The Alt-Right

[spring-peeper]

A laugh react and a mealy mouthed response from someone who is simply part of the problem when it comes to racism. Let's build on the differences and start them young rather than make moves to deconstruct it.

You're introducing race to a children's program for no apparent reason and asking me if I'm alright?
You do know that's when they learn stuff?

Big Bird is not a race.

You worry about what Sesame Street teaches about?
The children learn to count and know the alphabet.
Totally evil!!!!

I remember when Mr. Hoopard died, and the program helped the little ones what death was.

Since then, the show taught about food banks and homelessness

Now it is vacccine - no race what so ever - just another reality of life.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

You'd expect that the right would be pushing the drive for racial differences between people.
But they don't need to work at it too much nowadays as well meaning liberals do that work for them.
And twats that live abroad and don't really care about the consequences respond with laugh reacts.
What a shit show.

 

[krtek a houby]

A laugh react and a mealy mouthed response from someone who is simply part of the problem when it comes to racism. Let's build on the differences and start them young rather than make moves to deconstruct it.

Outstanding work today. Don't you ever tire of the gaslighting, misrepresentation and outright sanctimonious postings you excel in? Bit tiredat this stage.

Sesame Street has always been forward thinking in trying to make sense of the world for kids. It's always been inclusive and that's what terrifies some people.

It's merely continuing a 50 year old tradition.

 

[krtek a houby]

You'd expect that the right would be pushing the drive for racial differences between people.
But they don't need to work at it too much nowadays as well meaning liberals do that work for them.
And twats that live abroad and don't really care about the consequences respond with laugh reacts.
What a shit show.

Twats that live abroad?

Wasn't aware you live in Sesame Street.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Twats that live abroad?

Wasn't aware you live in Sesame Street.

Where do you live though, mucker?

 

[petee]

anent all this, the Big Bird business is only the latest front in the right's war on public television.

nixon:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/02/24/nixons-war-against-public-tv/34ab69b6-e7fc-4dab-a06b-ef080439f5b9/

 

[krtek a houby]

Where do you live though, mucker?

Not sure what has to do with the discussion? Everybody lives abroad and everybody has something to say about other countries/ideologies.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Not sure what has to do with the discussion? Everybody lives abroad and everybody has something to say about other countries/ideologies.

Well it's all well and good stirring the pot in places where you don't wish to live in?
So, I'm guessing Japan?

 

[krtek a houby]

anent all this, the Big Bird business is only the latest front in the right's war on public television.

nixon:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/02/24/nixons-war-against-public-tv/34ab69b6-e7fc-4dab-a06b-ef080439f5b9/

It's astonishing how much effort they've put in, over the years, to stifle any perceived "left" bias

A memo from Whitehead warned that "no matter how firm our control of CPB management, public television at the national level will always attract liberal and far-left producers, writers and commentators."

 

[krtek a houby]

Well it's all well and good stirring the pot in places where you don't wish to live in?
So, I'm guessing Japan?

You need to add more ancient beef in, old son

 

[Magnus McGinty]

You need to add more ancient beef in, old son

These things affect my child who watches this stuff. I know it's just a daft game to you laughing heartily from elsewhere but you really should desist.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Turning a non racial children's program into a racial one. It's totally nuts. it isn't a blow against the right; they've won. You won it for them.

 

[Yossarian]

Worth a read: The Unmistakable Black Roots of 'Sesame Street'

 

[krtek a houby]

Thanks for that link. Very interesting. Especially:


In light of the show’s racially conscious casting, one cannot be faulted for wondering whether any of Jim Henson’s Muppet creations, more specifically the human-ish Ernie and Bert, have racial identities. No fewer than three interracial pairs appear in the first six minutes of the pilot, just before the two Muppets appear, and as tempting as one might be to believe “Sesame Street” is presenting children with another interracial pair, Henson once remarked, “The only kids who can identify along racial lines with the Muppets have to be either green or orange.”


Yet, in its second year, “Sesame Street” did introduce a Muppet, named Roosevelt Franklin, whom the producers openly acknowledged as black. Created and voiced by Matt Robinson, the actor who played Gordon, Roosevelt speaks “Black English,” which Loretta Long outlined in her dissertation as a way to make him “much more believable to the target audience.” Roosevelt dances into his elementary-school classroom where he is recognized as the streetwise student teacher of a boisterous class. He employs the call-and-response of a black preacher when teaching his apparently black peers, prompting one student, Hardhead Henry Harris, to declare after one lesson, “My man, sure can teach!”


And the reaction from some:

Many viewers and African-Americans at CTW believed that the Muppet reinforced negative stereotypes of black children. In a 1970 Newsweek interview, “Sesame Street” executive producer Dave Connell defended the portrayal, saying, “We do black humor, just like Irish humor and Jewish humor.” Cooney said in Street Gang, “I loved Roosevelt Franklin, but I understood the protests…I wasn’t wholly comfortable, but I was amused. You couldn’t help but laugh at him.”


