AIBU?
To find the Paddington memes so irritating and borderline offensive?
BarbaraVineFan · 12/09/2022 19:29
Getting lots of Paddington memes on my Facebook feed related to the Queen's death. Even saw a disgustingly twee one today with an image of Paddington and the Queen walking off into the distance hand in hand, with a caption something like 'I'm very tired now Paddington, will you take me to Philip now?' 🙄
Now I know the Paddington sketch from the Jubilee was mildly amusing, I enjoyed it at the time, but for some reason this mawkish and ridiculous association of a child's toy with the death of a respected leader is really pissing me off. Is it just me or does anyone else feel the same?
Am I being unreasonable?
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Reallyreallyborednow · 12/09/2022 19:48
I cant believe The Palace have actually had to ask people to stop leaving toy Paddington Bears & marmalade sandwiches outside BP
Marmalade Sandwiches?? Ffs that's a new level of lunacy
asking for a rat problem. Poor people who have to go in and clean it all up.
the whole leaving flowers/sandwiches thing is madness.
Sparklingbrook · 12/09/2022 19:49
saraclara · 12/09/2022 19:45
I've got a great one for you poetry haters, shared on my local Facebook page:
Paddington sat down sadly
On a green and quiet glade
And pulled a sandwich from his little hat
Made With the nicest marmalade
He had heard sad news this very day
That the Queen's life had come to an end
He cried because that day they met
She had become his bestest friend
They had shared some tea
That very day when to the Palace he had been invited
He remembered he could hardly speak
He was so very very excited
He offered her his sandwich
Made with such love and care
She smiled at him and with a grin
She showed that little bear
That inside of her handbag
There was something she had made
And that She too kept a special sandwich
Made of the finest marmalade
Although he was just a little bear
And she a regal queen
Watching her take that sandwich out her bag
Was the best thing he had seen
He wondered if any body else would miss her
Now that she had gone
And his heart was filled up to the brim
When he turned his little phone on
He saw that Facebook had been flooded
With her pictures old and new
And that he himself that little bear
Was also in them too
Although today he is the saddest
That he has ever been
He will always lovingly remember
The day he had tea with the Queen
Wait, Paddington has a mobile phone and is on FB? 
sunglassesonthetable · 12/09/2022 19:58
Generally I think a lot of MN posters have got very self righteous over this, telling us how to mourn, or not to mourn at all or whatever. How about a bit more tolerance and accepting that The Queen meant different things to different people and that people will have different ways of wanting to deal with their emotions? (Including at one end ignoring it completely and at the other camping out in London for the next week).
Yep. So true.
If you take notice of FB you're going to be seeing all sorts of crap.
I loved the skit with Paddington and I think it showed the Queen in a really good light.
So what if that's captured the public imagination?
But of course it's for the plebs. Shouldn't be allowed.
KittenKong · 12/09/2022 20:01
Sparklingbrook · 12/09/2022 19:31
'I'm very tired now Paddington, will you take me to Philip now?'
I don't understand that one. Unless Paddington is also dead.
Or the Grim Reaper. Which is a bit scary.
nice drawing but yes. Paddington isn’t the grim reaper.
concernedalot · 12/09/2022 20:02
I agree I think it's cringeworthy and the fact that people have been leaving marmalade sandwiches amongst the flowers is just ridiculous. I can imagine the urban foxes foraging through some of the carefully placed tributes left looking for food. I think people share stupid things like this on social media because 'it's the thing going round' and they hope that people on their friends list haven't already seen it so they'll get some likes or something. Sad state of affairs really
Itisnthermeme · 12/09/2022 20:03
The original sketch was a quick doodle for the artist’s Social Media accounts to celebrate the Jubilee. It went viral, as you all know, the artist responded to thousands of requests to buy a print, sales of this image have now been suspended. The artist created another tribute to HMTQ purely for social media and this is not for sale.
The original illustration has been hijacked and put out as memes with wording that the artist has no association with. The illustration has now been pirated on tea towels and tee shirts which are for sale on eBay and nothing to do with the artist.
I do know the artist but I don’t officially speak for her. I am saddened that something that was supposed to be a little illustration for the Jubilee has now spun out of control and not in a good way. I personally agree with what you are saying, though, my initial reaction was “oh no, wtf” when I saw the “take me to Heaven” one.
If you can, please do not associate the artist with this latest round of memes. I know some of you don’t like her style and that’s fair enough. But please don’t think that the artist has anything to do with what’s going on at the moment.
Yes, I’ve namechanged and so yes, this is my first post under this name.
Thanks.
vera99 · 12/09/2022 20:06
And if they could they would shoot and kill bears for fun and let's not forget what bear skins are made of.
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4721418/Prince-Charles-lobbied-Tony-Blair-fox-hunting-ban.html
Off ye pop
The Prince is a keen supporter of foxhunting after taking up the sport aged 26. He is reported to have told a private gathering in 2002: ‘If the Labour Government ever gets around to banning foxhunting, I might as well leave this country and spend the rest of my life skiing.’
A580Hojas · 12/09/2022 20:07
CampRedLeaf · 12/09/2022 19:45
Children probably.
My kids have little to no understanding of what the Queen actually did day to day. But they do recognise and remember her being on the telly with Paddington.
A580Hojas · 12/09/2022 19:42
Yanbu. I don't find it offensive but it really makes me question the people who are creating and sharing this guff.
I can assure you I don't have any children as my FB friends.
limitedperiodonly · 12/09/2022 20:17
What on earth is offensive about it? The Queen chose to be in a sketch with Paddington Bear and I'm sure was rightly proud of it - if she wasn't, it wouldn't have seen the light of day.
I'm sure she knew what she was doing when she opened the Elizabeth Line in London too. Lots of my friends have posted the meme of her dressed in the line's purple taking her final journey on it. I've seen that more than the Paddington one maybe because lots of my friends use it and it made them think of her.
What is laughable rather than offensive is your sneering at them and the pompous implication that you are the keeper of taste and decency and somehow know better than the Queen.
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