posted on July 12, 2002 06:10:02 AM new
First, check out the PC PRIMER LOL!
PC Definition...
PC stands for Politically Correct. We of the Politically Correct philosophy believe in increasing a tolerance for a DIVERSITY of cultures, race, gender, ideology and alternate lifestyles. Political Correctness is the only social and morally acceptable outlook. Anyone who disagrees with this philosophy is bigoted, biased, sexist, and/or closed-minded.
Back on topic...Maybe the South Africans can use this muppet as an educational tool.
posted on July 12, 2002 10:29:28 AM new
I have to agree with Helen there. I believe that the only Morality is being kind to one another (based upon someone Very Famous teaching it) by not hurting others unnecessarily. The old English saying: "Do What Ye Will, but Harm None" is the very basis of English Law and our laws. In order to achieve this goal, one must try to think about others and how they feel -- you know, putting yourself in their shoes when events happen.
And that's what people really complain about - the effort that it takes to check yourself and to put yourself in the other person's shoes. What a Bother it is for them! *WHEW* - too much effort! My opinion of them can't be expressed here.
Our culture is one that is still full of slurs. Many cultures have come here bring their humor with them. While many have enriched us, other humor is cruel and is meant to hurt and to degrade others down to a non-human status. Believe it or not, we used to laugh at people born without legs or arms, people who were disfigured in an accident, or other misfortune. It was the color of their skin, what religion that they belonged to, or even where in the world that they came from. And this humor was meant to entertain, but it also served to dehumanize the victim and to make them a second-class citizen.
That's my interpretation.
Remember Porky Pig saying, "Th-th-th-th-tha-that's All Folks!"? You know, I grew up as a horrible stutterer. I couldn't control it as a kid and even now, it is always an effort for me to speak without stuttering. I was made fun of by kids, as you can imagine, mercilessly, for it. I understand that and forgive them.
But the adults were the worst. yes, adults. Adults would come up to me and mock me. How nice of them! And later on, growing up, I heard one comedian after another who had a stutterer routine in his act - always a sure-fire gimmick to break up a crowd into laughter! And why not? There was no Politically Correct speech then.
But Warner Brothers got the message quickly. In the 1980's, I saw that they had removed Porky Pig from every place they had made it available to the public. I was grateful for that. I was in professional sales and at the time, whenever I would get too stressed out, the stuttering would come out and that would break the crowds into laughter, usually with Porky Pig imitations - by the Adults, since kids no longer saw Porky Pig anywhere!
I have always kept my cool and not launched my fist down someone's throat in search of that FunnyBox making that noise. These days, there are few people who laugh when I stutter uncontrollably and I happen to appreciate Political Correctness.
That's just one example of how society has slurs ingrained so that we take it for granted that there is nothing wrong with saying these things, when in reality, there is a lot wrong with doing so. Trying to learn where you are wrong is an act of an Adult. Ignoring where you are wrong is childish and selfish.
posted on July 12, 2002 01:28:12 PM new
Not only is humor often hurtful but I also detest the liars who say - only kidding! to cover the fact they are not. If you know someone like that they say it a LOT!
There is a passage in the scriptures that speaks of punishing those that harmed another and it said if they excuse themselves saying "Were we not simply having fun?" That your eye should have no pity for them.
posted on July 12, 2002 09:09:10 PM new
I agree that we should avoid hurting others. And am willing to accept that an HIV-positive muppet is appropriate for an African nation such as South Africa. AIDS there is out of control, worse than the Nazi holocaust.
I am not sure if this topic, in the guise of a puppet with a fatal disease, is appropriate for American preschoolers, i.e., my kids. At this age, they are just beginning to understand death. To be honest, I don't think it's fair or right to introduce such subjects to three and four-year olds. Life is long and there is plenty of time for sorrow. Let the kids have their blissfully ignorant childhood.
Sesame Street used to be about education. Learning numbers and letters. But recently, the move has been towards making Sesame Street a "reality" show. Okay, there's a crippled girl in a wheelchair. This year, many of the characters were left homeless when Sesame Street was destroyed by a violent storm. Now they're introducing a tragic character with a terminal illness.
I would rather be the one to explain these subject to my kids. Not some TV show that has become entangled in political correctness. It's ironic that for all the horror Sesame Street is willing to dish up for preschoolers, the show is still afraid to deal with the subject of sex.
posted on July 12, 2002 09:13:41 PM new
I'm betting that they will keep death as far away from the AIDS character as sex.
