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Mummers Return After Undergoing Sensitivity Training

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - All eyes will be on the Mummers on Sunday for the annual spectacle.

Something else to watch: whether city-mandated sensitivity training has tamed any of the traditional satire.

Mummers have had sensitivity training, in-person and by video, following last year's social media backlash over parade displays that included Caitlyn Jenner's face on a box of "Froot Loops" and "Wench Lives Matter."

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Comic Division President Rich Porco (Credit: Mike DeNardo)

Comic division president Rich Porco says Mummers have learned that satire can offend.

"I think we all, sort of - through this training, realized that some things can be hurtful," Porco said.

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For the first time, Mummers had to have their themes pre-approved by the city.

Porco also heads the Murray comic club. He says four of Murray's 18 brigades had to tweak their themes, but adds the vast majority of Mummers are respectful:

"Are you going to hold 9,999 responsible for one person?" Porco said.

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Porco says it's still okay to satirize authority:

"The mayor's still fair game -- the president-elect is still fair game," he said.

But he tells his members, "If you think it's wrong, it probably is."

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