Sesame Street Time

It turns out, riding on the road is no problem! It's actually quite exhilarating, feeling the rush of the cars past you, sliding into lanes to wait for the light to change, feeling incredibly winded after going up a small hill. I think it may be the start of me getting over this fear.


This morning I woke up, as per usual, and opened my computer to read some new RSS feeds in my inbox, passively check Facebook, and see if any new emails came in from anyone important. Something that popped up was the petition to get Bert and Ernie (of Sesame Street fame) to marry. Apparently, about 700 people were trying to get PBS to out Bert and Ernie's friendship that has sparked homosexual rumors.

On one hand, this seems like a very progressive idea, trying to start acceptance at such a young age. But honestly, it weirds me out. 


I'm very for same sex marriage. I always have been and I always will. It's a fundamental belief that I hope grows in the minds of many more people in the future. And after clicking through pictures of couples who recently tied the knot in New York, I felt an amazing sense of pride (no pun intended here) that the state I formerly lived in was so willing to move on from this ridiculous debacle.


But for as long as I can remember, Bert and Ernie were just bickering best friends on an awesome children's show. There's no romantic conversations, no playful bantering. One gets easily angry at the other when they ask ridiculous questions. (This seems very representative of the friendship I have with Carrie, who I've known since I was teeny tiny) But they always learn from each other. It was always this incredibly innocent friendship that we learned could happen when people learned to accept each other's differences. 

I love that show purely because of its innocence, its charm. Adding a possible romantic situation would just over sexualize the show that speaks to the minds of children under ten. And it's not because of them being possibly gay. 


It's because, frankly, if any of those characters decided to get married, I'd feel weird. They wouldn't be those lovable icons anymore. They'd be puppets of adults, who the show is not speaking to at all. I would feel the same way if Big Bird decided to marry the Pelican down the street. (For the record, I know there is no actual Pelican down in Sesame Street.)

Children (and the Sesame Street team of course) learn to count their numbers, share, sing songs, spell out words, and learn the fundamentals of a solid friendship. They can't possibly understand the complexities of a relationship, the blossoming of romance, and getting to that point where they're ready to settle down and get married. Maybe another show, another time. But for now, let's keep those characters as scandal free as they've always been.