Sesame Street gets a new buddy, an HIV having bear

[Guest Youth N Asia]

 

By Alastair Leithead

BBC, Cape Town

 

 

The South African version of the children's educational programme Sesame Street has introduced an HIV positive character.

The programme, aimed at very young children, wants to show that those living with HIV are no different to others and should be treated as such.

 

 

The fight against Aids is a controversial issue

 

 

About one in nine South Africans have the virus, with thousands of children having become orphans because of the Aids epidemic.

 

The provision of drugs to treat the disease has become a controversial political issue, with Aids campaigners taking legal action to force the government to provide anti-retroviral drugs.

 

Living with HIV

 

The name of the latest addition to Takalani Sesame is Kami. She is five, she likes playing, reading and telling stories.

 

The character has been introduced to the programme with the HIV infection rate on the increase and with one in five South Africans now living with the virus.

 

The idea is to teach children that people can live normal lives with HIV.

 

 

Drugs could stop HIV transmission to babies

 

 

Gloria Britain, the project manager for the new character, says: "There are so many young children in South Africa who face the issues of being affected and infected by HIV/Aids on a daily basis and the last thing we want to do as responsible adults and responsible organisations in South Africa is to bury our heads in the sand.

 

"We've got to help children to understand the real world that they live in on a daily basis."

 

Sesame Street has different educational storylines around the world, to reflect issues affecting children in specific countries.

 

By getting young children used to the idea of having an HIV positive friend around it is hoped the stigma associated with the virus in South Africa can be removed.

 

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Thoughts? I really don't know what my opinion on this is.

[Guest Sebastian_the_Bastard]

AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH!

[Guest Youth N Asia]

I don't think it's suppose to be funny really...

[Guest Angle-plex]

HIV Bear = RATINGS~!

[Guest mesepher]

AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH!

and you wonder why people dislike you.

 

anyways, I think it's a good idea, because it teaches tolerance and love at a young, impressionable age. Live and let live.

[Guest Kingpk]

Please tell me why preschoolers need to know about HIV/AIDS?

[Guest Nevermortal]

Please tell me why preschoolers need to know about HIV/AIDS?

Well duh, all the unprotected sex going down in the nursery school...

[Guest Incandenza]

Please tell me why preschoolers need to know about HIV/AIDS?

Given the alarmingly high number of AIDS cases in South Africa, I don't see why the children there shouldn't be exposed to it (the muppet, not AIDS).

[Guest J*ingus]

There are so many children being born with the disease in that country, that it's not a completely terrible idea.

[Guest godthedog]

Please tell me why preschoolers need to know about HIV/AIDS?

Given the alarmingly high number of AIDS cases in South Africa, I don't see why the children there shouldn't be exposed to it (the muppet, not AIDS).

exactly. one-in-five is a ridiculously high number, almost bubonic plague proportions.

 

i think it's a good thing to do, but this is inevitably going to end up being the most depressing kids show EVER, because eventually the poor guy is going to have to gradually get sicker and sicker, then die. if i was six and elmo was slowly dying from a degenerative disease, i would probably just cry every time i watched the show.

[Guest J*ingus]

i think it's a good thing to do, but this is inevitably going to end up being the most depressing kids show EVER, because eventually the poor guy is going to have to gradually get sicker and sicker, then die.

Not necessarily. This isn't the 80's anymore, medicine has progressed and AIDS isn't the dead-in-five-years capital sentence that it used to be. Plenty of people live relatively normal lives with the disease now.

[Guest El Satanico]

This is old news and i still have nothing against them doing it.

[Guest Incandenza]

Please tell me why preschoolers need to know about HIV/AIDS?

Given the alarmingly high number of AIDS cases in South Africa, I don't see why the children there shouldn't be exposed to it (the muppet, not AIDS).

exactly. one-in-five is a ridiculously high number, almost bubonic plague proportions.

 

i think it's a good thing to do, but this is inevitably going to end up being the most depressing kids show EVER, because eventually the poor guy is going to have to gradually get sicker and sicker, then die. if i was six and elmo was slowly dying from a degenerative disease, i would probably just cry every time i watched the show.

It's one-in-nine, not five (god, that would be even more awful!).

 

Wasn't the original plan to have HIV muppet here in the States?

[Guest El Satanico]

Yeah right...a character on a kids tv show with HIV would never be allowed here in the states.

 

Pat Robertson and all his 700 Club nazis would never allow something like that.

[Guest Daredevil21]

Yeah, this is pretty old news, but still, it's worth discussing. Honestly, I think it's a good idea. Sure, it seems a bit odd for a children's show, but this way, kids are educated from a young age that people with HIV are still people, and aren't "freaks" or anything of that nature. It'll teach them that just cause they're different, doesn't mean that they aren't still people. It's better to have them educated at an earlier age and know the facts, than grow up, miseducated and basing their opinions on stuff they don't know about.

[Guest DARRYLXWF]

 

Gotta love that muppet smile.

 

But I wonder whether I can get a video of the moment where this little guy obtained HIV?

