I am all for equal opportunity in every aspect of life, including a gay wedding and marriage. I wish that every single person in the entire world could be free to live their life without judgement or persecution regardless of color, race, religion or sexual preference. But, alas, that is not the world we live in. Sadly, we don’t live in a world of acceptance or understanding instead we even lack tolerance. We live in a world where the moral majority likes to look down its nose at anyone or anything that is not what they deem appropriate.
I think we need to teach our children not to be tolerant but to be accepting and loving of all people. But it shouldn’t be forced or shoved down their throats. It needs to be organic.So, when I read a post on Mommyish.com referencing an article in the New York Daily News titled
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NewYorkDailyNews.Com
Online Push for Bert, Ernie to have a Gay Wedding on Sesame street
I was a bit taken aback. Apparently, there is a petition to have Sesame Street have a gay wedding take place between Ernie and Bert. This is not organic. This is shoving an idea in front of an audience who will not only not understand why suddenly Bert and Ernie are in the same bed but we, the parents, will be left to explain this concept. More than that, I don’t want my children used to push a political agenda. What’s next on Sesame street? Abortion? Teen pregnancy? STDs? I trust PBS to help me teach my kids the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colors. There are few channels that I can say that I trust.Usually because they are selling my kids out to the highest advertising bid.*I’m talking to you Nickelodeon. Sesame Street has been a great learning tool for many parents but I don’t think this particular topic should be broached with this audience. It’s teaching an agenda to an audience held captive by puppets.It’s bullshit!
My Throat Punch this week goes to the 700 strong who have signed the petition to push this agenda. Not because it’s the wrong agenda but because it’s the wrong place and the wrong audience. Most of the general public is not a fan of helicopter parenting because of how it doesn’t allow children to grow and form their own experiences and opinions, so how is this acceptable? It is forcing a position on a controversial subject onto our children. What happened to free will? I thought that was, after all, the ultimate goal. Free to be you and Me. Not free to be who you want me to be! What do you think about the idea of a gay wedding on Sesame Street?
If you know someone who deserves a Throat Punch this week, please link up. The link is up for a week. Just GFC follow The TRUTH about Motherhood, grab the button(located under the “buttons” tab) and put it in your post and then link up your post. Leave a comment here so I can visit your Throat Punch.
Sesame Street’s Big Fat Gay Wedding
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20 comments
Totally with you on this one, girl. I really think it’s up to the parents to teach these things, and I also think that children need to come to their own opinions.
I am with you 100%.
Isn’t that the same argument given for all social issues? Isn’t that what was said about segregation? Interracial marriage? Aren’t both now shown on Sesame Street
I just feel like this is not the place for a political agenda to be pushed of any kind.The kids are too young, in my opinion. I am an advocate for gay marriage but I don’t think Bert and Ernie are the way to go. Perhaps, if there were new characters added it would be more organic rather than forcing the issue by using the first available characters that came to mind. I mean if they go with Bert and Ernie, was it a secret? Why was it a secret? Why did it have to be a secret? That’s the questions that will be asked by kids and it’s just not the right platform for the issue.
I understand that it is uncomfortable and raises questions from our little ones that can be difficult to answer.
I understand that you say you support gay marriage.
just not in your household?
Why not explain it to your kids (if they even ask) the same way you explain you and your husband living together – in the same bed? or any other family or couple on any tv show?
How is it any different to casting a mix of racial and ethnic backgrounds on the show? once upon a time white parents would have been saying the same thing about explaining the presence of an african american character to thier children. But look how far we’ve come – now our children (mostly) understand that people are different, and that’s ok and NORMAL.
I do take offense to what you are implying. When my children have seen same sex partners together in public, I do explain that they love each other and it’s no different than Me and my husband. They know this. That is organic. It comes up. I explain it. My qualm is with the fact that Sesame Street is being used as a political forum to push an agenda. It is not gay marriage that I have the problem with, it is the politicking on a small children’s show. P.S. I am the product of a multi-racial marriage and thu so are my girls. They are exposed to all sorts of people with all different backgrounds and they love them all for who they are not what they are.
