I took my 7 year old son to see Peter Rabbit over the Easter Weekend at the cinema; we had heard good reviews about it and thought we would give it a go.
Whilst watching the film, the angry farmer McGregor has a heart attack and dies after running around his vegetable garden trying to catch Peter Rabbit for stealing his vegetables.
The film goes on to ask was it Peter who had killed him or was it due to his bad lifestyle choices? They decided it was his bad lifestyle choices and nothing to do with Peter! Up come some ‘flashbacks’ of McGregor’s past life and his bad lifestyle choices, including a short clip where McGregor is seen with a large white bucket clearly labelled ASBESTOS and applying it to a wall with no mask to stop him from inhaling the deadly fibres.
Bad lifestyle choice?!
My son said to me “Is that not what you deal with at work mum? How is it a bad lifestyle choice? I thought you said people didn’t know it was dangerous, it doesn’t make sense to me!” I then found myself explaining to him what he already knows - that asbestos is not a bad lifestyle choice and to suggest that it is, is not only wrong but hugely insensitive to all those who have suffered the consequences of exposure! It confused him and I’m sure it will be confusing for many more viewers, which raises concerns.
Asbestos is not a joke, it is an extremely dangerous and harmful substance and under no circumstances should it be joked about. It harms you and can be deadly. This fact quite frankly cannot be forgotten.
We at Thompsons have acted for thousands of clients who have been diagnosed with asbestos related illnesses, through no fault of their own. If our victims knew that asbestos was dangerous and could affect their health, they would not have used the product-it really is that simple!
Why put the part about asbestos in the film? It is unnecessary and raises concerns in some of the young viewers as Peter brags that he killed McGregor. This wasn’t in the book and is not needed as part of the story line.
If you have recently been diagnosed with an asbestos related illness, have been exposed to asbestos or are looking to speak to someone about any concerns you have then ‘Talk to Thompsons’ we have a specialist department who deal with these types of cases and we are here to help you get the compensation you deserve.
Blog by Samantha McAleer
