NRA depicts characters of Thomas the Tank Engine as Klansmen in response to *gasp* diversity

The Hill

The National Rifle Association (NRA) criticized the children's television show "Thomas & Friends" for diversifying its characters by depicting its cast in Ku Klux Klan hoods.

The segment, which aired Friday, depicted NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch criticized the show for adding new characters, including a train named Nia from Kenya.

Loesch argued that the show doesn't need ethnic diversity, saying that the show “literally has no ethnicities because they're trains.”

“I mean, I’m looking at this picture and I’m really, really struggling to understand how in the world there isn’t any diversity in any of this,” she said on “Relentless,” the NRA TV program she hosts. The image was then put on the screen, depicting three trains in KKK hoods and burning train tracks in the background.

“It was the white hoods,” Loesch said. “And the burning train tracks. OK, fine, fair point. Fair. I get it. Thomas the Tank Engine has been a blight on race relations for far too long. Clearly this is overdue. Right?”

Mattel, which owns the Thomas the Tank Engine brand, told The New York Times that it has “always been a priority” for company to promote inclusivity.

“We are not associated with images that promote hate and denounce any images of our brands that are being used to convey a message not in line with the values of the company,” the company said.

“Thomas & Friends” announced its new characters on Friday as part of a collaboration with the United Nations.

The NRA did not immediately respond to The Times's request for comment.

1. Stay classy, NRA!

2. That logic doesn't make sense given the KKK is one of the most anti-diverse groups out there, unless you're a self-hating minority (ala Tila Nguyen)

The National Russia Alliance is at it again I see

this might be one of the stupidest things i've heard in a month.

why does the NRA care at all about a children's show? what are they inserting themselves? what the hell does any of this have to do with firearm ownership??

@comp_atkins: Yeah, that's the weird thing, I agree. The NRA's strength has, in large part, been due to their intense single minded focus on a single issue. If they're going to continue to diversify their involvement into other political causes I think it's a really bad move.

I watched the clip, and while I sort of agree that it's unnecessary to add diversity to a show about living trains I would assume they are doing so because they want more kids to identify with their characters and to potentially increase their show's audience as opposed to feeling like they need to stop being so white or whatever.

On a separate, yet related, note is adding kkk hoods to various things a source of humour to NRA members these days? Or is this more about normalizing KKK imagery so that when the president refers to them as very fine people or when they march in the streets the shock of it is relatively blunted?

Holy shit why do non whites scare these people so fucking much.

I watched that clip as well, and while it was a bit over the top with the hoods, the anchor did use it for a few seconds to present a point, so nice clickbait headline OP.

As to the issue, it´s kinda laughable that a show about trains with no gender and they could simply change the VA to a female and it would suddenly be a female train, that they felt it was needed to make a specific female train and suddenly put gender into a show that never had any.

It´s pretty ironic that the PC culture has come to this but first world problems I guess. No wonder some kids grow up to be completely messed up.

@Jacanuk: the trains have always had gender.

That's like saying the characters in pixars Cars don't have gender because they are all vehicles.

The diversity added was an ethnic one, not a gendered one.

So you did not really watch the clip, did you? The clip clearly says Gender and female train.

@Jacanuk: Disregarding that this isn't the first girl train on the show, why does having girl trains on the show lead to kids being completely messed up?

Freudian slip.

Hmm, I do not recall a female train as a regular, but I was speaking generally with all the other things kids today is exposed to.

The show already had a female train for years.

@zaryia: Tell that to NRA and they can correct the clip then.

Only way to stop a cartoon train is with ACME Corporation products.
Sponsored by Wile E. Coyote.

@Jacanuk: "Hmm, I do not recall a female train as a regular, but I was speaking generally with all the other things kids today is exposed to."

At least two. Molly and Rosie, I think?

Like what? And how do female enthropomorphic trains warp their fragile little minds more than male anthropomorphic trains?

The NRA is a shit pile that has a lot to correct. I doubt they'll listen to many people.

Should've made them to look like the trains that went to Auschwitz