Why TV matters

When I was four and five years old, I spent some time watching television. It was the 1970s, and the only thing that bothered parents about television in the 1970s was our tendency to sit too close to it. I don't remember my parents every saying anything negative about television.

Some of my favorite shows were on PBS. That has remained true throughout my life, by the way.

Sesame Street, and Mr. Rogers were my first television shows when I was young. I loved them so much, that I would almost cry every time they ended. They were mine, ya know? My brother and I watched TV with our parents, but for me, Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers were the two that were just mine.

Last night I watched a documentary, "I Am Big Bird." In all my years I had never thought about who was in the Big Bird costume, or how it worked. The movie was great, and Caroll Spinney, who is Big Bird, is such a sweet man.

Many of the Sesame Street puppeteers were interviewed for the movie, and one of the statements that struck me was how the show has changed over the years. New characters have been introduced, and Big Bird has not been on the show as much. The writers began writing more for Elmo. The show started to become targeted at 2 and 3 year olds instead of 4 and 5 year olds.

Suddenly, I realized why I don't like Elmo that much. He's OK, but I never understood the craze for Elmo. Remember when people were fighting over the talking Elmo one Black Friday years back?
The reason I don't like him very much is because he talks to babies. And babies aren't going to remember Elmo when they get older. Their parents will tell them how much they enjoyed Elmo, and they aren't going to care.

I already see that happening with my youngest, who his 13. He doesn't remember a lot of the things he loved when he was 2 or 3 years old. I remind him, and he shrugs and says, "Really? I don't remember that."

A lot of good memories for me start from about age 4. I don't remember much before that.
Big Bird, Grover, Oscar, The Count, all of those muppets were like friends to me at that age. I learned so much from them. I learned about the people in my neighborhood. Remember that song? "Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?" I also learned about being polite, how to count, and read and spell, and speak Spanish. I am sure Elmo is a beloved puppet, but I think those of us who grew up with Big Bird, Ernie and Bert, Cookie Monster--the one who actually ate cookies! and all of the rest of that original Sesame Street cast of puppets and people, have some of the best memories of childhood.

Extreme Reactions

This is more of a commentary on reaction rather than the show, Downton Abbey.
I'm a Downton Abbey fan, and the most recent episode included one of my favorite characters being raped. (IF  you missed Episode 2 of Season 4, I apologize for the spoiler.)

It was difficult to watch, even though the scenes did not show any graphic evidence of what was happening.  There was a forceful smash of the man's mouth to hers, he handled her roughly, and the rest was left to the audience's imagination. Anna is a lady's maid, and her attacker was part of an entourage of help brought along by guests of the Granthams.

At the start of the show a message flashed on the screen which warned of scenes that may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion was advised.

This warning was sufficient for adults to usher children out of the room, however, I believe anyone who has suffered an attack similar to the one in this episode may have been caught off guard. There are similar scenes in other television shows and movies, and in my opinion, they are much more graphic.

While this scene was difficult for me to watch, it was equally as difficult for me to read some of the reactions posted on the Facebook page of our local PBS station. Some commenters were so outraged by this scene that they claim they will pull their funding. One mentioned pulling PBS out of their will.

When we lean too far in one direction, are quick to judge, quick to punish, quick to react without first taking a moment to understand, damage is done. In all things, we must seek to understand first, then carefully react.

Unfortunately, if these people who made the claims follow through, our local PBS station will lose money. I'm not so sure it will be enough to lead to a cut in programming, but I do not understand this reaction.

If these newly former PBS donors believe for a moment that they aren't supporting far worse, they need to wake up.

PBS relies on public money, but the corporate television stations rely on it as well. They just get it in a different way.

If you purchase Kellogg's Rice Krispies, Palmolive dish detergent, Hane's underwear, Pampers, Foldger's coffee, Duracell batteries, or any other product that runs commercials on television, including some local merchants, then you are supporting programming that includes violence against women, men and children. Even if you are one of the people who have started buying local, natural and organic products, chances are you are still buying something that is supporting mainstream television programming.

I have boycotted certain companies when facts showed their business practices do not align with my values, because I didn't want my money funding such practices.

We all have the right to give or withhold our money, but either way it should be done after careful consideration.

It was one episode of one television show.