New Study: Spongebob rots your child's brain

[Steve]

You have been away too long from Sesame Street: Cookies are no longer the monster's sole diet. It's now a 'sometimes food'

I watch Sesame Street more than a few times each week with my 3 year old. He still fiends for cookies like a strung out heroin addict. I hadn't heard this before, but it smacks of over reaction. He does eat other things, but rest assured, he's thoroughly jonesing for cookies.

REgarding Bert and Ernie, I have heard about the allegations that they would get married. Much as various interest groups have tried to say that Velma was a dyke, Bert and Ernie are a gay couple, and the Tellytubbies were gay, I think there's a place where kids shows are asexual. Bert and Ernie are muppets. Let's try to avoid politicizing them or sexualizing them.

 

[Steve]

Allot has changed on SS that is for sure, now there is and was talk of Bert and Ernie getting married. Maybe it isn't PBS alone behind the killing off of SB. I think behind the vail is no other than SS, it's self. After what 40 years on the air it has turned into a monster.

John. I'm not sure I understand what you're driving at. Are you suggesting that PBS and Sesame Street are commissioning studies for ratings? That's what it sounds like.

While I think the study is a little bogus, I don't believe for a minute that it's the result of some nefarious plot to ruin Nickelodeon or Spongebob.

 

[joshbrown]

I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.

 

[joshbrown]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/11/bert-and-ernie-gay-marriage-no_n_924808.html

 

[Steve]

I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.

YES! Thank you.

 

[JohnEdward]

John. I'm not sure I understand what you're driving at. Are you suggesting that PBS and Sesame Street are commissioning studies for ratings? That's what it sounds like.

While I think the study is a little bogus, I don't believe for a minute that it's the result of some nefarious plot to ruin Nickelodeon or Spongebob.

Steve, I am not putting it past them, TV is a competitive dog eat, dog world for advertisers money, market share, and program rating. I think the study is silly and catches people's attention, i.e. MSNBC (said without political "affliction") being in that competitive TV business too. I remember when news was news, by real journalist, i.e. Cronkite, Murrow, and not celebs hired for entertainment fluff, to increase ratings. Thank you Mr. William R. Hearst, for your yellow journalism.

Everyone, Scooby Do and Shaggy didn't create a generation of pot smoking dopey hippies. Sponge Bob doesn't rot anyone's brain, it's just BS. It is a good cartoon and thank God it isn't Barney! It was a slow news day.

 

[JohnEdward]

I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/10/bert-ernie-gay-marriage_n_923147.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_Monster (as Granfire said)

 

[NSRTKD]

I'd like to know just how many of you speaking up here have young children. Stories and family dinners are far from becoming an unknown, Sesame Street never ever discussed Bert and Ernie getting married (thier position is that puppets do not have sexual orientation), and Cookie Monster still eats quite a bit of cookies.

I have three young children, and I say storytime and family dinners becoming unknown in SOME families (note: not ALL families) because I have witnessed, in several families that I know personally, that busy life and the chronic struggle to earn enough money to get by can put those things on the sidelines first. I know a few kids who don't have family story time for months at a time, or family dinners where the parents actually get to sit down.

I am a stay at home mom with a small business on the side to help my hard-working husband support us. I prioritize the learning opportunities in every adventure, and only put my kids in front of the TV when I am relaxing as well.

 

[Steve]

Okay. I'll lay all my cards on the table here.

I don't believe that Sesame Street has any kind of a comprehensive strategy to take out Nickelodeon. I don't believe that Ernie, Bert or Velma are gay. I don't believe that it matters whether Cookie Monster eats vegetables from time to time.

My older kids play lots of video games. They watch a lot of TV. We love TV and movies in my house, including cartoons, and there are nights when we all chill out after the baby is in bed playing three different games in three different rooms. They also spend a lot of time watching youtube videos.

My 3 year old probably watches too much TV, too. I don't try to make everything she does a "learning opportunity." Just the opposite. I often let her just do her thing. She knows episodes of the Fresh Beat Band by heart.

I'm not a perfect parent, and wouldn't even begin to know how to do that. I think people who lament overly much about the loss of family dinners are missing the forest for the trees.

I believe very much that there are a million good recipes for parenting. While I agree completely that being active and engaged in your kids' lives is critical, there are a million good ways to do it. Family dinner is only one of them.

