New Sesame Street Character

[Downunda]

Originally posted by DiabloRex: [QB] Absynthe(hey is that drink really as strong as they say?) [QB]

Yep, it sure is.
Not the sort of drink you take a nip of on the sly at work

As for HIV positive puppets, if it's educational than I'm all for it. What I don't get though is whether they are going to explain how HIV is contracted, so they can explain steps to stop the spreading of the disease.

From what I gather HIV in South Africa is spread mainly by prostitutes, and I can't see them depicting this puppet as one of those.

I realize that there are alot of otherways to contract Aids/HIV but if they're going to be up front to the kids, shouldn't they be giving the whole truth? I dunno? Your thoughts...

[ 07-12-2002, 04:18 PM: Message edited by: Downunda ]

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

I agree with those that say 'let children be children', for crying out loud, there only gonna get ONE chance at it... they'll learn soon enough; anyway I thought sesme st was for YOUNG kids, u know, 4 n 5 yrs olds... I really dont think that they should learn about it... older kids... maybe... but the younger ones?!

Originally posted by Calaethis Dragonsbane: I agree with those that say 'let children be children', for crying out loud, there only gonna get ONE chance at it... they'll learn soon enough; anyway I thought sesme st was for YOUNG kids, u know, 4 n 5 yrs olds... I really dont think that they should learn about it... older kids... maybe... but the younger ones?!

The thing that I see in this - and I agree that a child's innocence be protected as long as possible - is that the information available to these children is coming from a lot of different sources, many of which are probably not correct. Would it be better for a child to understand the disease that is affecting a large portion of the population, or have their view influenced by a lot of misinformation? It is a dead cert that these kids have had or will have contact with family members or friends who are HIV positive, as the percentage of infected is so high.
So if little M'basa is going to be in contact with an older cousin who is HIV positive, should she believe:
1.)That this is a disease sent to punish sinners,
2.)That only people who are are prostitutes, gay, or promiscuous can get it,
3.)That it is communicable by casual contact,
OR-
Should she have the truth?
I don't think it's appropriate at a young age to tell her all the routes of transmission, but she should know that she can safely interact with her cousin, without fear and without thinking that her cousin is a bad person because of a frikkin disease.
Unfortunately, the lack of information and understanding of this disease is horrifyingly prevalent worldwide. Misunderstanding and ignorance are two of the most dangerous vectors for this plague.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

I honestly dont know... its a delicate situation... but tho TV?! Im not so sure tahts the answer either... as Jaheria would say *griminces* "balance" lol.

[DiabloRex]

Calaethis Dragonsbane:

If I remember correctly, and my source is correct. Then the TV in south africa is by far the largest source used to spread information.

So of course it should be the TV [img]smile.gif[/img]

Well, I took a read of my last post, and I think I may be frothing a bit... I have very strong feelings about things that affect children.
The way I feel about children and this sort of thing is twofold:
I hate the fact that we live in a world where kids have to deal with sexual predators, meth houses, internet stalkers, HIV, and all the other miscellaneous crap that has become a part of our, and their, lives. So I do what I can to mitigate or eliminate these things, and make it a safer world for kids, and myself, to live in.
On the other hand, reality is right there, in our faces, every day. Ignoring the problems will not make them go away, and leaving our children in ignorance only increases their risk of falling victim to some scumbag, or a disease, or an addiction.
I don't think we should be alarmist in our approach, but we must do what we can to lessen the negative impact on children, while at the same time taking action to eliminate the sources of the problems. Whether we want it to be so or not, many children are facing dangerous situations every day, some subtle, some obvious. Inaction is not a viable alternative.

[Aelia Jusa]

I agree Absynthe [img]smile.gif[/img] . Someone said 'let them be children', but very young children in South Africa are facing HIV and all the consequences every day, us wishing they had a normal carefree childhood doesn't change that fact. Sesame Street has always been meant to teach children who are disadvantaged, it was originally made to help children whose parents used the TV as a babysitter learn letters and numbers and so on. I guess this is a less wholesome extension of that ideal.

[/)eathKiller]

hmm and stil no puppet who'se an otaku?

[canadianvixen]

What about all the children (especially from this part of the world, because the numbers are astounding) that are born with HIV? You're judging a culture that is very different from your own.

[Azred]

Well, the people who make the "casting" decisions for Sesame Street may (or may not) have already given the green light for this muppet; that is something that I cannot change. However, should they decide to introduce such a character to Sesame Street here in the US I will not allow TJ to watch it. If he is going to learn information about a topic I consider both serious and sensitive, then he will learn it from Belle and I, not some outside influence.