Why do people think that Sesame Street isn't good?

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

It seems like an odd question, I know. You may be thinking, surely everyone loves Sesame Street, people always go on and on about how they loved the show or love such and such characters. And as we've seen with the huge news coverage of the human characters' departures, clearly the show is beloved by millions and has been watched by just about every American child since the 70s. But for some reason, I noticed there seems to be an odd disconnect with adults. Adults remember watching the show, but they always seem surprised whenever the show does something clever or funny, especially where the parody sketches are concerned. And i'm always like: Well, duh that's why the show is so famous in the first place. So I wanna know, how come adults are always so shocked by the fact that the Sesame Street is so good? I mean seriously, do some people honestly think the show would've lasted over 45 years without it being well written?

http://www.geek.com/culture/sesame-...tv-parodies-for-years-we-had-no-idea-1674220/

 

[CensoredAlso]

Yeah, I had that experience in Grad school when I showed a clip during a presentation (the one with Cookie Monster going to the library). You could tell everyone was A. Surprised it was so witty and sharp, and B. Wanting to laugh but more than a little embarrassed, hehe. I guess it's just the usual stigma of kid's shows.

 

[Drtooth]

Because there are two kinda of people out there. Those who are willing to wear everything from their childhood on their clothing, and those who grew out of things before middle school and didn't turn back for nostalgia's sake. The kind of people who are in a rush to grow up, and don't exactly mind that they did. There's just something about anything that they personally watched and enjoyed when they were a kid that somehow they either got teased about or just felt the need to grow out of when they hit a certain age. And they forget that there's a reason they watched it as a kid. I don't get the "it's so cool to deny yourself things" when you're a certain age. Not saying things aren't meant to be grown out of, but refusing to admit you liked it and it has a place in your heart? That's just obnoxious.

On the other hand, we have quite enough former viewers that love it enough to absolutely hate on anything made after their era of Sesame Street. So there's that. Ones that I know that Sesame was a quality show, just as long as it was specifically when they were watching it. Then they get surprised something modern is a little edgy. Like the fact that Sesame Street completely slaughtered the awful Spider-Man musical. That wasn't sharing and caring and ABC's, that was a kid's show handing a trainwreck it's own butt on a platter while dropping the mic.

 

[Flaky Pudding]

Sesame Street is in my opinion, the best show for kids period. It not only teaches letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, but has also dealt with topics most kid shows don't. They've taught about death, marriage, divorce, a new brother or sister being born, autism, diversity, healthy eating, even 9\11. I know that some people think that Elmo ruined the show, but in my opinion, as long as Sesame Street is on, it will be the best kid show out there. I mean, the fact that it's gone on since the 60s and is still on today is a true testament to how amazing the characters, writing, and educational value is. I believe that SS doesn't get enough credit for being on the air this long, sure people talk all the time about how long The Simpsons has lasted, but Sesame Street was on the air before the Simpsons were even thought of. When I grow up if SS is still on (and I hope it is), I will show it to my kids. Mom and Dad watched it when they were kids, I watched in when I was a kid, and I hope and pray that my kids will grow up with the same show that me and my parents did. I will always hold SS close to my heart, .

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Sesame Street is in my opinion, the best show for kids period. It not only teaches letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, but has also dealt with topics most kid shows don't. They've taught about death, marriage, divorce, a new brother or sister being born, autism, diversity, healthy eating, even 9\11. I know that some people think that Elmo ruined the show, but in my opinion, as long as Sesame Street is on, it will be the best kid show out there. I mean, the fact that it's gone on since the 60s and is still on today is a true testament to how amazing the characters, writing, and educational value is. I believe that SS doesn't get enough credit for being on the air this long, sure people talk all the time about how long The Simpsons has lasted, but Sesame Street was on the air before the Simpsons were even thought of. When I grow up if SS is still on (and I hope it is), I will show it to my kids. Mom and Dad watched it when they were kids, I watched in when I was a kid, and I hope and pray that my kids will grow up with the same show that me and my parents did. I will always hold SS close to my heart, .

And even if the show isn't still on when I have kids, it's still going to be one of the first things I show them.

 

[Flaky Pudding]

And even if the show isn't still on when I have kids, it's still going to be one of the first things I show them.

I agree!

 

[Drtooth]

Sesame Street is just so much greater than what it appears to be. Any complaints about the show not being as good as it used to are first world problems next to what they've done all over the world. It's a cultural phenomenon that has gone all over the world to spread peaceful messages and education to some of the most dangerous places in the world. If you've seen the "World According to Sesame Street" documentary, you'll know what I'm talking about. When they were talking about the Bosnian show and how they were saying the show shouldn't favor reading because of the two languages and also saying they should have a segment on how to tell kids to not walk on landmines or grenades (I forget which), that's genuinely heartbreaking. No show in the history of television is actually that important. Outside of that scope, it's pretty much something everyone watched. And if they grew out of it early, that's okay. The thing is, this show is a part of who we are (for the most part). I can't say this is the best show on television because it transcends that.

Other than that, as a TV show itself, there's a reason why it stuck on television for nearly a half a century. Yeah, we may have personal problems of what the show is like past when we watched it, but even with its flaws, it's still working harder and smarter than most preschool shows today. Can Team Umizoomi say they did that?

Nah...

they're still standing their with stupid looks on their faces waiting for their target audience to point to the green triangle, answering their own question a full 30 seconds later.

 

[snichols1973]

Unfortunately, Sesame Street has had its number of critics and opponents, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and comedienne Fran Lebowitz.

This quote I found in a book summarizes Lebowitz's blunt opinion on educational TV programs: "Educational television should be absolutely forbidden. It can only lead to unreasonable expectations and eventual disappointment when your child discovers that the letters of the alphabet do not leap up out of books and dance around the room with royal blue chickens."

 

[D'Snowth]

Royal blue chickens? OMG, I can't believe Gonzo and Camilla actually procreated!

 

[LittleJerry92]

Honest answer?

People are just difficult to please. You’ll always have your rotten apples (or in this case, grouches).