actually, i think that having a muppet that has HIV on Sesame Street here in America is a really good idea. I have a little cousin who watches Sesame Street and I think its good to start educating them about sex and the consequences now. Maybe some girls and boys wont grow up like a lot of the teens now are. Having sex at 12 and younger...and getting HIV or another STD having to deal with it for the rest of thier lives...thats terrible...and maybe if kids that are between the ages of 3 and 6 start to get educated about it now this wont happen.
I think the Sesame Street watching age is a good age to start teaching children about HIV/AIDS. Although they are young they are still living in the same world as everyone else and HIV/AIDS continues to be an issue. We need to start teaching our children about HIV/AIDS so that they can understand what is going on, what if they happen to meet a child with AIDS, if they don't know, they won't understand.
what if a kid had hiv, and went to school, and everyone in his\her class knew about it. this could be a very hurtful situation for the kid and bring on much already unneeded pain. you know how kids are. what if kids don't learn about how one SHOULD treat other people with hiv from their parents or school, but learn about it through thier classmates; "they're evil and bad cause they have a disease. they are different from me and i want no contact with this.... thing."
i think the point should be to show kids about people caring about other people (which they do quite well) and to do it early and before they learn from their equally ignorant peers.
In a sense...it is actually a good idea. Because when kids are younger then tend to want to know more about certain things they hear and see on tv. So, it would be a good thing if kids at young ages knew of the risks and consequences of having sex. That way they are more apt to be careful when it comes to sexual situations. But yet, then is also the flip side to it. In most parents eyes, they wouldn't want their kids of five and six years old...or just their kids that watch Sesame Street coming up and asking about sex. The age is probably the only thing that is disturbing about this situation. But that is just my opinion...compared to others....
i dont feel that little kids need to know at five or so, They dont need to know that people are dying. They should be allowed to stay young as long as they can. Many kids grow up to quickly. I actually think kids need to be more sheltered up until like 9 or 10 cuz well before then it could scare them and stuff. I think up until 9 kids should only know on a need to know basis about all the scary stuff that doesnt involve them immediatly. After 10 or so yeah they are growing up they should get to learn some stuff about it but from there parents and that way they arent as scared as they would be. Plus i dont think at 5 or so they would really grasp the real info they'd just think it wasnt a big deal and so until they are able to learn and understand tehy shouldnt just get part of the topic. well dats my opinion
It's an interesting idea, and I have mixed feelings. However- I don't know if anyone brought this up- there are tons of kids out there (in America) who have HIV, from an infected parent or suchlike. To see someone on their favorite TV show who has AIDS and is loved and accepted might help them feel better and less alienated.
BirdyGirl and sinope, I do understand what you guys are saying about teaching kids to be more accepting, compassionate, etc. about the whole HIV/AIDS issue. But I still do not believe that television can do this. Just because a television show portray's this sort of action does not necessarily mean that their audience will follow the same example. It's similar to the violence on television issue...just because you see it on tv, does not necessarily mean your going to do it. I still believe it is a parents job to teach their child to be accepting and compassionate, to not only HIV/AIDS patients but to everyone, whether they are different or the same. And it is a parents responsiblity to teach their child that just because someone is different doesn't make them bad. Because like sinope said HIV is a reality of the future, and it should be dealt with, but I disagree w/ the fact that tv can teach a child all of this.
Prejudice can be inflicted on children by parents and teachers and friends, and it cannot be thwarted fast enough (for me, anyway). I, personally, agree with sinope; caring, compassionate environments shown (like Sesame Street) that include people of all races, religions, and yes, even afflictions give a more balanced picture of the world as it is. They didn't hesitate to put a handicapped child on there, now did they? Same for HIV-positive people; they are in the world and must be represented. Sure, kids won't understand what it is really, but they will understand that it isn't a bad thing. Wonderful topic, BTW.
HIV is a reality of the future. To avoid the subject is a recipe for disaster.
But noone would expect the kids to fully understand the issue, or be informed like some high school student about the consequences of U.P.S.!!!!!
I think the goal would not be to inform as much, but give the kids a reallife caring compassionate association toward HIV people grounded in a make believe world. Years later the subject will no doubt have a more important relavance, but the seed of fear, anxiety and intolerance will at least been talked about. Like i said before, what if YOU got HIV and then gave it to YOUR kids.....How could you explain it them?!?!!? Kids don't live in the "real" world, but S.S. at least prepares them for it.
In response to sinope's post, I must say that I am one of the people who believe the audience that is targeted by Sesame Street are too young to get the full concept of the HIV/AIDS patient on the show. However, in all of the posts I have not seen anyone say that young people or children "do not need to know about it". That is a ridiculous comment! People should become more aware of HIV and AIDS however as I said before, Sesame Street is not the place to do so. Do u honestly believe that 3-5 year olds will actually understand the situation Sesame Street is trying to portray. I highly doubt it! If a parent feels it necessary to inform their children at such a young age, THEY should do so....not put their child in front of a television and expect them to comprehend everything that is going on! After all, the statistics show that the average age of the audience of Sesame Street is between 3 and 5. So I believe someone should be informed but necessarily at the age of 3!