In spite of my incompetence, my kids are awesome. They get good grades, are advanced in their studies, are respectful and nice, and get along well with their peers and adults. It's a miracle, I guess.

 

[granfire]

Okay. I'll lay all my cards on the table here.

I don't believe that Sesame Street has any kind of a comprehensive strategy to take out Nickelodeon. I don't believe that Ernie, Bert or Velma are gay. I don't believe that it matters whether Cookie Monster eats vegetables from time to time.

My older kids play lots of video games. They watch a lot of TV. We love TV and movies in my house, including cartoons, and there are nights when we all chill out after the baby is in bed playing three different games in three different rooms. They also spend a lot of time watching youtube videos.

My 3 year old probably watches too much TV, too. I don't try to make everything she does a "learning opportunity." Just the opposite. I often let her just do her thing. She knows episodes of the Fresh Beat Band by heart.

I'm not a perfect parent, and wouldn't even begin to know how to do that. I think people who lament overly much about the loss of family dinners are missing the forest for the trees.

I believe very much that there are a million good recipes for parenting. While I agree completely that being active and engaged in your kids' lives is critical, there are a million good ways to do it. Family dinner is only one of them.

In spite of my incompetence, my kids are awesome. They get good grades, are advanced in their studies, are respectful and nice, and get along well with their peers and adults. It's a miracle, I guess.

well, you can't have organic macro biodynamic food on the table all the time, and one can't live by Shakespeare exclusively.

Although I do believe there is a correlation between the fast food fair we are offered (or forced to consume) on a constant basis these days and the lack of so many common qualities we are used from back when. Most often on a personal level, things are ok. But on the larger scale the situation is pretty dire.
It is not one thing, it's a combination of many. The clock can't be turned back to when there was actually dead air time with test pictures! Or limited children's programming.

And as usual, caring, involved parents do not have a problem with the sponge.

 

[Blade96]

Also, the age group is 4 years old? They're comparing that to Cailou? Really? It's like comparing the Simpsons to the Bubble Guppies. Two completely different target audiences. My oldest didn't enjoy Spongebob until they were around 9 or so. My littlest is 3 and most of that show is over her head.

They did use 4 years olds when the show isn't even for them. Wtf?

 

[Blade96]

Kids? Go outside?? That's dangerous, ya know.

When you were a kid, did you "disappear" (as my mom would call it) alone or with the neighborhood kids for hours at a time? Playing, exploring, running around, going out with the bikes? I did...often to my parents' chagrin. I think parents are less likely to allow this today due to awareness of the dangers kids can face.

Parks and Rec departments are facing slashed budgets. Schools are cutting enrichment programs such as art, music, and phys ed. This is resulting in fewer opportunities for kids to be active. One of the parks where my family and I would go to when I was a kid was closed by the state. Others don't look the same as they did when I was younger....perhaps because the towns have to be more conscientious of liability insurance and the like.

Many families are getting tapped out from the demands of keeping food on the table and a roof over their heads. I think this is leading to people doing less things such as eating together as a family, or even going outside with your kids to rough-house or toss a frisbee around or pitch a whiffle ball. There also has been a trend away from recreation activities that people do together as a family. When I was younger, my dad would take me skiing at small, low-cost or no-cost ski areas. My folks sent me to the larger mountains as a treat, or for formal lessons. Now -- even in a place like New Hampshire -- many family oriented ski areas have closed permanently, others are struggling.

I think this is a very complex problem, with many facets and no easy solution.

I grew up that way too. As much as my parents were punitive we still had some good times. and I was always off with the neighborhood kids. And still always watched my fave tv shows every day.

Yeah it's almost akin to Pavlov's bell test. Watch enough of something and the mind is conditioned to the rapid changes of stimulation offered not only by the program itself but by the commercials which can be very loud, in your face and rapid fire imagery and oft times about 5-7 of them before returning to the show... then show the same commercials again and again. So is it any wonder that kids don't have the patience to sit through a single class on a singular subject on a regularly paced school day?

If they're gonna crap onteh Sponge than they might as well turn off movies too. Because a lot of movies these days are the action ones, they are good, but where the stimulation changes quickly. compared to the movies decades ago, where they were good, but slower. Like the movie Its a Wonderful Life. Might as well not let them watch movies either these days. They ruining my cousin's brain!