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"HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada
An HIV-infected Muppet will be added to the South African version of Sesame Street this fall.

In an interview with the Washington Post, the vice president of New York-based Sesame Workshop said the South African character will likely will be a 5-year-old female "monster Muppet" along the lines of Grover or Elmo.

"We know that she'll be lively, alert, friendly, outgoing and HIV-positive," Joel Schneider told the Post from Barcelona, where he announced the character Thursday at the 14th International AIDS Conference. "She'll be healthy, not sickly."

Source - http://www.cbc.ca/...stories/sesame120702


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Re: [Ian] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Yea, heard about this about two weeks ago.
========================================
Buh Bye!

Cheers,
Me
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Re: [Ian] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
One of the tele-tubbies is gay ;)
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Re: [Paul] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
gay? heh, even though that's probably a good example those teletubbies give me nightmares. Their large moon-like faces with almost no nose and ultra-pale skin. Imagine waking up one morning with one those things looking at you from 5 inches away saying, "bye bye sleeping boy!!!! bye byeee!!!!!"...
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Re: [Stealth] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
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Yea, heard about this about two weeks ago.


So how did you know before that Canadian News channel? Even my news sources aren't that good.

Hmmmm... puzzling Crazy
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Re: [Aki] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Those teletubbies are probably responsible for more child nightmares than we could credit. What happened to Hanna Barberra anyways?


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Re: [Ian] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
It's going to be tough not to overdo it, maybe model the character after a real person. Too active and lively and it will make it seem like the disease is basically non-threatening. I like the idea though :)

Scary to think how prevalent this disease is in Africa eh?
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Re: [Aki] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
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Scary to think how prevalent this disease is in Africa eh?
Its devastating to imagine the numbers.


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Re: [Ian] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Isn't river blindness also a big thing in Africa or am I thinking of another country?
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Re: [Stealth] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
>>
Yea, heard about this about two weeks ago.
<<

All the major new channels, BBC, CNN and CBS published the story on 12th July, so I think you are tellin' porkies.

Last edited by:

Paul: Jul 16, 2002, 8:12 AM
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Re: [Paul] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Really, Ian!

Because the news was on American radio and television news since the 7th of July, which was two weeks ago.
========================================
Buh Bye!

Cheers,
Me
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Re: [Elvis Presley] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Read my reply to Ian...my point in my original post was that it is only recent news and has hit the airwaves long before today...so it's not really "news".
========================================
Buh Bye!

Cheers,
Me
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Re: [Ian] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
ahhh....Kids these days are slammed with sex, violence and now HIV. This is all bologna if you ask me. Kids should be left to be kids and not a political machine.

I am firmly dissappointed in the muppets and most all network childrens programming as it is all junk anymore.

I have 2 boys (7 and 9) and I see this onslaught of trash day in and day out.

I wont let my kids play violent games either. But even then the music in most games now is not appropriate as well.

I agree Ian, what ever happened to Hanna Barbara and all of the other GOOD cartoons. There are a few on the Cartoon Network such as Johnny Bravo and more. But still, it is like finding a needle in a haystack anymore.
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Re: [Paul] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
I am a homosexual, and I did not find the use of the word gay to be offensive. I personally watch the teletubbies because of their queerness. I did, however notice that the HIV positive character on Sesame street just happens to be a female monster. I find that more disturbing.
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Re: [Evoir] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Disturbing yes... (but am I pulling out your meaning in the right context?)

From: http://www.unaids.org/...inants/lusaka99.html

Quote:
Prevalence of HIV infection

The prevalence of HIV infection in men (aged 15-49) was 3% in Cotonou, 4% in Yaoundé, 20% in Kisumu and 23% in Ndola. For women, the respective prevalence rates were 3%, 8%, 30% and 32%.

