A Woman Went Viral On Twitter For Learning That Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim Exists

Perhaps its the pure boredom of life in quarantine or the evolution of wild right-wing conspiracy theories that has everyone searching for vast conspiracies these days. The latest, which cropped up this weekend and went viral on Twitter, is that Cartoon Network has a programming block called Adult Swim.

A woman, known on Twitter as @soonergurl74, posted on Saturday night a video she found highly offensive because it appeared on the usually kid-friendly Cartoon Network. She claimed the video was of “witches abusing babies” and part of a widespread campaign to trick children into watching disturbing images. The clip was from the networks’ late-night block of Adult Swim content, which is usually rated TV-14 or above and has existed since since 2001.

— Mayfield Stan (@Tv1xxV) July 19, 2020

Adult Swim isn’t new, though its hours have extended in recent years to begin at 8 p.m. and run until 6 a.m. The block has been a showcase for a lot of adult animation, including Rick and Morty. It’s existed for decades, and the idea that it is an attempt to subvert the thinking of children is pretty silly. The name of the block is a reference to the very idea that children should be out of the proverbial pool, and there’s a content warning played between the block’s infamous bumps that reminds people that children should not be watching.

Adult Swim at the beginning of their program: pic.twitter.com/0Duw90ogbA

— Tek-no (@Teknoh2) July 19, 2020

A second tweet, which went out when a lot of people pointed out that Adult Swim is A Thing and has been A Thing for A While, doubled down on what she believed to be a vast conspiracy at play at Williams Street in Atlanta, saying in part “when the darkness is exposed, the demons start panicking.”

Adult

Swim

For a reason, Karen

As in, not for children, playtime is over, send them to bed pic.twitter.com/mdrmSrDjxx

— Archon The Dying (@ArchonOf) July 19, 2020

The moment drew a lot of reaction online, especially from people who know that sometimes cartoons are made with adults in mind.

Any other type of person: pic.twitter.com/uervwTMeKq

— Jackson Lockhart (@_Jack_lockhart) July 19, 2020

Karen: “WhEn ThE DaRkneSs is exposed ThE DeMons STart PANicKing.”

Adult swim: pic.twitter.com/qAgt0AzqRm