posted
How about some consensus-building? I say greenish-yellow.
In further "Look! Ma! Neandertals!" News:
quote: HIV-Positive TV Muppet Worries U.S. Lawmakers
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers are worried about plans to introduce an HIV-positive Muppet to the "Sesame Street" gang, Hollywood trade paper Daily Variety reported in its Monday edition.
A day after show executives announced they would develop the as-yet-unnamed character for audiences in AIDS-ravaged South Africa, five members of the House committee on energy and commerce said the Muppet would be unwelcome on American TV.
In a letter sent Friday to the president of the government-funded Public Broadcasting System, which airs "Sesame Street," the lawmakers noted the average age of U.S. viewers of "Sesame Street" in the U.S. is 2- to 4-years old.
"As such, while it is important to teach children in an age-appropriate manner about compassion for those who contract certain diseases, we would like to inquire as to whether there is other PBS programming, aimed at an older age group, which may be more suitable for such sensitive messages," Daily Variety reported the letter as saying.
The letter to PBS president Pat Mitchell was sent by committee chairman W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, a Louisiana Republican; as well as by Joe Barton of Texas; Richard Burr of North Carolina, Charles "Chip" Pickering of Mississippi, Cliff Stearns of Florida and Fred Upton of Michigan, the paper said.
"We look forward to working with you to ensure that only age and culturally appropriate programs air on PBS, which is a mainstay that millions of parents have come to rely upon over the past 35 years," the letter also read.
Joel Schneider, vice president and senior adviser to the Sesame Street Workshop, announced the new female Muppet at the 14th International AIDS conference in Barcelona.
It is scheduled for a Sept. 30 bow in South Africa, where one in nine people have the virus that can lead to AIDS. The local version of the show is called "Takalani Sesame." Schneider told Reuters last week that there would be no explicit mention of sex.
Daily Variety said Tauzin's letter gave Mitchell until Friday to answer such questions as the amount of money PBS dedicates to "Sesame Street," how much is being earmarked for the new Muppet, whether she will be introduced to the United States and whether corporate underwriters might participate in the decision-making process.
[ July 14, 2002, 22:42: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
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capped
I WAS IN THE FUTURE, IT WAS TOO LATE TO RSVP
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quote:Do children who are born HIV-positive usually live to age five? If not, how are they going to explain it?
Sometimes men in these countries, under the illusion that having sex with a virgin will cure their aids, rape young children, sometimes even babies. I don't think it's a bad idea to have a character with AIDS in the show if it prevents even one occurance of that.
-------------------- "Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising I came singing in the sun, sword unsheathing. To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking: Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!"
The Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
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posted
"It will have, in a childlike manner, open discussions about sexuality, ...."
How is a five year old going to understand a frank discussion about sexuality? I've always gathered that the muppets are supposed to be young adults (Bert and Ernie have their own place, Oscar has that way cool garbage can pad...) but how is a preschooler going to understand discussions about sexuality? I'm 26, and I still don't understand it half the time...
posted
its my understanding that children born with HIV live for 5-10 years. a pretty high percentage of children born to HIV infected mothers are HIV infected themselves. i know that there are a lot of HIV infected kids in a lot of places in the world...
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posted
It does make sense for South Africa, but not for the US, since I doubt that the number of young children dying from AIDS is especially high. If they did want to have a similar character in America, trying to get rid of preconceptions about illness, something like Leuikemia (or just cancer in general) would probably be better.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
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posted
The character, who will be a regular character in South Africa, is also going to act as a sort of goodwill ambassador to other, er, Streets.
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posted
I should like to know whether it is common for newspaper reporters to refer to members of Congress by nickname.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
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Then again, when one looks at where these Congressmen are from and what kind of views they hold, it strikes me as likely that everyone calls them by said nicknames.
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
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posted
What bugs me greatly is that, in a way, kids aren't permitted to be kids anymore. They are denied the most fundamental right any child should have: the right to an enjoyable, untroubled childhood.
In my opinion, the reality of this situation is far too grim for five-year-olds to handle or comprehend. But mainly we must ask ourselves: do we really want to force the issue, and are we even justified to do so, by introducing one of the world's deadliest diseases to a children's television programme?!
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
4.7 million people in South Africa have it. It has the largest population infected by HIV. It's not a tiny problem that you can shield from the kids.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Liam didn't phrase that frighteningly enough.
South Africa is only years away from a breakdown of biblical proportions. As the story notes, in some parts of the country, 40% of potential mothers are infected. Can you imagine the results of walking through downtown Omaha and killing 4 out of every 10 young women you see? In South Africa (and neighboring southern African nations) you either have AIDS or have a family member who does. It's just part of the social fabric.
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