Sesame Street and the Generation of Wimps

[KilgoreTrout]

Just read Virginia Heffernan's tongue-in-cheek review of the classic Sesame Street DVD's and was taken aback to read that there are disclaimers on the original episodes that caution the material is not suitable for young kids.

I don't have kids, and I'm not up to speed on children's TV, but you've got to be kidding me! Alastair Cookie is inappropriate for kids because he uses a pipe as a prop? Oscar is too grouchy? Big Bird is a loony because only he sees that however-you-spell-it?

How are children to react when events in their lives aren't all bright and rosey? I remember when the actor who played the shop keeper (Mr. Hooper?) died. They did an episode that touched on that. I remember watching it with my brother. I think I was 9 or 10 (and he was 17-18) at the time.

I've been hearing a lot about the so-called Generation of Wimps. Maybe there's something to it.

edit

I didn't realize "Generation of Wimps" is code that conservative christian fundamentalists and other right wingers use to denote "Liberalism" (as a pejorative). That's not how I intended to use the term.

I see myself as fairly middle of the road, or as much as that's possible living in Massachusetts. My views are sometimes Libertarian, sometimes liberal, sometimes moderate, depending on the issue. I'm live and let live for the most part.

Since the time may soon come where I'm on the other side off the diaper bag, I've been thinking about how I'd raise a kid. I like to think that I won't be that parent who rushes to the kid's side every time s/he scrapes a knee, or the parent who storms into the school to protest when my kid doesn't get the prime role in the pageant.

I don't know where this notion that "Thou shall not be offended" comes from. I find lots of stuff I encounter every day to be offensive - much of it on TV, but a trip to the store in the car is all I need to find offense. There seems to be a groundswell of pride in being marginalized, and then pointing the finger at those who make others feel marginalized.

I've seen articles in the Times that defame use of the N-word, or the C-word, written by seemingly high-brow columnists. Are we stuck in the 3rd grade?

The backlash from the right against all this over-the-top PC stuff is also alarming. It wasn't long ago that a school board in PA tried to veil creationism as valid science, and it will happen again. The right perceives the battle for chidren's minds and are actively advancing their agenda. The left's PC mantra, which I hope is well-intentioned, is ubiquitous.

So what does this have to do with Sesame Street? I didn't know Burt and Ernie were gay. It didn't matter to me that Oscar was a grouch. So Big Bird had an imaginary friend, so what? My parents never pressured me to be perfect but I turned out okay. My mother smoked King Sized Kents and enjoyed an old fashioned from time to time.

I got into scraps with the other neighborhood boys. Summer days, I'd head off on my bike and sometimes wouldn't return until dark, often with a few fresh scrapes or bruises as reminders of the day's adventures.

I had a TV allowance. It was up to me to spend my allotted TV time as I saw fit. Before long I learned that if I wanted to watch Bugs Bunny it meant that I couldn't watch Tom and Jerry. If I was unfortunate enough to utter the words, "I'm bored," I'd find myself cleaning my room or giving the dog a bath, cutting vegetables or holding a flashlight for the old man, or *gasp* being told to read a book.

What I'm saying is that it's a fine line between protecting youngsters and denying opportunities to teach critically. This story about Sesame Street bearing a warning makes me think the latter is suffering.