sesamestreet - Jezebel

posts about #sesamestreet more →
Stephen Colbert Has Something To Say About Sesame Street
American Apparel For Sesame Street: The Goods Have Arrived
How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
Great Muppet Capers
Big Bird On 40 Years Of Sesame Street Scandals
Sunny Day, Everything's A Great Left-Wing Conspiracy
How To Get To Sesame Street
Sesame Street Disavows American Apparel "Collaboration"
The Cookie Diet: Celebs Love It, Nutritionists Hate It
American Appalling: Dov Charney's Muppet Love

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BytheSea
11/13/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
Kami may be controversial for a westeran audience, but in parts of Africa, the pediatric AIDS rate can go as high as 50%. AIDs is not an "issue" there, it's a daily reality. #sesamestreet
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Snowbunny
11/12/09

In reply to Stephen Colbert Has Something To Say About Sesame Street
Today's episode is brought to you by the letter V. For Vendetta, vilify, and verdant. #sesamestreet
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pesematology
11/12/09

In reply to Stephen Colbert Has Something To Say About Sesame Street
THE YEP-NOPE MARTIANS!!! OMFG i love them so hard. #sesamestreet
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CerebralMagpie
11/12/09

@pesematology: Yip yip yip yip yip radio! Radio! Yip yip yip yip! #sesamestreet
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mfnher
11/12/09

In reply to Stephen Colbert Has Something To Say About Sesame Street
Sesame Street shouldn't have made the crack that they did. I think even they realize they went too far. However, I can understand the urge to make the joke. Many conservatives do not believe in public television, which is funny because they still sit their kids in front of the t.v. to watch its programming. #sesamestreet
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Caeristhiona
11/12/09

@mfnher: I think they weren't really making the crack, at least not as it appeared. Sesame Street is full of puns on real-world things, and rhyming "Fox" with "Pox" was, I think, probably supposed to be just another in-joke for the parents, like the Beatles and the Beetles, or Material Girl and Cereal Girl.

That said, the joke was admittedly in sort of bad taste... But I still feel like they were just making silly rhymes, classic Sesame Street style. #sesamestreet
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willwriteforfood promoted this comment Caeristhiona was starred Caeristhiona was unstarred

willwriteforfood
11/12/09

@Caeristhiona: Didn't they also rename CNN into GNN, the Garbage News Network? Sounds like they were just spreading the insults about cable news in general, not just trashing Fox. #sesamestreet
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Caeristhiona
11/12/09

@willwriteforfood: That's right, they were -- and I'm still not sure it's insults. I remember when I was about six, listening to the Beatles for the first time (at least, listening to them and being aware of who they were) and thinking to myself, "Oh, I know them! They're like the guys on Sesame Street!"

It really gives a kid a sense of belonging in the wider world, to have these sorts of touchstones with the things they see their parents doing on a daily basis. Sesame Street is like the pop-culture version of getting your kid a mini-sized baking set, or car, or shopping cart, or what-have-you. It motivates them toward growing up by giving them a safe arena to practice grown-up things in. And I think that's really what these news network cracks are about. #sesamestreet
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willwriteforfood
11/12/09

@Caeristhiona: Frankly, calling Fox Pox is seriously mild, so if O'Reilly is up in arms over this, then he's run out of things to be outraged about.

And I agree with you that it's really less than insulting. For Sesame Street, it's par for the course. It's pop culture and they've been making these jokes for decades. Didn't anyone remember Monsterpiece Theatre with Alistair Cookie? #sesamestreet
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wtfox?!
11/12/09

In reply to Stephen Colbert Has Something To Say About Sesame Street
Why is that blogger letting their kids watch Sesame Street in the first place? I thought being a decent, tolerant, and non-hate-filled human being was against right-wing principles in the first place. #sesamestreet
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bluebears
11/12/09

In reply to Stephen Colbert Has Something To Say About Sesame Street
Yes bigoted conservatives, god forbid your demon spawn watch Sesame Street and grow up to not be horrible people. Yeah, I called them horrible people, flame away.
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Edited by bluebears at 11/12/09 1:51 PM bluebears was starred bluebears was unstarred

morninggloria
11/12/09

@bluebears: (blowtorches the shit out of you) #sesamestreet
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bluebears
11/12/09

@morninggloria: It's cool, I was kinda chilly. #sesamestreet
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lastsinglestanding
11/12/09

@bluebears: I think there can be rational, kind-hearted people at any point on the political spectrum.

