Why not diabetic puppet?
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, July 24, 2002
An HIV positive puppet on Sesame Street.
That’s going a little far, don’t you think?
I was appalled when I heard about it.
First, the &uot;under God&uot; Pledge of Allegiance ruling in California &045; clearly a million miles from Alabama &045; and now a puppet with AIDS.
Now, I’m certainly not one of those people who walk around denying that there is even such a thing as the disease.
It’s here, I know that, and it’s killing people every day.
But so are diabetes and heart disease and cancer and leukemia and cystic fibrosis.
If we are trying to teach children to be compassionate to those with diseases, I wonder why they’ve chosen to focus on AIDS and not one of the others.
I have a friend who is convinced it’s an attempt to introduce homosexuality into our homes &045; little by little.
If they do it this way, through a seemingly innocent children’s television program, one that’s been around for many years, maybe we won’t notice it.
I would like to believe &uot;they&uot; (whoever they are) don’t really think we are that dumb.
Unfortunately, the more I think about it; the more I think my friend is right.
It’s appalling.
I heard one man say on the radio that he wanted to be the one to teach his children about AIDS.
He said he understood the need for children to know about the disease; but as a parent, he should be able to choose at what age to teach his own children.
It should not be left up to the likes of Sesame Street to decide when and how to introduce tough subjects such as this one to 5 year olds.
I sure hope parents are aware of the moves of television shows like Sesame Street and those on Nickelodeon.
I teach 2 year olds in Sunday school, and I know how they absorb information.
I’d hate to think of those babies being introduced to AIDS by a puppet.
Currently, Sesame Street’s newest HIV positive character will only be appearing in another country, but, rest assured, it’s coming here.
And it won’t be long.
Hopefully, parents are aware of it and will be watching for it to ensure their children are not exposed without their knowledge.
Frankly, until these children’s TV shows introduce a Diabetic, Epileptic, CF muppet who lives every day with Leukemia, I’ll not be watching