The Evil Genius Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 I am sure Jerry Falwell and the 700 Club will have a field day with this one. Sesame Street to Introduce HIV-Positive Muppet Fri Jul 12, 9:14 AM ET By Bernie Woodall NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sesame Street will soon introduce its first HIV ( news - web sites)-positive Muppet character to children of South Africa, where one in nine people have the virus that can lead to AIDS ( news - web sites). The upbeat female Muppet will join "Takalani Sesame" on Sept. 30 for its third season on the South African Broadcasting Corp. The character -- which has yet to have a name or final color or form -- will travel to many if not all of the eight other nations that air versions of the educational children's show that began in the United States in 1969, said Joel Schneider, vice president and senior adviser to the Sesame Street Workshop. Schneider said talks are under way to introduce an HIV-positive character to U.S. viewers. Schneider announced the new character this week at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, Spain, where he spoke by telephone Thursday. "This character will be fully a part of the community," Schneider said. "She will have high self-esteem. Women are often stigmatized about HIV and we are providing a good role model as to how to deal with one's situation and how to interact with the community." The program is aimed at children from 3 to 7 and the messages delivered by the new character will be "appropriate," said Schneider, meaning that there will be no explicit mention of sex. "Not every show will deal explicitly with HIV/AIDS," Schneider said. "We want to show that here is an HIV-positive member of our community who you can touch and interact with. "We will be very careful to fashion our messages so they are appropriate to the age group. What do I do when I cut my finger? What do I do when you cut your finger? That sort of thing." "Takalani Sesame" will be the second children's show in South Africa to have an HIV-positive character. But it is believed to be the first among shows designed for preschoolers, said Beatrice Chow, spokeswoman for the Sesame Street Workshop in New York. In some parts of South Africa, 40 percent of women of child-bearing age are infected with HIV, and in 2000, about 40 percent of adult deaths in South Africa were attributed to AIDS, according to the State Department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 So now it's OK to have sex out of wedlock and get AIDS just as long as you're upbeat about it? What is this world coming to. First that damned "My Family is Different" show on Nickelodeon, and now this? Damn liberals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackC Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 Are they going to say how the character got AIDS? If only we prayed more, we wouldn't have so much trouble in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 If only we prayed more, we wouldn't have so much trouble in the world. oh, brother :doh: :puke: :gus: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 Inmate would love that one. Could be interesting to see how this is handled. Whether the character is a child, (was born with the disease or it was transmitted by mom via nursing), or an adult. (sexual or blood transfusion or drug use.) Here's some aditional info on infant aids ect... in Africa and USA. http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/3631498.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 My guess is that the poor muppet got HIV from a blood transfusion. No way do Sesame Street characters share needles, do drugs, or have unprotected sex. Heck, I don't think muppets can have sex y'know. One out of nine people have HIV in S. Africa. Man, that's scary. I knew it was an epidemic down there, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted July 12, 2002 Share Posted July 12, 2002 Yea just saw a report on the news about the character. Apparently she won't be discussing any of that, which is no suprise, ( I actually didn't think they would), just that it's okay to be friends with someone who does have AIDS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 it's okay to be friends with someone who does have AIDS. Unless you have sex with them or decide to become "blood brothers." Parents should tell their kids about AIDS and inform them that the only 100% way to prevent is to not have sex out of wedlock. Instead we have 3 year olds getting brainwashed into believing that having AIDS is no big deal and it's OK to associate with people who enjoy unprotected sex and sharing needles. This is bad, very bad. If only we prayed more, we wouldn't have so much trouble in the world. You can bet your as$ that the world wouldn't be any worse if we all lived morally and dedicated our lives to God. That's indisputable. I thank the almighty Lord that there are still parents who take their kids to church and teach them right from wrong, unlike liberals who blur the lines so kids go out and get high and have sex. And this is all in the name of "having an open mind." If anybody dares tell kids that you shouldn't have sex out of wedlock, you shouldn't do drugs, you shouldn't support affirmative action, and we should worship our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, you're automatically a closed-minded bigoted Nazi. What's wrong with this picture? Thankfully we have Dubbya in office who recently went on his family values tour and said what most conservative consider common sense. I still believe that one day we'll see the shalom that God intended when he created the Earth, but that won't happen until the left-wingers in this country realize that we need to teach kids morals, not illicit behavior in the name of "open-mindedness." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 It's kind of a non point, but I know several people who pray quite a bit, but who are rather unethical and have weak morals. There are quite a few who mouth the words without much understanding or true spirit. Saying the words does not make one a moral person, I believe there's more to it than that. As for the character... are you suggesting that AIDS babies should be shunned. Perhaps this muppet is one of those who were born to parents who had AIDS and contracted the disease that way. Would that child deserve to have no love or friendship during its little life. Surely, our Sesame street character will not be a grown up muppet. In any case, should all people who have contracted AIDS whether they did it innocently or immorally be treated like biblical lepers? I was taught to have sympathy for the afflicted and to lend a hand and try to help as I could. Told to turn the other cheek yes, but not to turn my back on people doing wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 Instead we have 3 year olds getting brainwashed into believing that having AIDS is no big deal and it's OK to