You can’t make this stuff up. Green-skinned people are under attack!
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has decided to issue a trigger warning for “Wicked,” citing concerns over discrimination against a "green-skinned" people.
The film follows the friendship between Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman with green skin played by Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda, a popular rich girl portrayed by Ariana Grande.
The BBFC's warning explicitly states: "A green-skinned woman is mocked, bullied and humiliated because of her skin colour, and seeing beloved characters being mistreated, especially when Elphaba's skin-colour is used to demonise her as the 'Wicked Witch', may be upsetting and poignant for some audiences."
I’ve already tackled the trend of “trigger warnings.” Recently, Cate Blanchett, Quentin Tarantino, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes all rallied against its usage. Films such as “Gone With the Wind,” “Goodfellas,” “Goldfinger,” “Blazing Saddles,” and “Dumbo” have all been slapped with a warning in the UK and/or US.
Trigger Warnings are a way to treat audiences as little children. It comes out as a lecture, as if being told you’re too stupid to process a film, or work of art, on your own. You basically need to be talked down to. It amounts to an absolute insult to our intelligence.