The Hamilton-based television station CHCH broadcasted what appears to be a woke viewer discretion advisory prior to an episode of the 60’s classic, Gilligan’s Island.
“The following presentation is a product of its time. It depicts prejudices that were wrong then and remain unacceptable today. CHCH does not condone discrimination of any kind,” said the CHCH advisory.
“Rather than ignoring past discriminatory practices, exhibiting work like this allows viewers to engage in thought or discussion that educates and promotes the importance of social justice and inclusivity. Viewer discretion is advised.”
The warning is identical to one shown before an airing of The Brady Bunch, earlier this month.
According to IMDb, GIlligan’s island is a G-rated TV show which does not depict sex, nudity, violence, profanity, drug use or frightening scenes.
CTV also used a similarly worded content warning before showing an episode of Seinfeld on their own television station.
“This program is presented as originally created. It may contain language, attitudes, cultural depictions and racial prejudices which may cause offence,” claimed the CTV about Seinfeld.
CHCH and CTV are not the first networks to employ such messaging over classic TV shows and films.
In 2019, the popular Disney+ streaming platform included cultural context disclaimers for several historical Disney films, including the original 1941 version of Dumbo.
True North reached out to CHCH for comment on the advisory and a list of other TV shows which were deemed to be discriminatory but did not hear back in time for publication.