associate with people who enjoy unprotected sex and sharing needles OrangeSkin beat me to it. And Burgolg you're sounding a tired theme again. This is very much about the media trying to sway public attitudes. This is very much about resounding certain prefferred themes so often that it becomes accepted ideology. This is another example of the "medium is the message" theme well exercised by all sides of the political fence for decades. I believe the argument in this and other threads is that the press/entertainment media have been singularly disposed to a single point-of-view as it attempts to mold the public mind toward its ethical view of the world. Going after the Sesame street crowd is particulalrly cynical if you ask me....but when you get right down to it....the media/hollywood folks have never distinguished themselves as truly virtuous sorts who practice what they preach. notice, as always, that this is done in a manner that is guilt free - no one is ever accountable for HOW WE GOT TO THE EFFIN STATE IN THE FIRST EFFIN PLACE. but that is also a consequence of the relativist era we live in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 Well Fan, In a country where 1 in 9 people were reported to be infected perhaps some education is sorely needed. Think about one in nine on an epidemic level, it's ghastly. Now, Sesame Street is a strange medium to promote HIV awareness and education, but if it is that pervasive, I think anywhere you can get your message out should be tried, something needs to be done. Tolerance of the ill and education should not be feared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just skins baby Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 My daughter, 23 months old really loves Sesame Street. She will learn about stuff like aids, Hiv, on MY timetable. However, I may watch just to pique my curiosity about how it's handled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 burgold....i recognize the intentions that lie behind your pov and don't begrudge you these. however, even your verbiage suggests that someone is trying to educate my 3 year old. and that's where the argument comes in: exactly what sort of "education"? it is the contention of many on this board that the education one receives from the media generally is very slanted. also, there remains my subtheme vis cuases and responsibilities. how can one be educated if this is never addressed? the media are very careful in this regard when it involves cherished and selected conduits for the public's $$$$$. is education needed? yes. but what form it takes and the correct venues are very much open for debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 the education one receives from the media generally is very slanted education in general is always slanted. it is something we cannot escape. what is horrifically leftist to you may seem conservative to an extreme liberal. both call "foul," and bash whoever is educating. you will educate your own child with your biases; however, once your child reaches school-age, your control over the slant of the material is gone. every teacher brings his views and values into the classroom whether he means to or not. so you're saying the media puts a spin on their shows? no crap. but so do you and so do the teachers in your district. is education needed? yes. but what form it takes and the correct venues are very much open for debate. so who gets to decide? you, me, bush, congress, state senates? what happens when that decision still puts the inherient slant on the education? with a hot-button topic like HIV and AIDS, most everyone already has their opinions and debate will not alter their pov's. so we'll have a policy that 51% agree with and 49% do not...again, the slant is pervasive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted July 13, 2002 Share Posted July 13, 2002 oh and... You can bet your as$ that the world wouldn't be any worse if we all lived morally and dedicated our lives to God. prayer has nothing to do with living morally and dedicating lives to God. plenty of people pray, and not all of em are upstanding members of our society. it's going to be a real shame if heaven gets filled up with "saved" criminals. might bring down the property value... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted July 14, 2002 Share Posted July 14, 2002 I'm well aware of that fact, but praying and at least acknowleding the existence of a God is a step in the right direction for our society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted July 14, 2002 Share Posted July 14, 2002 dchogs....meaning no disrespect....but what the *ell are you talking about?...there's a huge difference between education presented as a system of axioms and principles from which conclusions are logically deduced that can subsequently be tested empirically and the normative nonsense that we are all fulminating about in this and other threads. these little ditties on personal preferences have everything to do with our personal sensibilities and notions of fairness and rather little about education. my entire point was that the idea that Sesame Street was going to "educate" a pre-teen on the intricacies of AIDS was ludricous - right or wrong it is an effort to preach tolerance and compassion. tolerance and compassion in of themselves are not bad things - the natty thing is when you and i disagree over what we should be tolerant/compassionate about and how far we're willing to go to jam that point-of-view down everyone else's throat. your pov, as I have seen expressed before, is extreme and throws all ontolological/metaphysical thinking out the window: everything by your reasoning is biased by the very facts of communication or the structures ("paradigms") we bring "to the party" to think about these sorts of things oh yes....i'm growing weary of making the point, but there is no education without an assessment of causes and responsibilities. this is, of course, anti-thetical to those who wish to side-step unpleasant truths on their way to progressively righting the eff-ups of the past. dchogs and all my other brothers....i'm not against helping my fellow man, and i believe strongly in assisting those less fortunate or in dire straights. but i also believe in accountability, responsibility, consistency, and all the other "ies" one can think of. what goes on in the media is a far cry from what goes on in a physics class - well....most of the time! