You know, that seems even more racist than the cartoons themselves. In that context it seems like they hired Whoopi to be their Token Black (not to be confused with the South Park character of the same name) to give the "African-American Seal of Approval" on these old cartoons. Not only it is it racist but it's also condescending. Why not have a Warner Bros. exec make the same statements? Why would anyone with half a brain need to have "black validation" to go ahead and enjoy these works of art? It's all so retarded, if you ask me.
You're right, AND you answered your own question [PC= half a brain]. Whatever it takes to get these things released on home video is fine with me. Warner Home Video has been EXTREMELY gun-shy since the early '90's when they caught all kinds of flak regarding the release of the "Bugs Bunny by Each Director" VHS tape. It contained the 1944 WWII/Japanese-themed short "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips", which IS pretty brutal [and funny, I might add]. Back then, when I saw the tape in the stores and saw that it contained that short, my jaw dropped and I made it a point to buy it right away because I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be on the shelves very long. I was right: The PC police and some Asian groups raised hell and sure enough, the tape was withdrawn and re-released with a tamer replacement cartoon. To this day, that VHS tape [and its accompanying laserdisc] contains the only legitimate commercial release of that cartoon. Since then, Warner Home Video's goals have been twofold:
1. Make a lot of money
2. Don't, under any circumstances, piss anyone off.
With those disclaimers, they're basically covering their asses, and I guess I don't blame them. It's sad that it's had to come to that, but I still give them credit for continuing to release the W-B cartoons, the Tom and Jerrys [with Mammy], and the WWII -era Popeyes [such as "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap"] in this day and age, and with all the past controversy.