2/18/08
How Blue's Clues is killing our kids: a rant
So I am, once again, stalling because I have nothing of substance to write about. Maybe saying sorry for the lateness of my assignments and also for the fact that most of my posts have ended in my being paranoid about how we are all eventually doomed. Quite a downer I know. So I have decided to reform my ways and become less paranoid and more optimistic. Ok. So much for that because I found what I don't like about the chapter that we read. I was rereading the part about how Sesame Street and Blue's Clues are different and the sentence "Concider, for example, the show's insistance on being clever." (112) I understand why they thought that being clever was very bad for the show. It was because the young children didn't understand and when they didn't understand they stopped watching. While this may be true, I still am a strong believer in Sesame Street. I love the fact that they were trying to make the show watchable for adults and thats why I think that it is superior to any other kids show around. If adults watch and participate with their kids in anything that thing is a success. Today we have a lack of family bonding and shows like Blue's Clues aren't helping that at all. When a mother has the ability to set her children in front of a TV for a half hour and go off and do what she wants while they watch TV there is so much less time spent together and that can be detrimental. I have never been in favor of kids watching TV at all but when someone lets their kid watch the same show five days in a row I think that is just stupid and an excuse to not spend time with their kids. "Why should I take them to the park? they are learning." I am sure that kids would much rather learn to read from their parents, sitting in a warm lap, with an actual book than from a fictional character on TV. Its just a personal opinion but I don't think that letting your kids learn from a programmed box is too good of an idea, but thats just me. Oh and just letting them sit there is making them fat too. Lets kill two birds with one stone. Teach your kids to read yourself and then take them to the park for God's sake.
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You are quite welcome. I like what you say. Besides, considering the length of most of my posts, I can't really hold that against anyone else.
Speaking of which, I agree with you here. I know that I would simply not be capable of sitting through the entirety of most kid shows. I know there was a short time when I watched Barney, but my mom was so irritated by him that she made me stop. I also love the irony of your quote. Educational shows, aparently, ought not be clever.
Also, it's obviously true that families don't spend nearly as much time together as is psycologically healthy (please excuse my inability to spell) It's also pretty clear that a huge amount of the population is rather obese. TV doesn't really help either of these problems.
Of course, the idea of the chapter isn't necesarily to judge which show is "better". Blues Clues, in theory, is more sticky (with little kids) I could be convinced that this is true. Sesame Street, though, is obviously better. It always will be too. So there!
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