I absolutely mean no offense – I read your blog because it often provides issues to think about, even if I don’t always agree with your opinion – and I enjoy your honest style of approaching issues. You don’t beat around the bush! I am in no way insinuating that you are homophobic, racist or even agaist gay marriage
I just really don’t see what the big deal about having something that is acceptable in society, on out TV screens.
Yes it’s a political agenda. So? People are petitioning for it to be there because there isn’t really a good reason for it not to be.
Eons ago, people had to petition for ethnic people to be on mainstream programming, and would have faced similar backlash. Now we don’t bat an eyelid. Give it a little time for people to accept and get used to seeing this as normal, and the same will be true here.
It’s just a non issue and i am surprised to see it get the throat punch treatment.
It’s the political agenda pushing on toddlers that is getting the throat punch. And thank you for your honest and frank comment. I welcome all debate and I appreciate the thought and reasoning put into it. And I really appreciate your readership:)
I agree with you, I was kinda shocked when I saw that and thought, what? Don’t these people have better things to spend time petitioning for?
Sesame Street is for kids, and kids don’t need gay marriage thrown at them at that age. What don’t they get about it??
I feel it is the parent’s place to explain it but mostly I oppose to the political agenda pushing onto toddlers. I think it is a sleazy move.
I don’t understand why it’s being implied Bert & Ernie are in a relationship. They live in the same house – so? I lived with friends, I didn’t have sex with them, nor did I marry them. Leave it alone, it’s absurd to assume that the next “logical”‘step for Bert & Ernie is gay marriage when throughout the years of the show they have been portrayed as friends and friends only.
If Ernie or Bert were “living” with a female character, would there be heterosexual groups pushing for them to marry? I doubt it. If you’re gay, and want to marry your partner then yeah, you should be able to. But don’t push your personal desires onto a bunch of kids who just want to watch their favourite characters on TV.
It’s just not appropriate to push over their head agenda on unsuspecting kids. Plus,aside form it being a more organic topic discussion, I think it is the parent’s responsibility not the fine muppets at Sesame street.
I agree with you that it should happen organically. Suddenly having a gay wedding between PUPPETS is not organic. I think it would be great if a gay couple moved down the street, maybe with their adopted kid. Something where they are just part of the neighborhood. Suddenly making Bert & Ernie gay is not going to solve society’s woes. Introducing a new family unit that happens to be headed by a gay couple would be a much better & more effective way to do this. It smacks of political agenda and I agree with you that it has no place in children’s programming.
THEY ARE F88KING PUPPETS!!! (pun intended)
Right? I thought the puppets were like Barbie’s Ken..no working parts:) Plus, if you really think about it,it’s a flawed scenario. There is no way that Bert is a gay man with that unibrow. There is no self respecting gay man who would be caught dead with that caterpillar above their eyes:) XO
When did Earnie and Bert become gay? I grew up watching the show and always thought of them as friends. Even to this day. It makes no sense to have two puppets marry just to show the world that puppets are on board.
I don’t think it’s really about Ernie and Bert. If there needs to be a presence of gay marriages on TV, then that needs to be created. But to force a marriage between friends just to have a marriage, on a children’s show?
How will we explain it when Earnie and Bert divorce after being friends for so long? It didn’t work out? Thy were friends for more than 20 years…until they decided to get married.
All joking aside, these things need to come up on their own. When our kids see it, we explain it. We talk about it and help them understand. But I don’t see a point of shoving it in their faces on top of trying to learn the alphabet and their numbers. It seems like it only serves the adults and not the children; the real reason why the show was created.
I totally agree with Truthful Mommy (I could have just said that and be so long winded).
I appreciate your comment. I agree these topics need to be organic especially when dealing with little ones.
I agree with you 100% on this subject. It should be up to us parents to teach these things to our children. My husband and I were talking about this Bert and Ernie thing yesterday. It’s frustrating when people feel the need to do these things. Just let these two items be the puppets they have always been. Yes, there has always been those “They are gay” jokes and there will always be. But let it just be that jokes that people make and let us teach our own children about subjects such as these.
Great post!
I just think that it is totally not the right venue to be pushing political agenda of any kind:)
This is so well written.
I agree with you 100% and hope you send this to PBS
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