Sesame Street to Introduce HIV-Positive Muppet

[MuppetQuilter]

Originally posted by frogboy4

I completely disagree with maintaining some sort of conservative status quo of ignorance in children. If a parent sees fit not to expose their child of the issue then so be it - they'll have to lock their kid in a box. Sesame Street is a perfect place to discuss the issue appropriately and they have a wonderful track record in that department.

Well said!

A lot of people were concerned when Sesame Street decided to deal with 9/11. That turned out to be Elmo witnessing a grease fire, which was scary but not really life threatening and then being scared again by the fire fighters. He visited the fire station, got to see the people behind the suits, and learend all about the good things fire fighters do. Along the way kids learned they can turn to a fire fighter for help and not to be afraid if one approaches them in a scary situation. Completely age appropriate. Nothing was said about terrorism, death, or hatred. It was not political.

I believe Sesame Street would do the same thing here. STDs would not be a part of the discussion. A Muppet would simply talk about one aspect of their life that can be scary, both to them and others, and everyone would learn to understand and help. Probably wouldn't be any different from the little girl who moved into the street who has braces on her legs and uses a wheel chair much of the time. The other characters ask, get a straight answer, and everyone moves on.

Hiding from something doesn't make it go away. Way too many children in the US are HIV+ and as long as we (as a society) believe AIDS is something that happens to other people those numbers will continue to climb and those kids will continue to be hurt by our ignorance and fear. A hundred years ago people with mental and/or physical disablities were locked up in institutions and attics. Education is the only way to conquer those sorts of fears and kids are easier to educate than close minded adults.

Yes, the situation is more dire in South Africa. But why wait till one in nine people is suffering to do something to help? We're not talking about a daily health lecture from Big Bird. We're talking about one or two episodes. Maybe a half hour of screen time. Sesame Street tackles this kind of thing all the time with ease and dignity. This is a no brainer to me.

 

[Aerosmith]

I think this is a good thing kids need to know about it. Also Aids took the life of one of my favorite bands lead singer Freddie Mercury of Queen

 

[sstVideo]

The Washington Post got it more accurately

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58014-2002Jul11.html

 

[FellowWLover]

Personally, I do not feel that it is necessary for SS to introduce a character with "HIV" in order to teach tolerance for those who are sick or otherwise "different". It would be unusual for a three-year-old to discriminate against or even acknowledge someone around them as "sick" unless they were exhibiting scary or confusing symptoms.

IMO, it would be more useful for SS to show a hospital setting where a Muppet was ill in bed (perhaps hooked up to an IV or something) without specifing what the illness is. It is quite likely that little kids may have elderly grandparents or other relatives (even themselves of course) who are in a hospital, so this introducation would be useful and could be extended as the patient Muppet returns to the street (or I guess dies, but not sure that is the direction they want to go).

Personally, I think that HIV is something that the SS age group (which is really 2 to 4 or 5 years old... face it) should not have to deal with. Kids who face it in everday life (and certainly in Africa it seems appropriate... I am more talking about the US) will already have first hand knowledge, and I feel that, while an important topic, HIV knowledge and tolerance is a grade-school (not pre-school) topic.

 

[Jackie]

Maybe the episode is more for parents...I mean children emulate their parents and if they see them treating someone differently, they will do the same. Sesame Street is meant for Parents and Children to watch together. So if a Parent sees that a person with HIV can live normally in a community they will pass those values on to their kids.

But i don't know

 

[frogboy4]

Say What?

Showing a character only in a hospital setting would be grossly misleading. AIDS is a terrible disease but not everybody who is HIV positive spends their entire life hooked up to a machine in a hospital and showing only that part of it wouldn't be accurate. I'm thinking that maybe this program should be in primetime now. Geez, this disease has been around for some time now and it appears that adults are still rather uninformed.

 

[radionate]

I really don't know what or how I feel about this. I'm honestly in shock and disbelief after reading the article. Our world is changing every so drastically everyday. While I'm not that old, when I look at my nephews and other young children today, I am amazed at not only their maturity for their ages, but also what they are aware of that I never thought of till I was much older. But to not realize this, is the same as burying your head in the sand, or pretending its not happening.

I'm sure S.S. will handle this matter with the greatest dignity and respect, and on a personal level I couldn't be more amazed and awestruck at the possibility of tackling such a subject. Children, like their parents, are grossly uninformed about this disease.
Heck, I remember as a kid and even a teenager being afraid that I could contact HIV through sneezes or touches. I'm sure those urban legends haven't changed.

If we are to ever have a generation who has a full understanding of this disease, we need to start with the young. To educate them, and promote awareness. This is the perfect catalyst for that.

I just hope and pray for the day when education about HIV/AIDS will no longer be necessary, as it will only be a subject in history classes. And no one, in any country, gay or straight, male or female, young or old will have to suffer. That is my prayer.

 

[radionate]

Originally posted by Luke
Yup, more or less agreed, but the point is that when we are talking about 3 to 7 year old minors, parents need to have the CHOICE without the whole show becoming off limits to them. It is basically their legal right !

Its called the "off button" Luke.

Televisions are not babysitters, but unfortunatly in today's society they are treated as such. I would welcome any parent to sue me over content on a children's television show. 'Cause if I were to tackle subject material as sensitive and important as this, I would air a disclaimer before the show (and indeed many days before the show), to draw attention to the parent of the subject matter. They wouldn't have a leg to stand on legally. But then again, those children who are plopped down in front of the TV and are left alone are just the ones who need education about things such as HIV/AIDS, as more often then not their parents haven't got a clue about it, nor anything else.

 

[Drtooth]

AIDS, HIV, and all disease is a fact of life. Think about it this way, on Sesame Street, we have characters like Linda, a hearing impaired woman, Emily, a girl confined to a wheel chair, and Hooper, who died. Face it, Sesame Street has to be depressing sometimes. Life isn't all funshine, wowwypops and rainy-bows, you know. Besides, HIV is very serious, especially in South Africa. This has come up a lot in the news lately (mainly about drug costs), so it would seem to be very important to have on this show.

And frankly if we have a character like that over here, it would be in poor taste to name him "Richard!"

 

[FellowWLover]

I clearly stated that I did not think that making the show about HIV was necessary, and that it would be *more* useful to show a hospital setting *rather* than an HIV Muppet since most kids in the US are likely to have a hospital experience, but may or may not deal with HIV by age 5. Naturally I know that HIV does not equal hospital.

For the record, I have known several people living with HIV, as well as having been to a few funerals for the same. Still, I maintain that the under five set need not be concerned with delving into the world of HIV at such a tender age. It has nothing to do with being uninformed. As a parent, I feel that some topics should be addressed very early, and that others can wait a few years. The introducation of an HIV character would not keep me from showing SS to my child, however, and I understand why kids in Africa have a compelling need for the proposed character.