'Sesame Street' creates first Muppet to have a parent in jail

[Jeffg010]

http://www.today.com/moms/sesame-street-creates-first-muppet-have-parent-jail-6C10345061

Not sure what to think of this.

 

[darkewaffle]

Alex will not be part of the regular cast on “Sesame Street,” but he’s playing a central role in the online tool kit.

FYI

But good for them, though it's sad that it's such a prevalent predicament for children.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

It sucks for the kids since its not their fault, but on the other hand it does seem like a ghetto idea.

 

[techs]

What's next? Jihad Joe?

 

[RPD]

Wow, talk about lowering standards.

 

[darkewaffle]

Wow, talk about lowering standards.

How do you lower your standards when your target market is toddlers/children? Lol, unless Sesame Street is only for the affluent kids with an intact nuclear family all of a sudden.

 

[RPD]

How do you lower your standards when your target market is toddlers/children? Lol, unless Sesame Street is only for the affluent kids with an intact nuclear family all of a sudden.

Because it's normal to have a parent in jail now?

 

[ch33zw1z]

I'm not sure how I feel about this. What's the parent in jail for? I need context!

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Alex will not be part of the regular cast on “Sesame Street,” but he’s playing a central role in the online tool kit.

Makes sense. Studies have shown that children with parents in jail tend to have the most widespread access to the internet of any demographic.

 

[Drako]

I'm not sure how I feel about this. What's the parent in jail for? I need context!

It doesn't matter. It only matters that little Billy is not ashamed that his parent is a loser :|.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Catering to the lowest common denominator....one field at a time: Mankind.

 

[SheHateMe]

I think it is important to be able to reach kids, no matter what their parent's backgrounds are.

Some kids have parents in Jail. It doesn't mean SS is glorifying that, but it is a REAL situation that kids are living under...so what is the problem?

The muppet is not even going to be a regular character.

 

[Gooberlx2]

But good for them, though it's sad that it's such a prevalent predicament for children.

:thumbsup:

1 in 28 kids have a parent in jail, according to the article. It's hard to say it's not relevant to their audience. It's often a huge source of shame and alienation for those kids as well (which may lead to other problems down the road).

Part of Sesame Street's purpose is to educate young children about their circumstances and aid in coping. This fits the bill well, imo.

 

[mmntech]

:thumbsup:

1 in 28 kids have a parent in jail, according to the article. It's hard to say it's not relevant to their audience. It's often a huge source of shame and alienation for those kids as well.

Part of Sesame Street's purpose is to educate young children about their circumstances and aid in coping. This fits the bill well, imo.

Geez, didn't know things were THAT bad down there. :\

 

[BoberFett]

I think it is important to be able to reach kids, no matter what their parent's backgrounds are.

Some kids have parents in Jail. It doesn't mean SS is glorifying that, but it is a REAL situation that kids are living under...so what is the problem?

The muppet is not even going to be a regular character.

As much of a cold-hearted, child-hating bastard as I am, I tend to agree.

I seem to recall reading about Sesame Street and how it was designed for kids who were disadvantaged. The fact that it happens on a city street isn't an accident. It was supposed to be for inner city kids who may not be receiving the attention they need from their parents. A character with a parent in jail, as much as it is a sad commentary on the pathetic state of our country, is in line with the show's original goals.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Geez, didn't know things were THAT bad down there. :\

Most incarcerated society. WE'RE NUMBER 1, WE'RE NUMBER 1!!!!

 

[Schmide]

Could of saved Mark Madoff.

 

[PingSpike]

I'm still more upset about Cookie Monster saying cookies are a "sometimes food" in the new version. He's not human, he's a cookie monster. It stands to reason that his species' diet consists entirely of cookies and that force feeding himself vegetables may have long term health consequences.

 

[iamwiz82]

It doesn't matter. It only matters that little Billy is not ashamed that his parent is a loser :|.

Cameron Poe is not a loser!

 

[Spungo]

Because it's normal to have a parent in jail now?

Stupid people have way more kids than smart people. A normal middle class woman with a good family might have 1 child. A ghetto class woman will have 4 kids and the father of those kids is in jail. 1/2 of parents in this example would be ghetto class, but 4/5 kids would say their dad is in jail. From that sample you would say it's "normal" for daddy to be in jail.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

not really that ridiculous. look at the incarceration rates in this country since the start of the 'war' on drugs. its shameful.

 

[Mixolydian]

It's good to start teaching kids about life as soon as possible. Leads to less disappointment later on.

 

[Spungo]

It's good to start teaching kids about life as soon as possible. Leads to less disappointment later on.

Kids should be raised to believe in a utopian society. That way they'll be more angry and willing to do something when they find that the government does things like warrantless wiretapping and indefinite confinement without pressing charges.

Showing them the reality of life would do the exact opposite. The government can just invade my home and privacy any time they want? Of course. It was always like that, wasn't it? They might even grow up to resist ideas like freedom just because it's a foreign idea they've never heard before. Believe it or not, lots of people in the USSR were against freedom and mixed economies because they had never seen it and they had only heard bad things about it. That could easily be us and our children if we raise them to think that being spied on constantly is normal.

 

[Mixolydian]

Kids should be raised to believe in a utopian society. That way they'll be more angry and willing to do something when they find that the government does things like warrantless wiretapping and indefinite confinement without pressing charges.

Showing them the reality of life would do the exact opposite. The government can just invade my home and privacy any time they want? Of course. It was always like that, wasn't it? They might even grow up to resist ideas like freedom just because it's a foreign idea they've never heard before. Believe it or not, lots of people in the USSR were against freedom and mixed economies because they had never seen it and they had only heard bad things about it. That could easily be us and our children if we raise them to think that being spied on constantly is normal.

P&N is that way, nutjob. -->

 

[Theb]

Reading Rainbow already did it. http://www.tv.com/shows/reading-rainbow/visiting-day-393548/

I'm not sure why people would have a problem with this. It doesn't seem like it would do any harm kids to who don't have a parent in prison, it might just help them appreciate their situation.

:thumbsup:

1 in 28 kids have a parent in jail, according to the article. It's hard to say it's not relevant to their audience. It's often a huge source of shame and alienation for those kids as well (which may lead to other problems down the road).

Part of Sesame Street's purpose is to educate young children about their circumstances and aid in coping. This fits the bill well, imo.

That's a horrifying statistic.