In all sites, except Cotonou, overall prevalence was significantly higher in women than in men. The largest male/female divergence was found among 15-19-year-olds in Kisumu and Ndola. In Kisumu, over 3% of male teenagers were infected, compared with 23% of female teenagers. In Ndola, HIV prevalence in this age group was 4% in boys and 15% in girls.
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Re: [Aki] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
>> (but am I pulling out your meaning in the right context?) <<

Maybe it was the female => monster part Evie was annoyed about :)
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Re: [Aki] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
well, my meaning is more of a cultural one, where deep down, women are experienced as monsters. Like the film "Basic Instinct" and a whole slew more films and cultural references to that notion. (women are so powerful, aren't they?)

Then there is the whole thing about the "innocent" victims of HIV. Everyone is an innocent victim. Some guy who takes it up his bum without a condom is an innocent victim. This disease is really ugly.

I have a friend (who is HIV positive for like 20 years now) who is a film maker and he makes AIDS comedies. Scold him if you like, but he is living the life.

(I edited out a whole long list of reviews of his films, which upon reflection, were not relevant.)

Last edited by:

Evoir: Jul 16, 2002, 11:49 AM
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Re: [Evoir] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
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Some guy who takes it up his bum without a condom is an innocent victim.

I don't wish to dwell on that point and I'm not wishing to overlook the seriousness of what you are saying but your choice of words brought tears to my eyes Smile.

Semi-related:

At my high school a friend of my best friend was in a nighclub and somebody purposely stabbed them with an aids infected needle...sick huh?

Last edited by:

Paul: Jul 16, 2002, 11:52 AM
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Re: [Paul] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Thank you. The words were chosen carefully.
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Re: [Evoir] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Those reviews are making me curious, can it be found on local video store's shelves?

Sorry about the misunderstanding. Make take on it was that almost all the puppets on Sesame Street were monsters anyways. Cuddly ones at that, and that gender didn't really matter... though in this case, because females are affected by the disease in Africa more often than males, it makes a disturbing, but appropriate choice.

Maybe there's a possiblity here though, that even as a monster, this character can be portrayed as a strong and persevering individual with merits in their own right and this would serve as a good example. Which... I would hope is the path they would run since they are trying to desensitize children to the stigma of AIDS.

Sorry about that, I have a feeling I know what you mean though: being asian, I've experienced a heck of a lot of wierd opinions and just wierd crap and am a little sensitive to what I see on TV and Movies (since I think they reflect public opinion)

Last edited by:

Aki: Jul 16, 2002, 12:02 PM
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Re: [Aki] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Aki,

I took down the reviews because it just seemed out of place. I'll PM you about how to find out more about his films. He's working on a feature film this year. It's gonna be great! (And an AIDS comedy)

btw: really, I was just trying to distract us from bickering about whether it is offensive to say that a teletubby is gay in the context of a discussion on HIV positive muppets. Smile All is well.
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Re: [Aki] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
Hi Aki,

If TV relects public opinion we are ALL in deep doodoo!

TV and all media sources relect what is needed for ratings and to sell advertising slots. Anytime you tune in and turn on you are being fed whatever they put on the menu.

If TV had even a thought of relavence it would all be public access television stations letting the public create their own shows.

Don't let TV, newspapers, radio shows or other forms of media delivery make you think that anybody actually thinks or acts that way as the norm. The extremes sell in media. If a person is a freak they get airplay. Why do you think that Court TV became so popular? People want the extremes!
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Re: [Teambldr] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
We are all in deep doo doo.
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Re: [Evoir] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
I was just thinking about this whilst watching Big Brother.....it's really irrelevant but hey...

Anyway, straight people are known as heterosexual and gay people are known as homosexual, so I wonder why humans are known as homosapians.

Is it "homo" meaning almost like "one kind"?

Last edited by:

Paul: Jul 16, 2002, 2:50 PM
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Re: [Paul] "HIV comes to Sesame Street" - CBC Canada In reply to
"heterosapians"

interesting....


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