I agree acceptance of ill people is an appropriate message for very young children but what benefit is there to telling them at that age about the vector and end prognosis of a disease they can not yet make any decisions about? Shall we bombard them with dietary info so they bug Mom for better diet or start propaganda against smoking years ahead of when they can choose what they breath? There are many more immediate hazards for them to be educated about.
[ edited by gravid on Jul 12, 2002 09:19 PM ]
posted on July 13, 2002 02:02:31 PM new
twinsoft: I was about to go ballistic but then I went and read the article.
Using very simple math, an easy 40% of these kids mothers are HIV+. This is heavy baggage for young minds and it may do well to have a friendly EDUCATIONAL character around who the kids can love and identify with. For some it may be a kind of object constancy as all the village women die.
I will also presume that since this S. Africa that most of the stats apply to guess who? The illiterate or the elite? I am guessing the primarily illiterate, who I hope even have access to a TV. (If they don't then, yeah, why bother?) This could be very clever, if not brilliant method of bringing AIDS education to an extremely tough crowd, via trickle up. Mums can learn the sex parts elsewhere if they are motivated to do so. "Mommy, are you going to die of AIDS?"
posted on July 13, 2002 02:38:28 PM new
I agree with you on that Cyn, but I don't think it's good for the American Sesame Street, and it will be introduced here shortly.
posted on July 13, 2002 05:33:52 PM new
I read an article about the HIV muppet that said the muppet character will also interact freely with the other muppets. It is hoped that it will teach children not to treat other HIV positive children as outcasts. That it is okay to touch, play with, and talk to HIV positive children.
I don't disagree with this at all. There are many misconceptions about HIV patients. I don't think the idea for the muppet is to promote drug use, homosexuality or even about blood transfusions.
It's just learning to treat other children simply as the children they are. You know, you remember, the old golden rule thing.
posted on July 13, 2002 07:21:26 PM new
I agree with you Twinsoft that an HIV character is not desirable on Sesame St. in the States. It would be *normalizing AIDS*. I'd rather see zero tolerance and adult education. No child should be born with the virus here. It is unacceptable.
posted on July 13, 2002 10:20:12 PM new
HIV/AIDS is the Scourge of the new millinieum. It will be looked back upon by historians like the Black Plagues of Europe, and it will likely have as devastating an effect as well. You can be sure that countries like China, who denied that they even had a single case up until a few years ago, is a seething hotbed of AIDS transmission. I predict that within fourty years, there won't be so many Chinese left in China, nor Indians in Inda. American politicans see AIDS as a way to enforce their vision of sexual morality, and so, divert much needed funding away from AIDS research and into the coffers of themselves.
posted on July 14, 2002 03:32:14 PM new
>>I read an article about the HIV muppet that said the muppet character will also interact freely with the other muppets. It is hoped that it will teach children not to treat other HIV positive children as outcasts. That it is okay to touch, play with, and talk to HIV positive children.<<
Whatever. But if my guy was in a daycare, pre-school or Pre-K with an HIV infected toddler/preschooler, I'd yank him in a hot minute. One bite and it's over. Duh.
posted on July 14, 2002 03:46:09 PM new
They say we need to educate the people in Africa but here in the US people have the info and they still do risky behavior. Sex behavior is not reasonable.
The sub-Sahara is simply going to be depopulated and the western world will step into the vacuum and take the mineral wealth.
posted on July 14, 2002 04:17:37 PM new
>>They say we need to educate the people in Africa but here in the US people have the info and they still do risky behavior. Sex behavior is not reasonable.<<
There are still isolated communities (e.g. frightened battered Hispanic women) and new immigrants, speaking gawd-knows-how-many languages, who really might be ignorant of the information. We aren't being bombarded with AIDS Ed like we were being a decade ago and it's a new crowd. And we have these damned unleashed adolescents, who we all know are immortal and brain damaged.
I was sorry to learn just last week that the male homosexual community leads in new infections. The good news, I guess, is that they don't tend to procreate.
Throw in a little too much booze, or some other drug, and education plus a drawerful of condoms, nevermind undergarments, are thrown out the window.
At least we should be able to go bed knowing we did all we possibly could do. We used to be doing a lot more than we seem to be these days. When was the last time you saw an "HIV--Questions and Answers" brochure, on eBay in "paper"?
posted on July 14, 2002 04:59:54 PM new
Sesame Street is a very fast paced show...good for learning shapes and letters but not problem solving strategies or social skills. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood was great for that.
I don't believe that pre school children need an education in aids.
