We have a problem. A big problem. This problem is bigger than Iraq and iRan put together. It’s bigger than the medicare and social security problems put together.
Recently the original seasons of Sesame Street were released on DVD. However, the package carries a clear warning: “These early Sesame Street episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”
Um… OK. So either 1) today’s preschool child has drastically different needs than I did as a preschool child or 2) we are just too freaking hypersensitive to the creative programming our children watch.
Apparently while no one was looking, cookie monster became “vegetable monster” and Oscar the Grouch was sent to rehab and years of group therapy. The Count had to go for sensitivity training, and Grover had to go get his narcissism evaluated.
Is it just me, or have they taken the “character” out of the characters?
I really don’t think I was adversely affected or scarred by these rogue sesame street episodes. If you want to talk about shows I am scarred by, let’s talk about the guy with the affro who wore the skin tight unitard with a representation of his internal organs on it.
Sesame street is innocuous. In fact, I feel so strongly about it, I think I’ll buy these DVDs, and purposefully show them to my children, just to make sure they end up as awesome as me!
OH MY GOODNESS! Why is it that adults can see naked pornographic children on the internet with a click of the mouse (so I am told) but children can’t watch Oscar the grouch on TV cause he’s too grumpy? What kind of world or society shelters children until they don’t know how to complete a sentence or work with other people, but allows anything and everything for it’s adult population?
Maybe if we allowed children to absorb a world that isn’t TOO filtered and isn’t TOO protected and stop trying to save them from everything mean, uncomfortable, not fun and not perfect they would grow up more well adjusted and not so scared of the world. Then if adults would also censor themselves to realize that the policy of “anything goes” can pollute their children and society, we could all come to a medium of understand and accepting the reality of the human condition.
Ok, so I had to read this blog since you seemed so proud of it. And I must say that yes, if old Sesame Street episodes are really not intended for kids now, then what did these episodes do to our generation exactly that screwed us up so badly? What did they discover in the lab about us that made them change Sesame Street into a politically correct snooze fest? Hum…troubling. On the other side of the coin though, I had forgotten all about the creepy, skin-tight unitard organ guy! He was disturbing…so much so, that I had blocked him from my memory until this very moment when you mentioned him. *shudder* That is the DVD release should be the one carrying the warning (but let’s hope the release never happens).
Hey Sam, I’m glad facebook mass imported your blog because it brought me here today. 🙂 That creepy afro/unitard man would be SLIM GOODBODY. He is still alive and well in the elementary school world. He does a show called, DESKERCISE, now. It comes in ten minute clips of him showing you how to exercise at your desk all while giving you interesting facts about the theme for the day. He has toned down the fro, but still wears the organs unitard. (shivers…)