In her dissertation, Long stressed, “The most important thing about Roosevelt is that he always knows the correct answer, whether he talks in standard or nonstandard English.” African-American CTW executives and others Cooney describes as “upper-middle class” blacks put up the strongest objections, and Roosevelt Franklin was cut from the show.

 

[Aladdin]

These things affect my child who watches this stuff. I know it's just a daft game to you laughing heartily from elsewhere but you really should desist.

No idea why you're making this into an argument

Sesame Street has always been multicultural...and is not racist. It has never been racist.

Confused by your argument
... you might be perceiving other posts wrongly?

 

[Dom Traynor]

Let's not forget that krtek's use of racist language has driven asian posters off of Urban in the past. I don't understand why people give the racist cunt the time of day tbh.

 

[two sheds]

Turning a non racial children's program into a racial one. It's totally nuts. it isn't a blow against the right; they've won. You won it for them.

so should they all speak like white people?

 

[Serge Forward]

Magnus McGinty, I think maybe you're misunderstanding that one of the purposes of Sesame Street was to have it populated with a mix of characters reflecting all sorts of people in American society in all their colours, voices and more. This was in bold opposition to the regular fare of all white casts with the "token Black" or maybe an "injun" (or animal) sidekick. What brought race into it was its staunch opponents who were, and continue to be, disgusted about having non-White characters not in their set traditional token or sidekick roles.

 

[Aladdin]

Let's not forget that krtek's use of racist language has driven asian posters off of Urban in the past. I don't understand why people give the racist cunt the time of day tbh.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

so should they all speak like white people?

With an American accent? I’m fairly sure many folk of mixed backgrounds speak with an American accent. Is there a white accent?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Magnus McGinty, I think maybe you're misunderstanding that one of the purposes of Sesame Street was to have it populated with a mix of characters reflecting all sorts of people in American society in all their colours, voices and more. This was in bold opposition to the regular fare of all white casts with the "token Black" or maybe an "injun" (or animal) sidekick. What brought race into it was its staunch opponents who were, and continue to be, disgusted about having non-White characters not in their set traditional token or sidekick roles.

Yes but it’s shifted from being understated to overt. This plays into the hands of the identity politics of the right imho rather than somehow oppose it.

 

[two sheds]

With an American accent? I’m fairly sure many folk of mixed backgrounds speak with an American accent. Is there a white accent?

So would you allow black or hispanic actors for example if they clearly had regional accents? Or should they disguise their accent?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

So would you allow black or hispanic actors for example if they clearly had regional accents? Or should they disguise their accent?

What do you mean by “allow”? Not sure accents particularly matter.

 

[two sheds]

I mean would you allow them to be hired if their accent sounded african american or hispanic? Surely then you'd be "Turning a non racial children's program into a racial one."

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I mean would you allow them to be hired if their accent sounded african american or hispanic? Surely then you'd be "Turning a non racial children's program into a racial one."

Why would I be? The characters are racially ambiguous so it doesn’t matter who does the voice acting.
Interesting though that the next argument would be whether it’s acceptable for anyone non Asian to voice the Asian character.

 

[two sheds]

Why would I be? The characters are racially ambiguous so it doesn’t matter who does the voice acting.

So it's ok to sound asian as long as they don't look asian? Doesn't really make much sense.

Interesting though that the next argument would be whether it’s acceptable for anyone non Asian to voice the Asian character.

What would you think?

 

[Magnus McGinty]

So it's ok to sound asian as long as they don't look asian? Doesn't really make much sense

What does ‘sounding Asian’ mean? Like a weird stereotype or a North American accent?

 

[two sheds]

An Indian accent for example:

Why do we Indians change our accent when abroad?

The only way to make the Indian accent “cool” is to influence pop culture. And it’ll happen slowly, the more confidently we stick to our own way of speaking outside the Subcontinent.

www.thehindu.com

 

[Serge Forward]

Yes but it’s shifted from being understated to overt. This plays into the hands of the identity politics of the right imho rather than somehow oppose it.

But pretty much anything that is not 99% white and comfortably off with 1% sidekick, minion or "colourful" element would surely offend the "anti-woke" fringe. Yes, there is idpol here, but I don't see the Sesame Street crew as the ones who are playing it. They seem to be doing pretty much what they've always done, i.e. present a fairly representative social mix of human and puppet characters.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

An Indian accent for example:

Why do we Indians change our accent when abroad?

The only way to make the Indian accent “cool” is to influence pop culture. And it’ll happen slowly, the more confidently we stick to our own way of speaking outside the Subcontinent.

www.thehindu.com

If the puppets are racially ambiguous then it shouldn't matter who the voice artists are.