Speed Reading — Level 2 — 200 wpm 

This is the text (if you need help).

The Internet giant, Amazon, is warning its customers that some Tom and Jerry shows are racist. The series, 'Tom and Jerry: The Complete Second Volume' has an Amazon warning that some scenes are racist. The warning says that some parts of the show have "ethnic and racial prejudices that were once commonplace in American society". It said this was wrong when the cartoons were made 70 years ago, and is still wrong today. People say the character of the black maid in the cartoon is racist. Some of the cartoons were changed in the 1960s because of worries about racism.

The cartoonists William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created the rivals Tom and Jerry in 1940. They made 114 Tom and Jerry cartoons from 1940 to 1957. The cartoons won seven Oscars for best Animated Short Film. They are one of the most popular cartoons in animation history. They are on children's TV every day in many countries. Animation expert Steve Abrahart said the quality of the early Tom and Jerry cartoons was "superb". Many people put comments on Twitter to say it was "madness" that Amazon put a warning on the cartoons.

Back to the Tom and Jerry lesson.

More Activities