Sesame Street Breastfeeding Controversy

[Drtooth]

Seriously, what is more natural than a woman breastfeeding? Politicians talk about what is "natural and unnatural", well shoot...that's about as basic and natural as it gets.
Kids these days are being forced to consume Monsantos GMO hormone filled milk,
high fructose corn syrup, ammoniaized pink goo "meat" products, pulverized chicken goop, etc...but a mother's breast milk. Yeah that's unnatural. "Breastfeeding is bad, contraception is bad. I should go roll up my jeans, put on some do wop, and get ready for it to be 1955 all over again.

I can't begin to talk about how annoying the prudishness in this country is, and how we're all basically stuck in this far far far right mindset where like 2% of people who want to live in the dark ages have to control everyone else. I don't even wanna go into Lush Limburger's hypocritical statements about contraception when that drug addict sexual deviant jumps from bimbo to bimbo.

But I must add, this wasn't an anti-breastfeeding controversy. Far from it. It was basically a request to have breastfeeding addressed on the show. And that doesn't make sense when you look at the show now. Ignoring the fact they have to have 10 minute shows inside the show and all that time Elmo spends mugging the camera, they don't make a street story that doesn't either talk about nature and science or isn't a parody of a movie from a year ago. Where would you fit that in? And most of the audience just started eating solid food for the first time. All that would be is a nostalgic throwback anyway. Sesame's focus is on growing up and moving on.

 

[CensoredAlso]

And most of the audience just started eating solid food for the first time. All that would be is a nostalgic throwback anyway. Sesame's focus is on growing up and moving on.

Just because these kids were breastfed doesn't mean they understood what it was (far from it). And frankly I don't even recall a time when I remembered being bottle fed (the equivalent of breast feeding). Part of growing up is going back and understanding things you didn't know before.

 

[RedPiggy]

Unlike adults whose views have been skewed, children already see it as a natural thing.

One wonders if bottle-fed babies feel the same "naturalness".

Most of the Demographic just got off the stuff.

That one nearly made my tea come out my nose.

Maybe most, but I was bottle fed. And when I saw breast feeding in public as a kid I was shocked.

See?
I mean, granted Mom was in grade school when SST came out, but the fact that milk came from cows made her and my aunt swear off milk (all branches of my family tree are rural) for years (according to them).
I taught 4th grade several years back. It was fun watching the disgust as you tell them toothpaste is made of Plankton's corpse.
Just because WE see things as natural and know how stuff works doesn't mean everyone's got the memo.

As an RN

You're one too? Sweet! Maybe we can form a club!

Unlike adults it's not twisted around a sexual undertone that society and the general media push at us.

Kids ARE being influenced. I had a 13 year old 4th grader reduced to tears because she was reading some little booklet about puberty and the 8 year olds were harassing her about her "nasty" book. I realize some of it may be a developing sense of personal privacy, and I fail to see how boobs are gross but snot is not, but I've been around enough children to know there are some issues that need to be addressed.

Either young kids can grasp complex scientific/biologic concepts OR they need to be re-educated in simplistic things slowly.

Maybe we need "Sesame Street Playground" (ridiciously young) and "Ultimate Sesame Street" (relatively more "hardcore"). LOL.

 

[CensoredAlso]

One wonders if bottle-fed babies feel the same "naturalness".

It was surprising because it was new. And I forgot about it a minute later. And so would most kids as long as their parents don't make it a big thing. Being bottle fed is not the issue.

Maybe we need "Sesame Street Playground" (ridiciously young)

More and more I agree with the experts that say there's no benefit from very young children watching TV and it could actually be harmful.

 

[Drtooth]

Just because these kids were breastfed doesn't mean they understood what it was (far from it). And frankly I don't even recall a time when I remembered being bottle fed (the equivalent of breast feeding). Part of growing up is going back and understanding things you didn't know before.

But my main point is that there's NO organic way to bring it up in the show anymore. That's much more a reflection of the series currently than society. Well... a little society in their treatment of kid's shows.

Like I said before, unlike the 1970's episode, the current show has no luxury of having Big Bird or Elmo walk up to an adult and ask what they're doing because it's not part of STEM and not a parody of The Hunger Games or something. And need I even say that SS's main demographic isn't quite the same age group?

Still, it seems something that's more a debate of parents than for kids. It's not that I wouldn't care to see it addressed... it's natural and shouldn't be demonized, and every place should have a designated area for that sort of thing... but how does it fit in with the zip bang series we have now? Maybe Murray can talk about it.

 

[Katzi428]

Someone (I think it was you Cindy) brought up the Buffy breastfeeding clip. But there was also Maria breastfeeding Gabi clip. It was a little girl watching Maria breastfeeding Gabi & they were pretty much having the same conversation Big Bird & Buffy had years earlier. It ended with the same comment about breastfeeding: "That's nice."

 

[Convincing John]

Still, it seems something that's more a debate of parents than for kids. It's not that I wouldn't care to see it addressed... it's natural and shouldn't be demonized, and every place should have a designated area for that sort of thing... but how does it fit in with the zip bang series we have now? Maybe Murray can talk about it.

I'm sure that episode of "Murray Had a Little Lamb" would raise a few eyebrows...

Murray: "We're going to...BREASTFEEDING SCHOOL!"
Ovejita: "Escuela de la lactancia materna!"
Murray: "Yaaaaaay!"

Seriously, the Buffy/Big Bird and Maria segments done back in the day got it just right. They just explained what it was in a simple manner kids could understand. Big Bird asked what a kid would ask. The research was done beforehand just like any other segment at the time and it worked.

I've wondered about the aim of the show myself...there's 10 minutes of words like "amphibians" or "feldspar", a quick mention of a letter or number, then before you know it, Elmo is talking about shoes for 15 minutes. Uh...who is Sesame Street's audience? If it's for the "Elmo's World" crowd, then how the heck are these kids gonna know all these engineering or science concepts that would go over their heads? For slightly older kids, learning about camouflage might be interesting. But they'll roll their eyes at the animated Cookie Monster with the octopus or Elmo singing the word "hands" to the tune of "Jingle Bells".

Then there was that weird bit with the plastic bag sculptures inflating and deflating from the city subway grates....what was that all about? (episode 4219).

 

[CensoredAlso]

If it's for the "Elmo's World" crowd, then how the heck are these kids gonna know all these engineering or science concepts that would go over their heads?

Especially when it's still up in the air as to whether very young kids even benefit from TV.

 

[Drtooth]

I've wondered about the aim of the show myself...there's 10 minutes of words like "amphibians" or "feldspar", a quick mention of a letter or number, then before you know it, Elmo is talking about shoes for 15 minutes. Uh...who is Sesame Street's audience? If it's for the "Elmo's World" crowd, then how the heck are these kids gonna know all these engineering or science concepts that would go over their heads? For slightly older kids, learning about camouflage might be interesting. But they'll roll their eyes at the animated Cookie Monster with the octopus or Elmo singing the word "hands" to the tune of "Jingle Bells".

I've been saying that for some time now. The show is ALL over the place and doesn't know if it's for pre-preschoolers or kindergarteners who want to learn about science. I remember how a few years ago, everyone was complaining about how the show was"dumbed down," and while there are segments that still have that in affect, I call shinanigans on that as they're teaching some very complex math and science topics now. They NEVER did multiplication before. Science stuff was confined to small things like ice is water and vice versa. Now they expect kids to know all the different sounds birds make.

Who is the show for now?

 

[mimitchi33]

Bring back the breastfeeding!