WaPo: Time for a Regular Gay Human Couple on 'Sesame Street'
In Friday's Washington Post, Metro section columnist Petula Dvorak dismissed the half-serious campaign by gay advocates to have the Muppet characters Ernie and Bert get married. She said preschoolers should see two new human characters on the educational PBS show: a gay couple. "Preschoolers will get this," she insisted.
Besides, we shouldn’t rely on puppets to acknowledge our country’s historic progress on same-sex relationships. And that brings us to a campaign I’d really like to see. It is time for “Sesame Street” to add a same-sex human couple to the show.
These are flesh-and-blood, genuine and increasingly legal unions. It’s not something that should be represented by foam creatures.
That’s tempting for some of the folks who are fumbling for a cute storybook way of teaching kids about same-sex relationships. You can read about Tango the penguin or hope that Bert and Ernie have a lovely wedding, but a more powerful lesson is simply seeing Sylvia and Sandra at school pickup, PTA meetings and the park every day, doing what all parents do.
Preschoolers will get this.
And even if same-sex marriage isn’t supported by your religion or values, it’s time to stop pretending that these couples don’t exist. Six states — New York, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont — and the District of Columbia issue licenses for same-sex unions. With the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the Pentagon will allow gays to serve openly in the military.
Liberals always think public television should be taking tax dollars and promoting the "social good," which is somehow synonymous with liberalism. Dvorak concluded with a dash of humor, or cynicism:
The relationship needs to be as unremarkable as Susan and Gordon’s race or Luis and Maria’s ethnicity.
As for Bert and Ernie, do we really want to see two of our favorite Muppets slip into the ennui of marriage? A life without pigeons and bubble baths and oatmeal? Absolutely not.
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Comments
Never too young to start
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 7:17am.
Never too young to start indocrination into the realm of garbage. Let's go all the way and get a reigistered sex offender on the show. Let show pictures of advance stages of VD. How about some rape videos.
That's a good start, Lam.
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 7:35am.
That's a good start, Lam. Maybe Oscar the Grouch can live in a gay bar instead of a garbage can and Ernie can change the name of his song to "Rubber Dickie." And to top it all off, they can rename that blue guy Cocky Monster.
...how about a "gay" character dying of AIDs.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:07am.
Use that character to teach about proper condom use.
Could use cute songs to teach how to use a condom, such as:
Here's my condom,
Here's a banana,
Here's how you put a condom on...(sarcasm)
Oh, for crying out loud!!
Submitted by motherbelt on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 7:29am.
For years Bert and Ernie were best friends. Now we find out they were in the closet the whole time?
Like Tinki Winki, gay advocates decide they are gay, and choose them as icons. Lucky for them, muppets and puppets can't fight back.
Don't let kids have any innocence.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:02am.
"11 Kids' Characters Who Could Come Out!"
Should Bert and Ernie get married? A new petition calls for the “roommates” to finally tie the knot. From SpongeBob to Family Guy's Stewie, watch video of other possibly closeted kids’ characters. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/11/02/gay-characters-on-child...
One reader's comment: From FOTOG24: "To use muppets or cartoon characters, as a platform to move along adult issues is nothing short of being in port taste and robbing what little is left of a childhood with a little bit of comfort and innocence."
"Preschoolers will get this."
Submitted by SickofLibs on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:03am.
Preschoolers also get the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. So what?
I've always wondered.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 10:57am.
Is the Tooth Fairy really gay, or just unlucky that a perfectly good word like "fairy" has been co-opted by PC, like "gay." Hell, my old aunt was a "gay old gal," and no way was she the modern definition of gay!
Whatever happened to being queer? Every homosexual male I know over the age of 65 (if they have a sense of humor) still refers to themselves as "queer."
gays
Submitted by kinijane on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:18am.
Its time for the gays to put their sex life back in the bedroom and get it
out of the public domain.
I'd like to say I'm surprised by the reactions
Submitted by JackandMarilyn on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:39am.
