was discussing if the children of the United States are being indoctrinated because they added female trains to an animated children’s show. Watch the unbelievable exchange below, and especially note Abby Huntsman trying not to laugh in Pete Hegseth’s face as he introduces the segment:
Featured image via YouTube screen capture.
