EARLIER THIS WEEK, children’s movie Peter Rabbit was released with a star-studded cast that includes Domhnall Gleeson, Daisy Ridley, James Corden, Margot Robbie, Sam Neill and Rose Byrne to name a few.
Based on the classic children’s books by Beatrix Potter, Peter Rabbit is a story that plenty of people grew up with since its release in 1902. So naturally, parents are nearly as excited as kids to go see the movies.
However, many parents found themselves disappointed when they actually went to see the movie. Why? Because it features what they call ‘food allergy bullying’. The Kids With Food Allergies Foundation wrote a post warning parents that it contains scenes that children may find disturbing.
The new movie, Peter Rabbit, has a scene that may be disturbing to young viewers who have a food allergy. A character is intentionally attacked with his allergen, leading to anaphylaxis and the use of epinephrine. Parents should be aware of this before your children see the movie so you can talk with your child(ren) about it.
KFA believes that food allergy “jokes” are harmful to our community. During a reaction, patients require the life-saving drug epinephrine and must go to the nearest hospital for follow-up treatment. The very real fear and anxiety that people experience during an allergic reaction is a serious matter.
The KFA concluded by saying jokes about allergic reactions contribute to the attitude of the general public which often does not take the risk of allergic reactions seriously. Their Facebook post has been shared over 10,000 times.
There have been thousands of comments from parents, including one who wrote:
We will not be seeing this movie. We just went through a bullying incident at school where a child in my daughter’s class threatened to rub peanuts on his hands and touch her. The school handled the situation well, but that gave my seven-year-old such anxiety that she didn’t want to go back to school out of fear of him.
In another open letter to Sony, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America also expressed disapproval about this scene. They also said that “the segment makes light of the seriousness of food allergies.”