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

"But I wonder whether I can get a video of the moment where this little guy obtained HIV?"

 

I've been wondering that too from the day I heard about AIDS muppet months ago. I bet it was from a blood transfusion.

 

I wonder if the Sesame Street: Africa will have a muppet with its limbs chopped off due to civil war mayhem.

 

I also wonder if AIDS muppet will be killed off next season. We don't want the kiddies thinking that someone with AIDS lives forever...

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

There was a Charlie Brown special in the 80s that had one of Charlie Brown and Linus's friends getting cancer and having to undergo radiation treatment. Very sad program, with kids making fun of his baldness and such(which was odd, because Charlie was virtually bald too). Everyone learned to accept him though. I don't remember if he died or not. I remember crying my eyes out at the cruelty of the children when I saw this as a kid.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

[Guest DARRYLXWF]

I'm against having characters die in childrens shows, as it's something that just doesn't NEED to happen. A five year old shouldn't be educated about AIDS, HIV or even cancer (and if a friend or family member has it, then it's the parents job to explain it to them). Kids T.V shouldn't have to portray the darkness of the world.

[Guest Kotzenjunge]

Give 'em a sense of reality, sez I. Not to the point where grisly murders and raping goes on in Teletubby Land, but let them know that not everything is as great as it looks. It's much better for children to grow up with a sense of reality, believe me.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

"Give 'em a sense of reality, sez I. Not to the point where grisly murders and raping goes on in Teletubby Land, but let them know that not everything is as great as it looks. It's much better for children to grow up with a sense of reality, believe me."

 

What, you're passing up the chance to see Tinky (or whatever the hell that purple one is called) get anally raped in jail...

[Guest Vern Gagne]

If this Muppet got HIV from a blood transfusion any guesses which Muppet gave it to her.

 

Bert and Ernie are pretty close.

[Guest converge241]

i understand why they are doing it but it still seems not right..

 

should their be an alcoholic muppet so little billy can understand whats wrong with his drunk dad?

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

If this Muppet got HIV from a blood transfusion any guesses which Muppet gave it to her.

 

Bert and Ernie are pretty close.

No way, dude, Snuffleupagus (sp) is a junkie...just look at the way he sways back and forth..."hey bird...."

[Guest Ravenbomb]

Meh. There are plenty of kids movies that aren't exactly happy and bouncy. Ever see Return to Oz? An American Tale was totally depressing. Hell, one of the main nursery rhymes is about a baby falling out of a friggen tree. Lemmie know when Sesame street gets a baby muppet who fell out of a tree.

 

 

Oh, and Cookie Monster rules all.

[Guest Retro Rob]

Very sad program, with kids making fun of his baldness and such(which was odd, because Charlie was virtually bald too).

Well Charlie wasn't Mr. Popularity himself.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

Wasn't the original plan to have HIV muppet here in the States?

I'm not so sure about that, but there already are at least two theatrical groups that I can think of in the Bay Area that have an HIV puppet that goes to schools and educates them on the topic. And this has been going on for several years, and is actually even older news than the HIV-positive Sesame Street character.

 

What's wrong with education on this topic to young kids? First off, we're not talking how to use a condom here. These are VERY simplified lessons that simply say that if someone has HIV its OK to hug them and play with them and that you won't get the virus. At least that's the ones here, I'm not sure if they go into more detail with the South African Sesame Street character or not, but given the incredibly high amount of HIV/AIDS cases in the country, I wouldn't doubt it. Education is the first step of prevention, and you can never start too young.

[Guest treble charged]

There was a Charlie Brown special in the 80s that had one of Charlie Brown and Linus's friends getting cancer and having to undergo radiation treatment. Very sad program, with kids making fun of his baldness and such(which was odd, because Charlie was virtually bald too). Everyone learned to accept him though. I don't remember if he died or not. I remember crying my eyes out at the cruelty of the children when I saw this as a kid.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

Wasn't the person with cancer a girl? I vaguely remember that show, and for whatever reason, I recall that Linus had a crush on the girl, but then she went away for awhile, and came back wearing a hat because she was bald. I also remember her brusing her arm on the bus, and something about swings.

 

Of course, I could be 100% wrong.

[Guest evenflowDDT]

There was a Charlie Brown special in the 80s that had one of Charlie Brown and Linus's friends getting cancer and having to undergo radiation treatment. Very sad program, with kids making fun of his baldness and such(which was odd, because Charlie was virtually bald too). Everyone learned to accept him though. I don't remember if he died or not. I remember crying my eyes out at the cruelty of the children when I saw this as a kid.

 

Fo sheez,

Kotzenjunge

Wasn't the person with cancer a girl? I vaguely remember that show, and for whatever reason, I recall that Linus had a crush on the girl, but then she went away for awhile, and came back wearing a hat because she was bald. I also remember her brusing her arm on the bus, and something about swings.

 

Of course, I could be 100% wrong.

Yea, that was it. I remember the show as well, don't remember the part about the Linus crush though.