"Arthur" TikTok Goes Viral After Trump's PBS Funding Cuts
PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said the cuts "go against the will of the American people," in a written statement.
"The Senate just approved a rescissions package that goes against the will of the American people, the vast majority of whom trust PBS and believe we provide excellent value to their communities. These cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be especially devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas. Many of our stations, which provide access to free, unique local programming and emergency alerts, will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead. There is nothing more American than PBS. Despite today's setback, we are determined to keep fighting to preserve the essential services we provide to the American public," Kerger said.
The PBS channel has been home to many popular educational children's TV shows, including the Emmy-winning animated series Arthur, a show about an 8-year-old aardvark who explores real-life issues through the lens of a child and promotes healthy problem-solving and social skills for young kids.
Well, the official Arthur TikTok page recently posted a video in response to the news of budget cuts, with the caption: "PBS has been defunded. This isn't goodbye yet." In the clip, the character Sue from Arthur is seen writing in her journal.
"I never wanna go through another fire. But I also never wanna lose this feeling. That each day is special; that my friends are the best friends in the world; and that if we stick together, we can make it through just about anything."
The TikTok has received over 350,000 views in less than 24 hours, and thousands of comments have expressed their heartbreak over Trump's PBS cuts.
"You guys raised multiple generations and that won't be forgotten ever," one person wrote.
"I can't believe these vile politicians defunded you. Fuck them," another person wrote.
"Trump is trying to defund education. They know education means they have less power and voter base. Don't let them win. Continue to educate yourself," another person wrote.
Others shared what the show Arthur has meant to their lives. "This channel was my everything. I learned how to speak English watching PBS."
"I came to the U.S. when I was 4. I went into school knowing 0 English thanks to PBS kids I learned English by the 3rd grade fluently. I'm now about to be in 12th."
"from a foster child that had no structure or love growing up. thank you for helping raise me into who I am."
One person even shared that "Arthur's Reading Race" helped them start reading as an autistic kid.
And this teacher said that PBS reinforced the "ethics" taught to them at home and helped them as a student.
According to @arthursPBS, donating to your local PBS station is one way to help.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
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