Elmo

[corn poffi]

I adore Sesame Street. Elmo is not my favorite character by any means, and I prefer old SS to current SS.

Working for Sesame Street/Sesame Workshop is actually my dream job. Not working with puppets, but I'd love to be a writer for them. Which is extra amusing, since I really don't like kids, I am just a kid at heart. 100% not a pedophile.

[MrsK]

Don't get me wrong--I hope he didn't do it. I am just saying that I am not surprised in general. What does surprise me is the fact that his alleged victim (15, right?) does not fit the age-range that would appeal to Elmo. It would make more sense if he was a pedophile, as versus a hebephile. That part of it seems weird.

The original accuser is a 23yo ex-boyfriend who claims that he was 16 when the relationship started. I think that colors this in a different light as it may suggest that the accuser is a disgruntled lover.

[Cinderella]

On the other hand learning that the first and second accuser were around the same age when the much older gay Elmo guy started a relationship with them make me more inclined to believe the guy who should know better has got a type he likes and that this may be predatory. I wonder if there are more that haven't come out and said anything?

[GrayMatterWife]

The original accuser is a 23yo ex-boyfriend who claims that he was 16 when the relationship started. I think that colors this in a different light as it may suggest that the accuser is a disgruntled lover.

Sixteen is still a pubescent minor and wasn't of the age of consent when it started.. Sounds like he took advantage. Still creepy and exploitative in my book.

[spotty_dog]

much older gay Elmo guy

So, a question...if this were a case of, say, a teacher having an inappropriate relationship with a teenage student of the opposite sex (of course many of these have been in the news over the years), then would we be referring to them as "much older straight teacher guys/gals?" In other words, I see your language putting blame on the fact that Clash is gay, but of course if he were merely gay this would not be news. Because being gay is not a crime. Right? Having sex, possibly coerced, with an underaged person is the issue here.

Anyway, count me among the Elmo haters. So not a fan, and my kids don't watch Sesame Street partly for that reason. (On the other hand, the whole point of Sesame Street is to introduce pre-literacy skills to children who otherwise would be at a disadvantage when they started public school, and I believe studies have shown it to be working and keeping more kids interested thanks to Elmo, so I can't cast a blanket condemnation.)

[Cinderella]

So, a question...if this were a case of, say, a teacher having an inappropriate relationship with a teenage student of the opposite sex (of course many of these have been in the news over the years), then would we be referring to them as "much older straight teacher guys/gals?" In other words, I see your language putting blame on the fact that Clash is gay, but of course if he were merely gay this would not be news. Because being gay is not a crime. Right? Having sex, possibly coerced, with an underaged person is the issue here.

People don't say much older straight guy when they're referring to him having sex with another male. Just saying. The intent of the language I used wasn't to put blame on him being gay. He refers to himself as gay. Gay people refer to themselves as gay. However, as an aside it does seem that straight people don't commonly refer to themselves as straight unless it otherwise comes into question. The difference here is a much older gay male allegedly preyed on younger males who are considered minors when the incidences first occur. Which now leads me to wonder what Jerry Sandusky would be classified as? He was married to his Wife for years but also abused minor males for decades. Is he considered bisexual or a closeted gay?

[diggitydot]

Which now leads me to wonder what Jerry Sandusky would be classified as? He was married to his Wife for years but also abused minor males for decades. Is he considered bisexual or a closeted gay?

Let's not conflate two entirely different issues. Whether gay, straight, or bi -- Sandusky is first and foremost a piece of shit pedophile who has been convicted of raping vulnerable school children. That his preferred victims were of one gender or another is immaterial. The germane issue is the pedophilia, not the gender of his prey.

[poky]

People don't say much older straight guy when they're referring to him having sex with another male. Just saying. The intent of the language I used wasn't to put blame on him being gay. He refers to himself as gay. Gay people refer to themselves as gay. However, as an aside it does seem that straight people don't commonly refer to themselves as straight unless it otherwise comes into question. The difference here is a much older gay male allegedly preyed on younger males who are considered minors when the incidences first occur. Which now leads me to wonder what Jerry Sandusky would be classified as? He was married to his Wife for years but also abused minor males for decades. Is he considered bisexual or a closeted gay?

I think SpottyDog's point, and she can correct me if I'm wrong, is that the fact that Kevin Clash is gay is irrelevant. The POINT is the (alleged) preying on minors. Period. Whether those minors were girls or boys shouldn't matter (unless you think girls should just expect older men to want to have sex with them, so if they do, it's somehow LESS horrible because there are so many MORE cases of statutory heterosexual rape than homosexual?)

I don't think it's necessary to "classify" Jerry Sandusky wrt his sexuality. "Pedophile" probably covers it well enough.

[MrsK]

Let's not conflate two entirely different issues. Whether gay, straight, or bi -- Sandusky is first and foremost a piece of shit pedophile who has been convicted of raping vulnerable school children. That his preferred victims were of one gender or another is immaterial. The germane issue is the pedophilia, not the gender of his prey.

Well said.

[GrayMatterWife]

Creep is creep. Not sure the gay angle is relevant, other than it makes for more salacious headlines. Although, if it were a straight 40-something female and a 16-year-old of either gender or orientation, this would be a letter to Playboy, not an outrage. Ugh.

[diggitydot]

.

[Auspicious]

I'm surprised at all the Sesame Street hate! The non-Elmo parts are very creative and top-tier kids' stuff as far as I'm concerned, and I think the "best of" today (like Feist singing 1234 or Neil Patrick Harris as the shoe fairy) stands up against the "best of" yesterday, which is what you'll find online. Elmo is annoying but I understand his purpose--to hold the littlest and least literate kids' attention through the end of the hour-long show (an hour is a long time, so, you know, just turn it off).

Cora loved SS when she was the age for it, but alas Hazel never did.

I think the Kevin Clash thing is very sad. (I think he probably did it, and even the stuff he's admitted to, like having a relationship with someone much younger than himself and barely legal, is kind of dirt-baggy.) And the saddest part is that it's not that surprising--you just don't really know celebrities and a lot of them are nuts and it's always been that way. I wish we didn't have to know all this stuff about the personal lives of the creative class and could just enjoy their works, but you can't really get away from it.

[diggitydot]

I don't really get the Elmo hate, either. Hating that giant purple fucker, Barney? Totally on board. But Elmo doesn't really bug me. Maybe because my kids were never crazy huge fans? I dunno. But I do like SS.

[alison]

I see the point of SS, I do. But it irritates me that Cookie Monster's grammar is all over the place. I don't agree with giving kids plain wrong grammar input. And Oscar has a bad attitude. The newer characters like Abby Cadabby, irritate me to no end. The Count and Grover are tolerable, IMHO, but I pull them up on YouTube for individual sketches.

[weeniegeniewife]

I don't think SS is all that different than say, Classic Winnie the Pooh. There are characters with different types of personalities and moods, and that teaches kids about people and the world in general. Honestly, I would rather have my kid watch a show that wasn't all flowers and sunshine, because that is just not how the world goes round. When my daughter is watching a show with a grumpy character or someone who is using bad grammar, I just use it as a teachable moment. Just my $.02.