Do I think Peter Rabbit was food allergy bullying Thomas MacGregor? No. I think he was fighting for his life, not bullying, and there is a difference. Do I think that scene should have been in this movie? Also no. It was a bad choice, but hindsight is 20/20. There were plenty of other creative ways to try and beat a MacGregor, and I am pretty surprised this one made the cut. Sony, for their part, has apologized, but many are demanding that they pull the film altogether. I think that’s extreme, and but I REALLY hope this will be a great example of how the movie industry can be much more careful about what they show our kids. I am sure no harm was intentionally done, but I think it was a big mistake nonetheless.
I am not going to suggest that you don’t take your kids to this movie, but definitely think twice if you have food allergy issues, and/or be prepared to talk to your kids about that scene BEFORE AND AFTER the movie. I will definitely be talking to my seven-year-old about it. He and I both have non-life-threatening food allergies ourselves, and so I want to make sure he knows that using a food to hurt someone or even being CARELESS with a food someone is allergic to is never ok.
Did you see the movie? What do you think of the food allergy bullying controversy?
