A Sad Sign Of The Times

**McD** · 10-06-2011, 12:05 PM

On a serious note, Sesame Street does do a good job of adapting it's offerings to people from all walks of life.

The special about Elmo's daddy deploying was very helpful for our family.

Elmo's Dad Ships Out for Duty on 'Sesame Street' : NPR

**HappyMama** · 10-06-2011, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by McD

On a serious note, Sesame Street does do a good job of adapting it's offerings to people from all walks of life.

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I agree.

I always like Sesame Street, their shows helped many families over the years with learning and life.

I think I read the same study as you V about the different characters and how people have their favorites and why. Pretty interesting.

Oh and by the way MCD thanks alot now I have the C is for Cookie ringing in my head....LOL

**McD** · 10-06-2011, 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by HappyMama

I agree.

I always like Sesame Street, their shows helped many families over the years with learning and life.

I think I read the same study as you V about the different characters and how people have their favorites and why. Pretty interesting.

Oh and by the way MCD thanks alot now I have the C is for Cookie ringing in my head....LOL

Here let me fix that for you: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNMwRH5UGYY]Sesame Street - Monster in the Mirror (original) - YouTube[/ame]

**annymoll** · 10-06-2011, 12:40 PM

It's one thing to be a poor kid. But it must get tiring having everyone around you keep telling you that you are a poor kid.It reminds me of the situation where the "needy children were sent to the Salvation Army to get Christmas gifts, then they lined them up and took a picture and put it in the newspaper for all to see" Christmas Gifts Given to the Disadvantaged."Alot of the kids had no idea they were poor, but now they did.You have preschoolers telling other preschoolers about their trips to food banks and free lunches?To me, parents are supposed to address this privately with other adults, not children.

**monkeywrangler71** · 10-06-2011, 12:46 PM

The whole original premise, 43 years ago, was to depict people living in the projects, perservering through poverty was always an underlying theme. Prior to the elmofication of the show, Sesame Street was pretty gritty place.

And they have always dealt with sensitive and difficult issues. This isn't nearly as groundbreaking as when they taught kids about death, with Big Bird's earth-shattering realization that Mr. Hooper was never coming back.

**Russ** · 10-06-2011, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

This isn't nearly as groundbreaking as when they taught kids about death, with Big Bird's earth-shattering realization that Mr. Hooper was never coming back.

I can't hear you

**annymoll** · 10-06-2011, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

The whole original premise, 43 years ago, was to depict people living in the projects, perservering through poverty was always an underlying theme. Prior to the elmofication of the show, Sesame Street was pretty gritty place.

And they have always dealt with sensitive and difficult issues. This isn't nearly as groundbreaking as when they taught kids about death, with Big Bird's earth-shattering realization that Mr. Hooper was never coming back.

We must have been the sheltered kids out in the burbs. I don't think a single preschooler knew what a food stamp or Medicaid card was, and I do not remember this show as depicting poverty with free lunches, food banks and government aid.Times are changing!

**imagine** · 10-06-2011, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Nishu

I didn't think of this, but you're probably right. Maybe they can make Lily seem cooler by giving her a smart phone and nice clothes?

If they make her a fun normal kid and the children enjoy playing with her even after they find out she is on free lunch. A normal kid in a rough spot. That would be good enough.

I think alot of hungry children already bonded with Elmo and I bet they see him like them. They put their life situation with what they know. So when Elmo on past episodes was looking for a snack and telling adults he is hungry. Some children would think he was looking for a snack while a truly hunger child might think he was looking for a meal since he missed one.

It also bothers me that Elmo is so shocked that some people did not have enough to eat. Sesame Street was made to prepare poverty children for school. They also did a story arch a while back where Elmo's mom loses her job and he "suffers" though that.

So if you are a poverty child who is hungry and you have bonded with Elmo thinking he was like you and you watched his parent lose a job maybe like yours and he is still surprised well what does that mean of you

**moasmom** · 10-06-2011, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by monkeywrangler71

...Prior to the elmofication of the show, Sesame Street was pretty gritty place.

And they have always dealt with sensitive and difficult issues. This isn't nearly as groundbreaking as when they taught kids about death, with Big Bird's earth-shattering realization that Mr. Hooper was never coming back.

I agree with this. This new story line (which I admit I haven't seen anything of, not having watched Sesame Street in at least 20 years) is "business" as usual for Sesame Street. Dealing with sensitive, difficult issues was Jim Henson et al's original mission. As always, parents have the opportunity to turn off the TV if they find the show unpleasant.

Recently, my DH and I watched a very eye-opening documentary about different Sesame Street productions around the world. It focused primarily on production in Bosnia/Serbia, a particularly AIDS-affected African country, and Bangladesh, exploring the issues important to help children with in those places. Fascinating stuff.

Kara

**imagine** · 10-06-2011, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by moasmom

I agree with this. This new story line (which I admit I haven't seen anything of, not having watched Sesame Street in at least 20 years)

It is a special and will air on Sunday during primetime. At least that is what I have heard.

**imagine** · 10-06-2011, 02:48 PM

here is the website set up to go along with the episode

Food for Thought - Toolkits - Parents - Sesame Street

It has lots of information downloads and videos.

including an video called healthy foods on a budget

Makes me wonder if the main target audience is the parents who might watch it with the children instead of the main audience being pre school children.

I more hopeful then I was when I first heard about it.

I should of had more faith in the way seasme street handles things.

**bonnotsm9** · 10-06-2011, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by annymoll

Alot of the kids had no idea they were poor, but now they did.You have preschoolers telling other preschoolers about their trips to food banks and free lunches?To me, parents are supposed to address this privately with other adults, not children.

Kids that age will always talk to each other. I remember coming home and telling my mom how upset I was that I didn't get to go to Head Start like my friend did. (My friend had made cool birds nest from clay in her Head Start class and I wanted one too.) Mom didn't tell me what Head Start was, just that it was good for me that I hadn't needed to go to it. It was years before I figured out what she meant by that.

**annymoll** · 10-06-2011, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by bonnotsm9

Kids that age will always talk to each other. I remember coming home and telling my mom how upset I was that I didn't get to go to Head Start like my friend did. (My friend had made cool birds nest from clay in her Head Start class and I wanted one too.) Mom didn't tell me what Head Start was, just that it was good for me that I hadn't needed to go to it. It was years before I figured out what she meant by that.

Yes, I have had incidents also that slipped my mind. My daughter was telling me that she was out with her kids and they asked for a soda. She told them no. They watched as a kid went thru the line with a foodstamp card( they are quite distinctive here) and bought candy and sodas, my grandson told his mother," Look, that kid even has his own credit card to buy candies!"The other one said," yeah, we are too poor." Out of the mouths of babes. LOL!!!!

**kimmy4433** · 10-06-2011, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by valerian

Nobody...especially children...should be going hungry in America! I'm sick of us giving aid to other countries when our own people are hungry here...no one else in the world would help us...just my two cents for the day.

On a lighter note, I loved Sesame Street as a child! Have you ever wondered why people have certain favorite characters from the show? Someone should do a study on it. I loved Ernie and Oscar and Big Bird. My brother liked Cookie Monster. My cousin liked Big Bird. My oldest son wasn't into Sesame Street, but was CRAZY about Barney (ugh! That song drove me nuts!) Middle ds was a huge Elmo fan. I don't think youngest has ever watched Sesame Street.

I never really cared for Sesame Street, and DD never watched it, but I liked when Burt & Ernie were on (No I never thought they were gay, I thought they were brothers!) and my favorite was/is The Count!