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted July 14, 2002 Share Posted July 14, 2002 There is no denying that the Sesame Street concept is an attempt to educate. Concerns over what and with who, especially with this age group I think are quite appropriate. I do think that most cultures have traditionally learned their morals (at least partially) from their storytellers. Folktales, fairy tales, children's books have always had a point of view aimed at teaching right and wrong, good and bad. I believe that whether these are modern or traditional stories, it is the duty of the artist to try and understand the world. As I said before, choosing Sesame Street is an odd medium for this topic. However, in the case of South Africa, if the statistics are true and one out of nice or about 11% of the countries entire population has contracted HIV by whatever means, something should be done. To me, that statistic also indicates that you can't leave the education up to the government because the government is failing. Parents are also failing. Education is failing. The medical community is failing. The news media is failing. And the organized religions are failing too. I say they are failing because they have let, over twenty years, the situation develop into what it is now. So why not try the arts in South Africa? Eleven percent of a population is staggering. Now, Sesame Street is going to have a very limited pallete, because of who they are reaching and when, but I think that teaching tolerance, safety (how to act around people who have contracted HIV, not how to prevent getting it), and compassion might be a good thing. Besides the todlers and preschoolers, the show also reaches a lot of parents and that may be needed too. I honestly feel odd making this arguement because on its surface teaching about HIV to people at this stage in their development feels wrong, but in a place where people are contracting HIV like we in this country contract influensa in a bad year, something should be done. I wonder what the growth curve is? If it is steady, steeply sloped upwards or has been tailing off slightly. That might matter, at least to me, in this argument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted July 15, 2002 Author Share Posted July 15, 2002 Let's see...its okay for a teacher to teach about God in school. And to even make kids recite a pledge to God. But its not okay to teach about AIDS and sexual education? Seems like a double standard to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Burgold, AIDS is not an issue about education. In African countries, it is said there is a myth that an infected man can "give" the disease to a virgin woman and be cured. The reason it is so rampant there is because girls are being raped so the man can be cured. And when I say girls, I have seen more than a single report about babies because they are the last virgins left. Some have put forth that the white society in South Africa started this rumor so as to kill off much of the black society. Whether true or not, it is unquestioned that many in Africa in general and South Africa in specific think the cure for AIDS is to give it to a virgin. Having a plucky, vibrant, life-loving AIDS character on Sesame Street won't help children avoid the six and seven man rape gangs that are taking babies at seven months old and leaving them for dead, as incidences of such have happened. Obviously the epidemic in South African and other African countries is frightening and perhaps a Sesame Street character is appropriate. However, education on how to avoid AIDS ought to include the 100 percent method for avoiding it, don't you think? Don't share needles, and don't have sex, and you can not possibly get AIDS (absent requiring a blood transfusion, which is rare and will require more and different education as those situations arise). If there's a problem in this country with AIDS, then teaching lesser effective methods for avoiding it seem to be contributing to the problem rather than solving it. Abstinence-based, if not abstinence-only, sex education is a more effective means for educating our children on how to prevent the spread of AIDS than just about any other method. Though, I don't see AIDS in this nation being quite the epidemic or problem that it is in other nations, so, how much you need to focus on it and make policy due to it is certainly up for debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 EG....pls keep to the substance of the thread...this is about a TV show (Sesame Street)....and not public education. feel free to start a new thread on that one - i'm sure there's lots of intersting grist for that mill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Evil Genius Posted July 15, 2002 Author Share Posted July 15, 2002 FS, Actually, this is about a South African version of Sesame Street. I should know since I started the thread with the story. You know, I am all for the POA and Sex Ed in schools, and even for having realistic characters on Children's shows in areas that have a statistically high # of AIDS related deaths. Ignoring that 1 in 9 people in South Africa (or is it the entire continent) have AIDS is not going to address this travesty. Perhaps if we took the majorities advice here, why dont the parents who have problems with the South African version of Sesame Street having a AIDS character juts "opt out" and not allow their kids to watch it. That seems to be the opinion on the POA and other hot button issues in education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Art, How can you say it's not an education issue in South Africa and then in the next line say that there are myths and misinformation that cause the epidemic to grow. If there are myths and misinformation, the solution is educating or using information to eradicate the myth (aka education). I do agree that abstinence and ending drug abuse would be a great solution, but I don't know how they can get there. I am sure institutions in S. Africa have been suggesting this. I suspect it's as effective as when we say the same thing in America, but talking about the increasing rate of teenage pregnancy is a different thread. Whether Sesame Street is the correct forum is really up in the air and personally I have mixed feelings on the issue. Vis a vis, teaching tolerance, I don't have a problem with an HIV character in this country given the demographics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Staying on Topic HIV is not that huge compared to cancer ie leukemia or childhood DIABETES which is what we should focus on. However since AIDs is the only STD with Civil Rights and PC status all other diseases and mishaps or playing second fiddle. I dont have a problem pushing the info in backwards Africa but here in the US we have plenty of other childhood problems that a 3 to 7 yr old should see like hot stove muppet, catholic kid muppett, and heart disease muppet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted July 15, 2002 Share Posted July 15, 2002 Off topic to the off topic... I dimly remember hearing that once years ago that they gave Bert cancer so that they could deal with some of those issues. I suppose he's in remission now. Was someone testing my gullability or was this true. Navy, your question over the pecking order of diseases within the US culture is very interesting. Probably quite valid too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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