Should Bert and Ernie Marry on Sesame Street?

[marksman]

If they come up with two new gay characters, it will become about them being gay.

Only if the only characterstic the characters have is "they're gay". But if you have two new characters introduced, one of whom is a writer and is always asking the muppets and children to remind him of a word he just can't remember, and the other opened the bakery and sometimes shows the muppets and audience how to make cookies, or snacks, and they happen to be gay, then it's not about them being gay. It's about the writer and it's about the baker. Their homosexuality is incidental and unremarkable and will be treated as such.

And that's the best way to teach kids that something is normal. Treat it as normal.

If you make it an "event" for Bert and Ernie to come out and marry, then you aren't treating it as normal. You're treating it as unusual and notable, for good or ill. That's why Hooper's death was so carefully handled. Death is not "normal". It's happens to somebody exactly once and it's a permanent change. And for children, particularly, having someone you care about die should not be treated as normal.

Having someone you care about be gay should be unremarkable. Revealing that an established character is gay is noteworthy just by virtue of the fact that it has to be "revealed". That alone tells kids that it's unusual and "different". Having someone you just meet be gay and not having it noted no more than their hair color or accent? That tells kids that it's not remarkable and they will treat it as such.

It would be nice if one day that issue would become irrelevant

Agreed. But, in childrens programming in particular, the best way to do that is to include it but to treat it as irrelevant.

Forty years ago, Sesame Street was remarkable in that it had black people and white people living in the same neighborhood (and a few years later, Hispanic people), treating one another with respect, and most remarkable of all, none of the characters acted like they were doing anything unusual. Tolerance was treated as unremarkable, and that was the greatest endorsement of tolerance the show could promote. if the show had an episode in which someone called Gordon a bad name because of his skin color, it would only have told kids that skin color was noteworthy. The kids can learn that in real life. In Sesame Street we see the world as it should and can be.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

Agree with Nursedan and Safe-Keeper. Bert and Ernie never seemed to be in that kind of a relationship. Once grown, I questioned Bert's eccentricities, but on closer inspection, I couldn't find evidence of romance. They're just quirky friends who love each other. Not quirky friends who love each other and want to get married. Besides, Ernie pretty much acts like a minor, so...weird.

There is that, too, and that's one of the things that caused me great amusement about the Sesame ... universe when I grew older: the way many of the characters are adults, but still on the mental level of little children. I fondly remember Bert teaching Ernie that no matter how you arranged three cookies on a plate, there were still only three of them.

So not only do you have two people who are just friends living under the same roof marrying, but one of them is portrayed as incredibly childlike.

All true from what I remember. Still, there's something about the characters making an explicit statement about their sexuality I'm not comfortable with (although I'm not really opposed to it either, I just wouldn't choose to do it if it was my choice).
Masturbation is another normal healthy human practice I probably wouldn't want to see Bert and Ernie talking about (or doing). I just think it's too early for kids to tackle subjects like this.
I wouldn't be opposed to having Ellen and Portia on as guests and talking about gay marriage. But Bert and Ernie getting married seems like it's over the top. Especially since it's not legal (eta everywhere). I'm all for marijuana reform, but I don't think I want to see Rasta Elmo anytime soon either.

Again, why is that so many people instantly think of sex when hearing of homosexuality? Do you think it is inappropriate to show married heterosexual couples, too? Is Donald Duck's romantic courting of Daisy inappropriate, too, since it "sexualizes" two characters in a children's universe? Or does this way of thinking apply only to gay couples? If so... why?

Yes let's introduce (mostly very young) children to sexual lifestyle choices, that's what's needed on Sesame Street.

Sesame Street has never gotten into romance before? Oh, wait, teh ghey = buttsexs. I keep forgetting.

Why stop there? Let's have a character into beastiality and maybe a drug addict too. wheeeeeeee

There are some kids from the local elementary school who want to use your slipper slope as a slide. What should I tell them?

 

[ZirconBlue]

Are Bert and Ernie even adults?

I see nothing to be gained in sexualizing puppets.

Then you lack imagination.

I'd be happy to see a new family move in that was a same sex couple, it would probably make the most sense for them to be a human couple with a child

This.

You've probably not met many who admitted to being Nobel prize winning Physicists either. The best people are rare. I make people happy. I teach children in a way that never feels like teaching. What do you do for a living?

Yeah, it's not like you're a clown or anything.

Whose to say Ernie and Bert are not just friends or are even children?! And why change something now when it has been good all these years?! (could say the same for the cookie monster and that cookies are a sometimes food).

On the other hand, if nothing ever changes on the show, why even bother making new episodes? They could have stopped after the first 5-10 years, and just loop those seasons over and over.

 

[The Shrike]

They should not get married because Bert's mom is very controlling.

