HIV-Positive Muppet Coming to Sesame Street

Christian News Network ^ | July 12, 2002

[robowombat]

HIV-Positive Muppet Coming to Sesame Street

(CNSNews.com) - An HIV-positive Muppet is coming to Sesame Street, an adviser to the children's program said. Wire reports said Joel Schneider, the vice president and senior adviser to the Sesame Street Workshop, made the announcement Thursday at the 14th International AIDS Conference now underway in Barcelona, Spain. According to those reports, the HIV-positive Muppet will first appear on the South African version of Sesame Street, a program called "Takalani Sesame," in September. The character will be female, but other details, such as the name and color, are still being worked out. "This character will be fully a part of the community," Schneider was quoted as saying. "She will have high self-esteem. Women are often stigmatized about HIV and we are providing a good role model as to how to deal with one's situation and how to interact with the community." Schneider reportedly told the AIDS conference that discussions are now taking place to introduce an HIV-positive Muppet to the U.S. version of Sesame Street, which attracts millions of very young viewers.

[robowombat]

A short bulletin from the pc front.

[Slyfox]

Any word on Bert and Ernie?

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Which one will it be?

Bert or Ernie?

;-)

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Great minds think alike.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

Unreal.

[Inkie]

Oh, for crying out loud. Can't we let kids have any innocence at all? Why do pre-schoolers have to have their faces shoved in this stuff? They are being cheated out of their childhood!

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Oh, for crying out loud. Can't we let kids have any innocence at all? Why do pre-schoolers have to have their faces shoved in this stuff? They are being cheated out of their childhood!

I agree 100%.

But sometimes you have to take the cheap and obvious joke.

[jalisco555]

Do kids today even watch Sesame Street? Back in the 80's and early 90's my kids and I watched this show a lot but now with Nickelodeon etc. there is a ton of childrens programming. In fact as soon as my youngest discovered this fact that was the end of SS.

BTW, I don't remember this PC nonsense being a part of SS in the 80's. This must be just about unwatchable for most parents, a large part of SS's audience.

[joesnuffy]

This is great..how about small pox muppet or dysentary muppets (nope cleanup in aisle five)
I know how about Syphillis/Gonnoreah/Herpes/Chlamidia muppets...

[maximus@Nashville]

Thankfully, my kids are just past the Sesame Street watching age. I can imagine the questions now:

"Whatis HIV?"

"What is AIDS?"

"What is a Homo-sexual?"

"What is sex?"

"Ewwwww! Why would you want to do that?"

Just like the Linda Ellerbee special on Nickelodeon, they are trying to introduce inappropriate subject matter to a audience too young to understand what the subject is.

[Dakmar]

How about female circumcision muppet? That way we can celebrate other cultures, too.

[I still care]

I homeschooled in NY for several years. The best argument I ever had against letting the state in on your curriculum was the NY state requirements. Besides basic curriculum, PE, music and such, they were:

• Fire Safety Education
• Traffic Safety Education
• AIDS Education - Kindergarten and up.

I remember thinking, how and why can I and should I educate my 1st grader on AIDS? The people that let that one through must have been braindead, or so totally sexually corrupt and diseased that logic escaped them. But that was the law, and I had to certify I did it or I would not have been allowed to homeschool.

[Dakmar]

Maybe Oscar could be diagnosed with cirrhosis.

[RolandBurnam]

any truth to the rumor that snuffaluffagus has genital warts?

[Dakmar]

Probably got them from that damned frog.

[Mr. Bird]

Besides the obvious ridiculousness of the whole idea, how would they go about even working the fact into any possible story line? These are kids, for cryin out loud. Would our hero be faced with the prospect of having unprotected sex as a 6 year old? Maybe she could discuss, over coffee and cigarettes, the dangers of shooting smack and sharing needles? And how did she get it? Can't use the ol' blameless transfusion bugaboo. Gotta talk about behaviors. Nobody sneezed on the little sock and gave her AIDS.....

[Chebornik]

What's next??? Tourette Syndrome Barbie? Oh, they already did that: http://www.rock103.com/crew/asheard/?crewAsHeardPage=t-barbie.html

[NYer]

now with Nickelodeon etc. there is a ton of childrens programming

I scratched Nickelodeon after they showed their PC program on "how it feels" to grow up with two mommies or two daddies. Enough already! Next step is to cancel cable and go back to reading books.