Your Humble Blogger has, as usual, arrived late at the hoo-hah. I refer to the hoo-hah over Sesame Street’s emphasis on healthy eating, and in particular over Cookie Monster’s new song of moderation, “A Cookie is a Sometime Thing”. Stories such as the AP’s Cookie Monster Eating Less Cookies, by the AP’s Chelsea J. Carter and Tossing His Cookies, by the New York Post’s Barbara Hoffman and Don Kaplan sound the usual note of horror and contempt. The official press release doesn’t seem like the end of the world, though.
Perhaps the reason YHB isn’t worked up about this is because, unlike most of the people who are worked up about it, I’ve watched quite a bit of Sesame Street over the last year or two. And, as I’m sure I’ve said before in this Tohu Bohu, the show stinks. I’m not terribly concerned about one new way for it to stink. In addition, I’m aware, as somehow nobody else seems to be, that Cookie Monster dressed up as Run DMC twenty years ago to rap about “Healthy Food” (Boy, it taste so good/Me one healthy dude/'Cause me eat healthy food/Me love it boiled or stewed/Me love it whole or chewed/You'd feel just great if you'd/Eat some healthy food!). Cookie Monster is not going to change. Relax.
More to the point, many of the things I’ve seen about it, from PvP to , seem to think it’s absolutely appalling that Political Correctness has invaded the sacred precincts of Sesame Street. Think about it; they’re angry that children’s television is attempting to show good examples. Oh, the horror! Look, this isn’t something controversial, like that Buster business; they are saying that cookies are not a staple of a nutritious diet. They will also be saying that it’s nice to share, that people are different from one another (and that makes the world interesting and fun), and that six comes after five. It ain’t all art.
Well, with nobody famous on a feeding tube just now, I suppose we all need something shiny to be outraged by, otherwise ... hey, look over there!
chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek,
-Vardibidian.
I think “A Cookie is a Sometimes Food” is a good template that should be expanded. “Free Speech is a Sometimes Constitutional Right” or “Preemptive War is a Sometimes Foreign Policy Doctrine”, for example.
“My WiFi Network is a Sometimes Network” ma-na-ma-na.
right right, after you finish your biggie combo with biggie fried thing with biggie fries and biggie corn syrup junk, skipping the cookie is the healthy alternative.
i’m surprised nobody mentioned how sesame street also took “deepfry, the lunch guy” off the show – that was a total capitulation.
I have been chuckling every few hours today, whenever the title of this entry comes to mind 🙂 .