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Sesame Street to introduce HIV+ Muppet

Discussion in 'Archive: The Senate Floor' started by MadMardigan, Jul 12, 2002.

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  1. MadMardigan

    MadMardigan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    See the CNN story here


    I'm happy to see Sesame Street is trying to alleviate the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. Yet I wonder if it may be a little too real for children that young. My feeling is that a child's innocence is shortening more and more every generation and this will only add to it. Children have a lifetime to deal with the harsh realities of life and I think their innocence should be maintained as long as possible. Should children even be discussing their own mortality that young?
     
  2. DESERTJEDI

    DESERTJEDI Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 18, 2001
    I see it the same as having a muppet with any other terminal illness. Like moths or a missing eye button. :p
     
  3. Gutter_Monkey

    Gutter_Monkey Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 15, 2001
    That is kinda disturbing...
     
  4. Darth_Shinjo

    Darth_Shinjo Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 2002
    That is nice of them to try and teach the Sesame Street watchers about the eadliness of HIV but, it is kinda of akward to see a puppet on a children television show faced with this kind of disease. Maybe they are introducing it to Children to early? Maybe they don't need to know about this until they get alittle bit older.
     
  5. Java_Jedi

    Java_Jedi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 20, 2002
    ok... I didn'r read the artical yet, but I remember a few years back when they were thining about giveing Oscar HIV.
    He was going to get it from a needle that had been thrown into his trash can. It was vetoed at the time... They were also talking about having Bert and Ernie come out of the closet to teach tolerance for alternative lifestyles. That to wasa scratched.

    Parent groups... mostly church based... felt to was wrong to teach children about these things.

    Personally, I say start teaching them young so they can grow up prepared and open minded. Let's work towards getting rid of teh stereo-types in teh future generations.

    If it were any other illness they would have no problem with it. :)
     
  6. Riku

    Riku Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2002
    LOL! [face_laugh]

    Really, you Americans are really funny. :D

    I mean, c'mon, the program is (as said in the article) meant for 3-7 years old kids. They're not going to have sex for many years. Couldn't they talk about HIV in school?

    Of course, sexual education is not well-organized in Finland, either. I had my first sexual education lesson when I was 16. Sixteen, for the love of God! I think that at least 99% of 16-year-olds DO KNOW what sex is about.

    But telling 3-7 years old kids about HIV... I would now say 'What next?' and make a funny, exaggerating example, but I can't think anything better than this. :D
     
  7. DESERTJEDI

    DESERTJEDI Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 18, 2001
    Really, you Americans are really funny

    Did you "Really" read the article??

    Its not for America its for South Africa.
    chuckles.
     
  8. Darth_Drunk

    Darth_Drunk Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2002
    It is coming to the US eventualy. I am a little worried about it scaring the daylights out of kids, but it will probably help address the issue of a terminally ill friend or loved one. Sesame Street has been pretty good at tackling heavy issues with tact.
     
  9. Riku

    Riku Jedi Youngling star 1

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    Jul 9, 2002
    Aaah, sorry, my bad. It was to Africa. Okay, Africans are funny, then. ;)
     
  10. Saint_of_Killers

    Saint_of_Killers Jedi Youngling star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2001
    "They were also talking about having Bert and Ernie come out of the closet to teach tolerance for alternative lifestyles"

    YES I KNEW IT!!!!1
     
  11. CmdrMitthrawnuruodo

    CmdrMitthrawnuruodo Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 1, 2000
    Like 3-7 year olds are going to even understand HIVs and how its transmitted.
     
  12. MadMardigan

    MadMardigan Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2001
    Like 3-7 year olds are going to even understand HIVs and how its transmitted

    And that's what I'm afraid of. Unless they ask they won't understand and it might lead to a lot of fear in child. A part of their body hurts and they might think they're dying of AIDS.

    And then what if they do ask? I think a parent's explanation might just be one more chip in the innocence of the child.

    I agree tolerance must be taught at a young age. But I think a lot of awareness over the past 20 years has done a great deal to alleviate the stigma of AIDS almost to the point where people (in general) view it like cancer.

