An HIV positive Sesame Street character?

[Henry]

I was under the impression that the HIV character was only going to be on the African version of Sesame Street. I'm not sure what that has to do with American Decadence spreading the plague to the deserving heathens and whatnot. But don't let that get in the way of a good rant.

Honestly people, It's just a character that is more appropriate to another culture being put on a show ... for another culture. Not a big deal.

[NavyDave]

Ifs it no big deal why can t there be a Navy Dave muppet to teach kids patriotism, honesty, love of family and god?

[Art]

Burgold, you wroite....

"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."

Probably because if you draw a line and connect the dots yourself, you'll realize that the issue in Africa isn't with young children growing up not being aware of the risks of sexual practices they may be engaged in, but, that infants are being gang raped by men who are led to believe they can be cured by the action and, I'm going to guess, they aren't watching Sesame Street.

Education may be benefical to them. But, do you think they are benefitting from Sesame Street on a daily basis to get in touch with the views that would allow them to behave as they do? No. I think you don't.

"If there are myths and misinformation, the solution is educating or using information to eradicate the myth (aka education)."

Again, that's fine. But, as I said earlier, "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." You can't educate the gang rapist in this manner and, largely, it's not the people who will be watching Sesame Street that are going to be continuing the epidemic. It's going to be the people that are out in the hills killing lions and such and if the cast of Sesame Street intends to bring the message home, they'll need to enter the bush on foot and hope they don't end up roasted.

"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."

Why are you sure of this? We don't really do it here, so you think they are ahead of us in the teaching of 100 percent prevention of the disease to their people when rape gangs are assaulting babies to get rid of the disease? I'm sure they aren't suggesting this to anyone that is the problem. You aren't educating them with Sesame Street.

"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."

Again, you are equating American values on countries that have large populations believing that sex with a virgin will cure them and better yet, sex with a virgin with a hymen intact will cure them and not infect the girl. You suspect it's as effective there as here eh? What are the AIDS rates here? What are they there? I suspect it's more effective here than there.

"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."

The vast majority of people in THIS country who are infected with AIDS are so infected due to risky life decisions. Teaching kids it's "ok" and to "tolerate" these decisions that are harmful are precisely the wrong message to send. Though, Sesame Street might be the perfect forum for educating our youth in this country. In Africa, it's already too late, because the girls have already been raped by the time they understand what's on Sesame Street.

I wouldn't teach tolerance of people who have been so reckless as to bring harm upon themselves. To teach, you hold these reckless individuals up as examples of what foolish behavior will do to you. You don't make a lovable puppet dance around on stage to promote, "They're just like you and me." In fact, they aren't like you and me. Largely, the are people who have gotten themselves ill with idiotic behavior.

Let's not teach tolerance of that. Please.

[Burgold]

Where we possibly disagree, wait a second, aren't we disagreeing in a lot of places. Where we disagree in this instance is that I see the curative as being something that may take a very long time, one that may even necessitate a culture change. If you are going to intiate a culture change, it's often useful to try to begin with the children as they are more maleable than us stubborn grown ups. Thus, education, towards younger viewers may in the long term help to eliminate the myths or reduce the damage caused by them.

I do think it be useful to go along on several prongs simultaneously. Sidetrack, we know child abusers are often abused themselves. This means that breaking the cycle is important to prevent future abuse, however, it does not mean that the abusers should be sympathized with or forgiven for their poor upbringing. Similarly, the rapists who were raised with a faulty ideology may deserve our empathy, but not our sympathy. Educate them as well, but also show no tolerance towards rape and exact stiff penalties (jail time, castration, whatever).

Additionally, while it may be true that some of the cases of AIDS, HIV are passed on through rape, maybe even many, are you suggesting that none of them occurred through transfusions, blood contamination, or given the dormancy period of the disease, sex between married partners? Even if the largest number of HIV positives in S. Africa were given the disease via rape, shouldn't we A) educate the ones under the illusion so that they can't use the excuse of pretending to want to cure a disease and not condemn rape victims with the kind of vitriolic hatred that is deserved of pepple who do it to themselves (drug users etc.)

[flashback]

Art, I don't think it ever even occurred to the producers of Takalani Sesame to attempt to curtail the gang rape of children by introducing a new puppet on their show. I think the idea is to convey age appropriate messages to children, because if you're a child in South Africa with 180 kids in your elementary school, 20 of them are going to be HIV positive.

And Orangeskin-

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.

Really?! Even if you spouse is an intravenous drug abusing prostitute from Kenya? Gee, thanks for that simple, can't miss, 100% solution, Orangeskin. And here we are examining South Africa's mis-information problem.

...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.

Actually, we have 3 to 7 year olds learning that people who come to school and draw pictures and play tag (you're a big tag supporter, aren't you, Orangeskin?) who were born with the HIV virus have all of the same rights and feelings and human characterists as everyone else. But don't let what's really going on get in the way of a good bible-thumping rant against the 'dirty races' you ignorant bigot.

[OrangeSkin]

Ouch! That was chilly, flashback! So I'm an ignorant bigot because I don't want my kids thinking it's okay to hang out with intraveneous drug using prostitues? If that's the case, then I might as well get a swastika tattoo right now.

What the liberals want to do in this country is say that all we need to cure AIDS is more federal funding without getting to the root of the problem because we'll infringe upon civil liberties.

[Burgold]

Prevention is a terribly underutilized strategy in this country in many, if not all economic and social venues. We are much better at bandaging things afterwards. It unfortunately often takes an emergency to wake us up and to take action.

To deal with AIDS in this county will take two efforts. The scientific and medical plus the social/educational/psychological.

In South Africa, those producing the Sesame Street show (can't abreviate that SS, just can't, especially not following a post with a swastica reference)... one thing they will try is to teach tolerance, because while your children should not hang out with a drug injecting mother, they may be placed in a situation where they interact with that drugee's kids. The kids, I think, are innocent of the parent's transgressions and should be given a chance to live a normalish life even if their life is shortened by a disease. It's also not the worst idea to teach kids, if they are going to definately encounter one infected, what is safe and not safe to do around them.

As for the age thing, it really does feel like kids from that age group should be protected from issues like this. I mean shouldn't a three or four year old get to be sheltered from some of our adult stupidity. I think with the prevelance rates in S. Africa, the answer might be no. I mean wouldn't you hate your five year old to innocently perform a blood brother ritual with a best friend who later turned out to be...

[fansince62]

flashback.....since you raise the matter in your own "light hearted" fashion by accusing someone of being an ignorant bigot:

NavyDave may or may not be on target as to the final message, but he is very much on target about what is at stake. this has everything to do with values and what is communicated to our children. his implicit criticism is that the left/liberals pummel everyone with the tacit criticism that one is somehow morally destitute if he/she does not see or agree with what they view as obviously needed social remedies.....WHILE appliing the SAME moral condescension to the values they happen not to agree with that others view as deserving equal consideration. this smoke has been blown up our collective arses for so long now that many us are no longer willing to concede the moral high ground.

the moral calculus as seen from the left:

disagree with me = ignorant bigot

agree with me = enlightened & socially responsible

[Funkyalligator]

I am very much for the inclusion of an HIV seasamee street character. The problem of aids orphans in Africa is enormous, millions of children are born with aids because their mothers had it and then they died after giving birth. These children will be shunned by their community and will eventually die from malnutrition, neglect and medical problems, and even will be killed by ignorant people. This character might be able to teach tolerance and acceptance to those that surround these poor children.

On a side note: We need to ship millions of condoms down there so people stop f*&king without them. The population growth rate is crazy because people never use any sort of birth control or self control. Also they don't care about protection at all.