Agree with posts that Bert and Ernie should not force the issue of their relationship because it's never been established that they are romanticly involved on any level. Remember another popular television show when Sesame Street was in its infancy - The Odd Couple? The humor on that show came from two very different guys who lived together and, despite their differences, really did love each other and learn from each other. Bert and Ernie (their names taken btw from two straight characters in It's a Wonderful Life) were muppet versions of Felix and Oscar. While it's fun to consider that they might have been conceived as gay characters, I really doubt that they were.

I have no problem with SS addressing gay marriage in muppet form or with live actors - I think it would be cool. But they should not mess with the established characters for that. It's a politically correct travesty what they did to Cookie Monster, and totally unnecessary. The whole point of that character was that he was not a role model. Oy, don't get me started!

 

[marksman]

Is Donald Duck's romantic courting of Daisy inappropriate, too, since it "sexualizes" two characters in a children's universe?

Well, it's a little disturbing that he courts Daisy without wearing any pants!

 

[marksman]

It's a politically correct travesty what they did to Cookie Monster, and totally unnecessary.

Agreed. My favorite line from any Sesame Street is when Cookie Monster was accused of doing something he didn't do. Someone implies he can't be believed because he can't help himself but eat cookies he's not supposed to, and he responds "Me glutton, not liar!"

 

[Almo]

Want even more trouble getting funding for PBS? Have gay marriage on a children's show. (my wife pointed this out)

 

[commandlinegamer]

Can't see why this is a big deal. We've had a ménage-à-trois in The Sooty Show getting on for sixty years now. And don't get me started on Rainbow. A pink hippo? A camp grizzly with nudity issues?

 

[sadhatter]

You've got Captain Jack! (I don't know if that's points for or against though)

Sparrow? Didn't know he was playing on our team, lol. The only pirate i could think of is Rusty Diggins from the drunk and on drugs happy funtime hour, and that is definitely points against, lol.

 

[sadhatter]

He says it will ".. introduce (mostly very young) children to sexual lifestyle choices..", but I suspect he is fine with children being introduced to a "sexual lifestyle choice" as long as that sexual choice is heterosexual, which would mean it is not the sexual aspect that actually concerns him, simply the fact that the two people are of the same gender.

And it is not just a sexual lifestyle choice, i swear some people assume every male on male relationship consists of them coming home after work, screwing, then not talking to each other till they want to screw again.

Newsflash, gay people do all the stuff straight people do, it is no more a sexual lifestyle choice than being straight.

 

[Drewbot]

Shouldn't they go to a few Madonna or Lady Gaga impersonation concerts together before even broaching the marriage subject?

 

[The Shrike]

If they really want to spice up Sesame Street, they should have Roosevelt Franklin come out as gay.

 

[3point14]

Sparrow? Didn't know he was playing on our team, lol. The only pirate i could think of is Rusty Diggins from the drunk and on drugs happy funtime hour, and that is definitely points against, lol.

Harkness

 

[Foster Zygote]

I've always just assumed that Bert & Ernie were brothers.

 

[Cainkane1]

If there is a same sex marriage on a childrens program it would be an economic disaster for the show. Every fundy group in the USA would boycott the program. They would lose some or all of their advertisers and goodbye show.

 

[Furcifer]

It isn't "illegal" or "not legal".In 1967, interracial marriage was still illegal in some parts of the country. That's two years before the launch of Sesame Street. If they had launched a couple years earlier and showed an interracial couple, would you have the same reaction?

Gay marriage was legalized in Canada, it hasn't been legalized in the US. (even I don't understand this game of semantics you are playing)

Until it's legalized in the US I think you run the risk of causing a huge issue. If they want to broach the subject in the US they should probably introduce a gay couple.

Leave Bert alone.

 

[ponderingturtle]

I see nothing to be gained in sexualizing puppets.

Then they should never have let the count date. And forget about the kinky/abusive thing kermit and miss piggy have going.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[DC]

Gay marriage was legalized in Canada, it hasn't been legalized in the US. (even I don't understand this game of semantics you are playing)

Until it's legalized in the US I think you run the risk of causing a huge issue. If they want to broach the subject in the US they should probably introduce a gay couple.

Leave Bert alone.

so you would be ok when they air it only in the states where homosexual marriage is recognized? and btw, i which states is it Illegal and wich states do not recognize same sex marriage?

 

[marksman]

Gay marriage was legalized in Canada, it hasn't been legalized in the US.

Sesame Street is filmed in New York (and the set is based off of New York city brownstones), where it is legal.

 

[Cavemonster]

If there is a same sex marriage on a childrens program it would be an economic disaster for the show. Every fundy group in the USA would boycott the program. They would lose some or all of their advertisers and goodbye show.

There are no advertisers on public television.