But alas, they're just like every other gay-related story. Let's consider the reactions-------
Let's go all the way and get a reigistered sex offender on the show. Let show pictures of advance stages of VD. How about some rape videos.
Maybe Oscar the Grouch can live in a gay bar instead of a garbage can and Ernie can change the name of his song to "Rubber Dickie." And to top it all off, they can rename that blue guy Cocky Monster.
how about a "gay" character dying of AIDs.
Be realistic people. Sickoflibs, I appreciate your benign comments this time around.
If you'd like to say you're
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:43am.
If you'd like to say you're surprised, it's not that difficult. Just say "I'm surprised." Otherwise, learn to recognize sarcasm.
Ed
Submitted by JackandMarilyn on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:48am.
I'm not surprised. That's the point. I should be shocked by some of these comments, but I'm not. Same as the last time.
The point that I, and I think
Submitted by Ed Gregory on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:57am.
The point that I, and I think others, are trying to make is that promoting same-sex couples as the norm in children's programming -- especially when it's taxpayer-subsidized -- is a bad idea and deserves to be ridiculed.
Rejected, yes
Submitted by JackandMarilyn on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 9:07am.
Ridiculed-----meh. How about some constructive ideas? Gays aren't going away, and while I agree preschool is a tad early to breach the subject, I hardly think we need to worry about sex being brought up.
These comments are brought to you by the letter D and the number 6.
How about we close the bedroom door
Submitted by johnsonl on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 10:20am.
and stop putting gays on a pedestal?
Nobody cares if you're gay.
Really.
Is JackandMarilyn two people ...
Submitted by Newsbubba on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:03am.
... or is one of them your "stage name" when working?
Pre-school kids don't need to even worry or think about something as complicated as sex. There is plenty of time for the government to screw up their little heads when they start school and are taught how to bag a banana.
Let Bert and Ernie just be buddies. Kids can understand that. They have plenty of time to learn about the real garbage cans of life later.
Chill
Submitted by JackandMarilyn on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 12:06pm.
I already rejected the idea.
Hmmmm?
Submitted by Newsbubba on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 1:03pm.
The fact that you even thought about it answers the question.
It sure will be nice when
Submitted by bkeyser on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 8:55am.
we get a Conservative back in office and we can quiet down the interminable screaming of these vainglorious drama queens. The only reason 2% of anything should get this much attention is if its a detriment to the rest of society. Otherwise, it should quietly go about its normal routine.
8.3% of the population has diabetes- wouldn't it more instructional for a greater portion of the viewing audience if Bert became diabetic?
What about acne??? I'm sure
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 10:05am.
What about acne??? I'm sure that there's a lot more acne around than gays. Or maybe diahhrea..................I mean, let's be fair here, OK???
What is So "Hip" About Pimping Gays?
Submitted by Motormouth KOS on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:34am.
I am a social liberal. That means I really don't give a rat's ass where you put your pecker or your mouth.
But I fail to see why we need to be constantly chided to pimp the gays, or to applaud being gay, or coming out of the closet.
Is it so "cool"? Really? Why? Because it's edgy to be gay or a big gay advocate? Does that make you smarter or better informed?
Enough already. Who cares. Suck on a doorknob or a dong, I just don't care.
Go buy yourself a billboard and proclaim it to the world if that makes you feel better.
I don't hate gays, but I do hate pretentious douchebags.
The Obamination... A crisis leading to a catastrophe..(please donate to MRC)
"Preschoolers will get this"
Submitted by Quasi-socialist on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 1:10pm.
What?!! Sure it will imply a normalcy by the way that it is treated on Sesame Street. But that's not anybody getting anything as much as it would be indoctrination if SS started talking about "God creation".
Hey Joe
Submitted by ghost of Mary J... on Fri, 08/12/2011 - 3:07pm.
Up yours. I can't wait until MSDNC goes under and he comes back sniveling for a job. Talking about how he once was lost but now he is found.
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