    The article also mentioned that the makers of Sesame Street were considering having Bert and Ernie "come out." If anything I think this would have been a more productive route to teach tolerance. Homophobia is far more rampant in the US than AIDS-ophobia. Someone above mentioned that Sesame Street does handle difficult subjects very well and would likewise handle this very well. As long as it focused on the "love" aspect of the relationship, then issues of sex relations shouldn't even enter a child's mind at such a young age.

    Yes the fundamentalist Baptists would throw a fit but since when should PBS (and our tax money) pander to bigots. Instead they should pander to tolerance and more importantly acceptance.
     
  13. Luscious

    Luscious Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2001
    Hey, why stop with a charachter with HIV. If we're really going to expose kids to this stuff, let's do it right. Why not add some of the following charachters as well:

    Osama, the Islamic fundamentalist goat.
    Hilary, the manic depressive squirrel.
    Chuckie, the pedophile penguin.
    Dan, the homosexual giraffe.
    Frank, the mentally disturbed, suicidal turtle.



     
  14. Darth Fierce

    Darth Fierce Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 6, 2000
    Yup, add those characters too. BUT you better NOT add an abstinence character, or a Christian character, or a Republican character, because you might OFFEND somebody.
     
  15. JediOverlord

    JediOverlord Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 28, 2000
    I just find it wierd that something without blood could be HIV positive.
     
  16. cydonia

    cydonia Jedi Knight star 5

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    Jun 6, 2001
    kermit was just on hannity and colmes. Pretty funny.
     
  17. Coolguy4522

    Coolguy4522 Jedi Youngling star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2000
    I don't like it. I could write more, but I am feeling lazy right now.
     
  18. Darth Fierce

    Darth Fierce Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 6, 2000
    cydonia - Yeah I saw that :p. I thought Kermit represented himself well. I'd like to see him speak candidly like that more often.
     
  19. Rebecca191

    Rebecca191 Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 2, 1999
    I don't think it's a good idea. From what I know, Sesame Street is watched mainly by toddlers and preschoolers. I think they are too young to have to worry about something so terrible. Yes, I know life doesn't always work out right, but little, little kids don't need to know that.
     
  20. Gonzonaut

    Gonzonaut Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Apr 28, 2000
    Yet I wonder if it may be a little too real for children that young.

    The idea that exposing children to some reality is a bad thing is, IMHO, regressive. Certainly children should be safeguarded from needless terrible displays of debauched behavior and other potentially traumatizing images and ideas, but children also must know of the existence of some of life's more grim certainties. For the children of South Africa, where AIDS is literally killing off the population, it is vital that children be raised with a knowledge of AIDS in order that the spread of the disease be controlled. Seasame Street is unquestionably one of the finest children's programs in broadcast history, and I think made an excellent and very innovative decision that will beneficially affect the development of children there and hopefully help in the fight to curtail the disease.
     
  21. Riku

    Riku Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Can you imagine a puppet saying in a TV-show to kids: "If there's nine of you in a room, one YOU is going to DIE!"

    Sick, man. Sick and funny. :)
     
  22. Java_Jedi

    Java_Jedi Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    May 20, 2002
    I think we all need to keep in mind that show will be part of the work being done on Aids education in Africa. I agree that someday it will probably make it to the States and the rest of the world. But for now it will be helping in an area where not enough help is given.!

    Even here I don't think that it is so wrong to teach our children not to pick up stray needles.! We teach them to clean up the local parks... should we teach them to do it while being safe?
     
  23. Heather_Skywalker

    Heather_Skywalker Jedi Youngling star 3

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    Jul 13, 2002
    It might be a good idea, but I would hope that the producers of Sesame Street would think about what they are doing to little children.
     
  24. Amazing Admiral Ackbar

    Amazing Admiral Ackbar Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Oct 30, 1999
    The article I read about it gave me a different impression about why they were adding the character. It isn't really about teaching kids the dangers of sharing their needles or whatever. It's more about showing the kids in South Africa that they don't have to be terribly afraid of one of their peers who has HIV. By having a character on the show with the disease that interacts with the other characters in a normal manner, it might ease fears the kids might have that if somebody coughs on them they could get it.
     
  25. legacyAccount

    legacyAccount Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 22, 2012
    that's what i got also

    it's not so much to teach them about AIDS and HIV, just to teach them about dealing with people who have them.
     
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