Article: On Sesame Street, It's All Show

[mikebennidict]

http://www.city-journal.org/html/5_4_on_sesame_street.html What do you think about it

 

[Rosewood]

Boy! And I thought I wrote long articles!

Well, first of all, what exactly was the article trying to say? The only real point I was able to make out of all that see-sawing is that the writer somehow felt that SS is discouraging kids from reading books. Mabey this person should watch "Reading Rainbow".

Second - There were some comparisons in there that were way offline. Simply suggesting that SS is basically exposing younger kids to the same messages that "The Simpsons" is exposing older kids to is hogwash. I, for one, have never seen the extreem cartoon graffics portrayed in "Itchy and Scratchy" ever shown on SS. Sure, mabey now and then a cartoon character will get run over by a tractor or fall off a cliff or something. But the absolute morbidness of a mouse doing things like pouring poison in a drink, handing it to a cat as a gesture of "friendship", and then showing the gross results of the aftermath, along with the mouse laughing about it (not to mention the kids who are watching it!), has never been, and hopefully never will be a point that SS will ever be willing to stoop so low as to reach.

And finally - this writer definately needs to find an editor for these articles! (JMO)

 

[Drtooth]

Well, this is one pseudo-intellectuall that I'd like to hit with the "Rusty Metal" (sorry... watched a Space Ghost DVD last night.)

This seems like one of those "Oh, I'm way to hip to say TV is anything but trash" rants that freelance authors who can't get a book deal pretend to research and b**** about. Yes, SS is world famous, and you aren't. GET OVER IT.

Now, I grew up on SS and Mr. Rogers, and I was constantly encouraged to read books. Of course no one's going to take anything away if a lazy parent plops their kid in front of a TV instead of parenting. that's common sense. In fact, the only thing that discouraged me from reading was in grade school when I was always forced to read certain books and take tests on them repetedly. Why no one else can see this is beyond me.

But then again, her ranting could just be, like her article suggests "all for show and no substance!" If she/he wants to be a magic deprived blob running around trying to get rid of everything kid related to "save them," then she/he can just go around on the streets with her lame theory... like the people who think JFK wasn't assasinated..... he just returned to his home planet.