These right-wingers are certainly getting hysterical, aren't they? The New Yorker is promoting child abuse with its Bert and Ernie cover? You know, I doubt if many children read The New Yorker. Just sayin'.
And they're sitting on a couch together, watching TV! Two muppets! Jebus, how innocuous can you get?
Besides, just because The New Yorker implies something about two puppet characters, that has nothing to do with Sesame Street. "'Criminitly,' they say. 'They're Muppets! They have no sexual orientation.'" Exactly!
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| Bryan Fischer's idea of a 'homosexual clinch' |
(Salon)
I thought Fischer's reaction was hilarious. Admittedly, it would be more funny if it wasn't so hateful.
I cut my "TV teeth," so to speak, watching "Sesame Street" back in the 1970s. So I must confess that I found the Bert and Ernie cover a little.....awkward. But I realized that my "Sesame Street" mindset is still stuck in the '70s when the main objective of the show was to educate children on their A-B-C's and 1-2-3's.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I'm aware that the whole Bert/Ernie gay conspiracy has been floating around for years. It's pretty clear The New Yorker was having a little fun with it while trying to make a point. Besides, I'll roll with just about anything that pisses off the Religious Right.
I know "Sesame Street" has expanded its teachable moments on subjects such as death (remember when Mr. Hooper died). I also know the show has introduced a character that is food-insecure and a character whose parent is in prison. Perhaps it's the "end-of-the-innocence" thing for me. For good or for bad, life isn't that simple anymore.
If "Sesame Street" stays true to its characteristics, the show will eventually use the gay marriage issue as a teachable moment. In a way, that's unfortunate; for a 5-6-7 year old child, that's an awful lot on their plate. But, again, my childhood was in the '70s when life didn't seem that complicated.
"It's pretty clear The New Yorker was having a little fun with it while trying to make a point."
DeleteExactly, Jeff! I never watched Sesame Street, but I'm sure that sex wasn't on the producers' minds when they created Bert and Ernie. Nor will it be now. That's just ridiculous.
Of course, Sesame Street had black characters (the human ones), no doubt - something which would have been inconceivable in the 1950s. Was that political? Was that complicating the innocence of children?
There was a point to it, and having gay characters on the show wouldn't be so much different. But it's not going to be about sex, or even about marriage. Sesame Street, after all, is designed for very young children.
So I think we can freely laugh at these right-wing idiots, without getting too concerned that a beloved children's show is going to change. (Note that two of my favorite ladies on YouTube, Ana Kasparian and Cara Santa Maria, agree.)