I also think that if you're crass enough to complain about a children's television show (with puppets!!) undermining your ideals that you're probably a terrible parent, and not that great of a person, either.

No flame here. #sesamestreet
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bluebears promoted this comment lastsinglestanding was starred

bluebears
11/12/09

@lastsinglestanding: I don't know why, but I was laying in bed last night thinking about gay marriage and how people who are against it are bigots and that they have no excuse and I was just getting angrier and angrier thinking about those people being given a platform all over our media and being treated like they had some legitimate political disagreement. Would we treat people who said black people and white people couldn't get married the same? No. They'd be treated like the racists they are.
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Edited by bluebears at 11/12/09 2:05 PM bluebears was starred bluebears was unstarred

lastsinglestanding
11/12/09

@bluebears: I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one laying awake at night, pissed off over the powers that be. I read this yesterday and it made me feel a bit better:

[www.slate.com]

I hope it's true -- you can't stop progress. #sesamestreet
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pantsless economist...access RESTORED
11/12/09

@bluebears: Ya rly, same thing with the birthers--I know this was addressed on Jezebel somewhat recently but I have no idea why the media gives equal consideration to people without a valid point. #sesamestreet
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wtfox?!
11/12/09

@pantsless economist...access RESTORED: I think because the media is more about entertainment than, you know, actually informing people and encouraging constructive dialogue.

This also makes me angry. #sesamestreet
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wooden_shoes
11/12/09

@bluebears: I often wonder about this as well. We have people in political power who are straight up claiming the bigotry like it's some sort of prize, and not that many people calling them out on it. I keep this hope that some day we will look back at this debate the same way we look back at the interracial marriage debate and shake our heads and say "what was everyone thinking!?" But I fear that day won't come for a long long time. #sesamestreet
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bluebears promoted this comment wooden_shoes was starred wooden_shoes was unstarred

bluebears
11/12/09

@wooden_shoes: I hope so too. I think we will.

@pantsless: and its not even that their viewpoint is invalid, its that its actively hate filled. #sesamestreet
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colormeroutine
11/12/09

@bluebears: I have to agree. I just feel like anyone who looks at someone else and says "you do not deserve the same rights I have" is a bad person, period end of story. #sesamestreet
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whynotshesaid
11/12/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
I knew about AIDS when I was about eight or nine years old. Two words: Ryan. White. #sesamestreet
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you've got red on you
11/12/09

@whynotshesaid: That's exactly what came to mind for me, too. His story was fascinating and sad to me. I grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, so it was also extremely close to home--and caused the first stirrings of disgust with the intolerance of the bible belt. I have no issue with an HIV-positive muppet; I think it's a wonderful way to teach children acceptance and tolerance. #sesamestreet
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Red-headed bookworm promoted this comment

Red-headed bookworm
11/12/09

@whynotshesaid: Me too. I lived in Indianapolis as a kid, EVERYONE knew about Ryan White there. #sesamestreet
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whynotshesaid
11/12/09

@Red-headed bookworm: @you've got red on you: I actually lived in Utah at the time, and a lot of kids didn't know anything about AIDS, but those who did were pretty ignorant and mean about it. It just wasn't something that was discussed, you know? Plus our educators were too busy sending home fliers warning our parents about drug dealers who were hanging around playgrounds and pushing LSD on Mickey Mouse stickers to spend any time clarifying things related to the "gay disease."

