This article about early Sesame Street starts off snarky, but touches on some interesting elements of the original Sesame Street production. Despite being a white suburban kid, I always felt at home in the pasteurized inner city environment of Sesame Street.
My favorite part:
People on “Sesame Street” had limited possibilities and fixed identities, and (the best part) you weren’t expected to change much. The harshness of existence was a given, and no one was proposing that numbers and letters would lead you “out” of your inner city to Elysian suburbs. Instead, “Sesame Street” suggested that learning might merely make our days more bearable, more interesting, funnier. It encouraged us, above all, to be nice to our neighbors and to cultivate the safer pleasures that take the edge off — taking baths, eating cookies, reading.
This is exactly the point of all non-vocational learning, isn't it?
About Me
- Aaron White
- Go out with you? Why not... Do I like to dance? Of course! Take a walk along the beach tonight? I'd love to. But don't try to touch me. Don't try to touch me. Because that will never happen again. "Past, Present and Future"-The Shangri-Las
2 comments:
I clearly remember one day in the fourth grade when my class was being interviewed for some educational tv program. Our teacher, Mrs. West was the tv personality for many of those old black and white educational, schools only programs back in the day. Anyway, she was asking each of us what we wanted to do when we grew up. I remember most of us replied (by rote, I am sure) that we wanted to go to college. "Why?" So we can get good jobs.
In the fourth grade, I made up my mind that that was a bleak, boring picture of my adult life to be. If the whole point of growing up and gaining an education was merely to enter the workforce and sit at desks, then that was not very motivational.
I got my education and my field of study is my passion. And now I waitress so I can afford to do freelance theater work. I may not have the job I want, but I sure as hell have the life I want.
I once saw a cartoon (By Edward Koren) in which two rich dudes are lounging by a pool or something, and one says "I hate my life, but I love my lifestyle." That was an important lesson for me. I need a great life, not an enviable lifestyle.
I forgot to mention that I was on Sesame Street (the show, not the set) once. When I was a teen I was visiting Nashville, and the Judds were shooting a bit for Street. They rounded up some random people to be cheering fans, and I got pulled. I dunno if our crowd scene was ever used, but if it was lots of kids saw me in a crowd for a split second. I'm so proud.
During a pause in the taping one of the crowd asked the Judds what advice they had for aspiring show-bizzers. Their advice was to live a clean lifestyle. So take a tip from the Judds, everybody.
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