Spring Break
Cookie Monster and political correctness
Staff
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Forum
While discussing the best and worst of Halloween costumes seen on the streets of Corvallis in the newsroom Sunday, the topic of Sesame Street's Cookie Monster came up after one Barometer staffer claimed to have seen a staged brawl between two Cookie Monster characters on Saturday night.
Some of us were surprised to discover that, while he's still the Cookie Monster at heart, the gluttonous ways of this lovable Muppet had been reformed as of 2005, when Sesame Street began to focus on healthy eating and lifestyle habits for kids. The Cookie Monster's motto was changed to "A Cookie is a Sometime Food," and, despite false rumors that his name was changed to the Veggie Monster, he's been seen eating cookies less and less frequently and enjoying fruits and veggies more.
For those of us who grew up with the Cookie Monster, Lunchables, Goosebumps and The Ren & Stimpy Show, this is more than a little discouraging - not necessarily on the basis of pushing for healthy eating habits in kids, but on the notable increase in censorship and political correctness in general of all things geared towards children. Cookies have been replaced with carrots and sitting Indian-style has been replaced with sitting "crisscross applesauce," but are kids any healthier? Smarter? Safer?
Children of today may be taught to be more politically correct, to never speak to strangers and to drink water instead of soda, but they're also carrying cell phones, wearing thong underwear and having sex at younger and younger ages. And rates of childhood obesity have not decreased since 2005, when the Cookie Monster's reform to produce came to fruition.
Childhood obesity is an undeniable epidemic in the U.S. and affects approximately 16 percent of American children, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recent years, Capri Sun has been made less sugary and schools have put bans on soda and candy in their cafeterias. But none of this will ever make a difference if parents don't begin to do just that - parent.
Kids need leaders and role models whom they look up to, but, even with them, they need to have a support group at home that will guide them towards making healthier choices, not just in diet, but in life.
TV programs and cartoon characters can't be solely responsible for improving the way our kids think and act about sensitive subjects such as violence, sex and even diet, which has become more significant in recent years. Parents have to be involved and the dialogue needs to be open. Making the Cookie Monster quit cookies and removing vending machines from school cafeterias won't solve the problem.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to forum@dailybarometer.com.
Some of us were surprised to discover that, while he's still the Cookie Monster at heart, the gluttonous ways of this lovable Muppet had been reformed as of 2005, when Sesame Street began to focus on healthy eating and lifestyle habits for kids. The Cookie Monster's motto was changed to "A Cookie is a Sometime Food," and, despite false rumors that his name was changed to the Veggie Monster, he's been seen eating cookies less and less frequently and enjoying fruits and veggies more.
For those of us who grew up with the Cookie Monster, Lunchables, Goosebumps and The Ren & Stimpy Show, this is more than a little discouraging - not necessarily on the basis of pushing for healthy eating habits in kids, but on the notable increase in censorship and political correctness in general of all things geared towards children. Cookies have been replaced with carrots and sitting Indian-style has been replaced with sitting "crisscross applesauce," but are kids any healthier? Smarter? Safer?
Children of today may be taught to be more politically correct, to never speak to strangers and to drink water instead of soda, but they're also carrying cell phones, wearing thong underwear and having sex at younger and younger ages. And rates of childhood obesity have not decreased since 2005, when the Cookie Monster's reform to produce came to fruition.
Childhood obesity is an undeniable epidemic in the U.S. and affects approximately 16 percent of American children, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In recent years, Capri Sun has been made less sugary and schools have put bans on soda and candy in their cafeterias. But none of this will ever make a difference if parents don't begin to do just that - parent.
Kids need leaders and role models whom they look up to, but, even with them, they need to have a support group at home that will guide them towards making healthier choices, not just in diet, but in life.
TV programs and cartoon characters can't be solely responsible for improving the way our kids think and act about sensitive subjects such as violence, sex and even diet, which has become more significant in recent years. Parents have to be involved and the dialogue needs to be open. Making the Cookie Monster quit cookies and removing vending machines from school cafeterias won't solve the problem.
Editorials serve as a platform for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale and diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board majority. Disagree? E-mail a letter to the editor or guest column to forum@dailybarometer.com.
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