I think putting a puppet who suffers from hiv is a terrible waste.On a show which teaches children to count, and learn the alphabet how will the main adience cope with it.I believe a child should have some innocence at that age.Can you imagine the affect it could have "mommy,how do you get HIV".I dont see much point in putting a black puppet on a show which has a multicoloured cast.Children should be learning how to cross roads safely and stay away from strangers.
Yes, HIV education is a good thing, but not through Seseme Street. What exactly is a four year old going to do with this information? Avoid people? The vast majority of children at this age are not interacting with people who are HIV positive, at least in America (South Africa is a different story). Let the kids be kids, don't worry them with HIV or politics, just let them count cookies, learn to share, and have a good time before they're jaded by maturity. Is there really a vast problem with kids chiding the very few HIV positive peers? Is it really neccecary to introduce a completely new character in America? Why not just mention every so often that disabilites and diseases aren't a reason to make fun of someone (hint: they already do this).
Sesame Street was my favorite show when i was little; next to Fragil Rock. There is no better way, show or medium to help explain to little people, compassionatly and empathetically, about HIV then sesame street. It's a really good idea. -people are saying they're to young, and that they don't need to know about it, and we shouldn't worry about it......... What are you nuts. HIV can lay undetectable for years. This should terrify us, because not only might you get it from u.p.s., needles, transfusions, etc., but you could give it to your kids.... explain that to them. OR your kids, kids. It's not they're fault, and this issue should be brought to their attention, especially with more infection cases in the future, only the way that sesame street can do it.
quote:Sreet would never show a a puppet bleeding or spitting or kissing or sharing food. This is a problem becuase these are various ways the disease can be transmitted.
when you type crap like this, it is easy to mistake what you mean. excuse me for failing to read your mind and instead foolishly base my response on what you posted. furthermore, the likelihood of transmitting the virus in one drop of blood is virtually non-existent - HIV requires a very high titer for infection. in addition, lysozymes found in both tears, sweat, and saliva inhibit uncoating of the viral protein core which makes those fluids highly intolerable of HIV and accounts for the immense lowering in viral titers.
thanks for the invite to educate myself on HIV, i encourage everyone, espcially people that insist that HIV is contagious via kissing and sharing food, to educate themselves on this important subject.
How will the Street say this child got AIDS? They can not ignore the fact that he got AIDS and give no explanation for it. They can not say the puppet is gay, has unprotected sex, or shares needles. In facr, they wouldn't even imply those things happened to the parent. They would have to say he got AIDS by a transfussion or a transfussion his father had. This would be good, Children would be more afraid of the hospital than ever. They woulod also be obbsed with the notion of not allowing any foriegn blood in their system. They will grow up like that because as I have said, parents will, once they see AIDS on the Street, assume they do not need to teach them anymore.
"If it is acceptable to have a handicapped, blind, or deaf child on Sesame Street, then why cease here?" Because AIDS is deadly and is transmittable. Also, you don't get blind from havin unprotected sex or sharing needles.
Kg, no **** you can't get AIDS trough salavia. You get it trought the blood that comes from the cuts in their mouth. Thus when their mouth is bleeding you would get it trough their spit, kissing or sharing a beverage. And it does not have to be a considerable amount. One droop of blood can carry the virus so perhaps you should educate yourself. TV would never show a situation like the ones mentioned above, so the kids would think it is allright to do these things with people with AIDS. Sure, the chance is low that the spit carries blood, but why risk the gamble.
Also, do we really need a muppet with AIDS? The proportionit amount of AIDS in AFfrica is extremley higher than our amount of AIDS. It is not yet serious enough for us to get all worried about it. Why don't they put a chracter on their that will realistically affect them, like an alcholic, a pathological liar, or a bully?
Who gave people the right to separate HIV positive children from other child on Sesame Street? For Sesame Street to NOT have a HIV positive child, is no better than to segregate the schools, communities and people again. It is not the child's fault that they have HIV. The children would begin to believe that they aren't NORMAL like the other children; they would assume no one even cares for them. These thoughts would be imbedded in their minds forever. If it is acceptable to have a handicapped, blind, or deaf child on Sesame Street, then why cease here? Sesame Street should also bein to include children of other situations such as, AIDS, Leukemia, burn victims, cancers and others. And if they want to save money, the Sesame Street writers could have some child with multiple problems. No child is TOO young to learn about these things or Too old. We should never stop learning.
i agree with marine in that parents should shoulder the most responsibility in teaching their kids about HIV and AIDS (schools and media should also play a significant role). it's a social epidemic that people need to be educated about. i wouldn't mind seeing an HIV positive muppet, but i'm not sure how effective it would be in educating very young children compared to parents and schools.
however, marine, you could really benefit by being educated about HIV and AIDS. you do not transmit a dense enough viral load in your saliva to infect others. thus, spitting, sharing sodas, and kissing are not modes of infection unless there is an observable amount of blood/semen/vaginel (geez, i have to mispell the word to get it past the stupid automatic edit) fluid accompanying that saliva. it is possible to transmit the virus through a cut; however, you would need to have direct contact with your own blood and the person's blood to become infected. the instances of such an occurence are incredibly low. i seriously doubt that an HIV positive muppet would cause a whole bunch of kids to suddenly contract HIV.
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