Sesame Street is ‘a propaganda tool for the Left’

[jimmy olsen]

I feel like there are a lot of puns/jokes that can be made here, but I'm drawing a blank.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1392368/Sesame-Street-propaganda-tool-Left-says-Ben-Shapiro.html

Sesame Street is 'a propaganda tool for the Left' says top author

By Ted Thornhill

Last updated at 3:46 PM on 30th May 2011


To most people Sesame Street is a fun educational show for kids featuring lovable characters such as Ernie, Big Bird and Cookie Monster – but for author Ben Shapiro the show is a vehicle for spreading left-wing propaganda.

...

Shapiro, 27, also spoke to one of Sesame Street's founders, who told him that he used the programme, in the wake of 9/11, to highlight how there were peaceful alternatives to war.

This revelation may surprise some, but the show – which has featured guest stars such as Katy Perry, Ricky Gervais and Michelle Obama - was criticised for having an anti-right agenda in 2009 when it mockingly referred to America's Fox News channel as 'Pox News'.

Sesame Street is broadcast in 120 countries, has won 118 Emmy Awards and can boast that around 95 per cent of Americans have watched it by the time they're three years old...

[Berkut]

What a bizarre thing to go on about.

Of course television often has a political message, and some shows certainly reflect the political views of those who make the shows. So what?

There is nothing "secret" about it.

[Martinus]

It definitely has a slant towards values more cheerished on the left, such as diversity. It this news?

[Berkut]

I wonder how you could make a show like Sesame Street, that is very consciously an attempt to teach moral and ethical lessons, without there being political ramifications of those messages. After all, any message, even something as simple as "Do unto others..." is going to be seen by someone as identified with some side of the political spectrum as opposed to another.

Sesame Street teaching that peace is better than war???

TEH HORROR!

[Slargos]

I wonder how you could make a show like Sesame Street, that is very consciously an attempt to teach moral and ethical lessons, without there being political ramifications of those messages. After all, any message, even something as simple as "Do unto others..." is going to be seen by someone as identified with some side of the political spectrum as opposed to another.

Sesame Street teaching that peace is better than war???

TEH HORROR!

And before you know it, you're a nation full of Euroweenies.

"OMG WE MAST HAZ NEGOTIATE WIF QUDIFI!"

[Malthus]

I'd make a crack about how certain Languish posters are like Sesame Street characters, but there are simply too many candidates for the role of Oscar the Grouch ... 

[Eddie Teach]

I'd make a crack about how certain Languish posters are like Sesame Street characters, but there are simply too many candidates for the role of Oscar the Grouch ... 

You should list them while making a big production of the tally.

[Caliga]

Can I be: Gravy Monster.

[derspiess]

For me, as someone acutely attuned to leftwing bias in TV, movies, news, etc., Sesame Street doesn't actually register that high on the scale.  I think I saw the "Pox News" thing but it didn't seem to be out of line with how they parody other networks/shows, particularly when it's an Oscar the Grouch skit. 

I have some minor quibbles about Sesame Street, like how the seem to over-promote self esteem, diversity & whatnot, but pretty much all children's educational shows are full of that crap.

[Razgovory]

Never even heard of Ben Shapiro.  Apparently he is a Conservative talk show host and author for Regnery.  I'll give the British a pass on reporting a dog-bites-man story because they probably don't know inane the drivel that comes from sources like that is.

[Caliga]

For me, as someone acutely attuned to leftwing bias in TV, movies, news, etc., Sesame Street doesn't actually register that high on the scale.  I think I saw the "Pox News" thing but it didn't seem to be out of line with how they parody other networks/shows, particularly when it's an Oscar the Grouch skit. 

Having met a number of people associated with Sesame Street including Kevin Clash (Elmo), Chris Cerf (music), and Lisa Henson (Jim's kid... think she is/was a producer) I can tell you for sure that these are very leftish folks.  I don't think it matters much, though... the focus of the show is on very early childhood education and I find it impossible to believe that little kids could possibly pick up on a political bias.

[garbon]

I wonder how you could make a show like Sesame Street, that is very consciously an attempt to teach moral and ethical lessons, without there being political ramifications of those messages. After all, any message, even something as simple as "Do unto others..." is going to be seen by someone as identified with some side of the political spectrum as opposed to another.

Sesame Street teaching that peace is better than war???

TEH HORROR!

And before you know it, you're a nation full of Euroweenies.

"OMG WE MAST HAZ NEGOTIATE WIF QUDIFI!"

You realize that Sesame Street has been on for a long time now, right?

[derspiess]

Having met a number of people associated with Sesame Street including Kevin Clash (Elmo), Chris Cerf (music), and Lisa Henson (Jim's kid... think she is/was a producer) I can tell you for sure that these are very leftish folks.  I don't think it matters much, though... the focus of the show is on very early childhood education and I find it impossible to believe that little kids could possibly pick up on a political bias.

Oh, I wouldn't doubt that for a minute.  I'd be pretty surprised if they weren't lefties.  I just don't see anything in Sesame Street that is egregiously left-biased.

[Slargos]

I wonder how you could make a show like Sesame Street, that is very consciously an attempt to teach moral and ethical lessons, without there being political ramifications of those messages. After all, any message, even something as simple as "Do unto others..." is going to be seen by someone as identified with some side of the political spectrum as opposed to another.

Sesame Street teaching that peace is better than war???

TEH HORROR!

And before you know it, you're a nation full of Euroweenies.

"OMG WE MAST HAZ NEGOTIATE WIF QUDIFI!"

You realize that Sesame Street has been on for a long time now, right?

SLOWLY CHIPPING AWAY AT THE MORALS OF YOUR YOUNG

[Razgovory]

I do remember the sugar beet song.  I noticed it starts with a very young Tamas working at the harvest  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZNSGdg2ms