I don’t like getting political on this site. We here at The Outerhaven like to have fun, make podcasts with our friends, and inform you of when big things are happening in the gaming, comic, anime, TV, or movie space…among other things, of course. However, there are times when we need to acknowledge that the world is not in a great place, and that goes especially for the US government, which has been abusing its power in various ways, especially with its ICE agents. So, how does this all connect with The Pokemon Company? Well, it’s all about a theme song…
You see, on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security decided it would be a “fun idea” to use the classic Pokémon theme song to narrate a video about “catching and deporting illegal immigrants” by ICE agents. If that sounds disgusting, it was. It was insulting to the people who were being arrested, and it was insulting to the Pokémon franchise, especially when their phrase “Gotta Catch’em All” was used by DHS to “punctuate” the intent of the video.
Naturally, just about everyone who saw the disturbing video (which I will not post for sanity’s sake) wanted The Pokemon Company to fight back. In a message to Kotaku, they said the following:
“We are aware of a recent video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and language associated with our brand. Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property.”
Basic? Pretty much. There are many, including an ex-legal head who used to work for them, who think this is all that will come from this. I personally hope not, because this was a profane use of a kids TV show and song, and the US government should be taken to task for this, especially since this isn’t the only song it’s illegal used for videos such as these.
Only time will tell if the company goes after them.
Source: Kotaku