But I used to sneak my stepmom's People magazines, and I watched the made-for-TV movie with Lukas Haas when it came out, and I was so upset by the whole thing. Not just that he had this fatal illness through no fault of his own, but that other people were so cruel about it. I mean, I was old enough to know that people could be real dicks to each other - I knew about slavery and the civil rights movement and sexism and sex abuse and ugly divorces and custody battles - but even so, the language used to discuss people with AIDS was shocking to me.
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Edited by whynotshesaid at 11/12/09 10:34 AM whynotshesaid was starred whynotshesaid was unstarred

TubOfTaft
11/12/09

@Red-headed bookworm: They even have a section of the Children's Museum in Indy dedicated to him - with his actual bedroom furniture and all. #sesamestreet
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Lin-Z [linguist on duty]
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
A while back I watched a documentary about Sesame Street and how they launch the series and localize it in different countries. And I have to say that lambasting an HIV-positive puppet for the South African series is just ignorant. A huge percentage of children have HIV/AIDS and/or have lost a family member to it. Introducing this character is a way for kids to know what's going on. This is a very real issue there. #sesamestreet
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Lin-Z [linguist on duty]
11/11/09

@Lin-Z [linguist on duty]: This isn't the part about South Africa, but here's a bit of the film anyway #sesamestreet
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SomeAuthorGirl
11/11/09

In reply to American Apparel For Sesame Street: The Goods Have Arrived
I do also need to say that if I saw a man in tight bright blue pants, an American Apparel Big Bird t-shirt, fucked up glasses and with a pornstache, I'd probably call my cop neighbor to report a Suspicious Person. #americanapparelforsesamestreet
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SomeAuthorGirl
11/11/09

In reply to American Apparel For Sesame Street: The Goods Have Arrived
Anyone else think this hipster-esque version of Cookie Monster is just fucking wrong? I can't put my finger on it. It's definitely Cookie. But it doesn't look right.
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Edited by SomeAuthorGirl at 11/11/09 8:49 PM SomeAuthorGirl was starred SomeAuthorGirl was unstarred

iquenique
11/11/09

@SomeAuthorGirl: Cookie Monster was so inclusive. Hipsters are so exclusive. There's the inherent snag in the plan. You just can't mix Cookie Monster with Hipsters. You just can't. #americanapparelforsesamestreet
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SomeAuthorGirl
11/11/09

@iquenique: I guess now that cookies are a Sometimes Food, all bets are off. #americanapparelforsesamestreet
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Pizza!Pizza!Pizza!
11/11/09

In reply to American Apparel For Sesame Street: The Goods Have Arrived
So who at the show thought it would be a good idea for them to be associated with a dude who makes quasi-porn and jerks off in front of female reporters? Oscar the Grouch? #americanapparelforsesamestreet
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bookling
11/11/09

In reply to American Apparel For Sesame Street: The Goods Have Arrived
I think the last thing I want to wear is a t-shirt that says "honk, honk" across my boobs. #americanapparelforsesamestreet
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SomeAuthorGirl
11/11/09

@bookling: The only company that could somehow fuck up the Honkers would be American Apparel. I'm sad. #americanapparelforsesamestreet
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I, Zombie Normal
11/11/09

In reply to American Apparel For Sesame Street: The Goods Have Arrived
I think that the actual puppets could produce better designs. Or maybe a robot. Or 1,000 monkeys working at a 1,000 art tables.
In completely unrelated news, my cat would like to announce his line of unofficial Electric Company tshirts. We're looking for nubile female kittens willing to pose in the fur for the ad campaign. #americanapparelforsesamestreet
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KATE!
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
if sesame street really wanted to push the gay agenda, Bert would get aids from a late-night cruise in central park and pass it along to Ernie. That would be a great scandal. #sesamestreet
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DutchessOfDork
11/11/09

In reply to How Young Is Too Young To Teach Kids About AIDS?
Kami probably got it from her mother as I read somewhere that mothers have about 1 in 4 chance of passing it on to their children if they give birth through the birth canal.
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Edited by DutchessOfDork at 11/11/09 7:47 PM DutchessOfDork was starred DutchessOfDork was unstarred

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