HIV-positive muppet frightens Republicans

[Gibsie]

Do you think it would be impossible, or simply unlikely, that the producers would handle episodes concerning the HIV victim with taste, empathy yet still making the viewer aware of how deadly a disease the muppet has?

[Ned]

Gibsie, to the extent they make it "gruesome," the less appropriate it is for kids.

[Saint Marcus]

That's probably what would happen. SS would be booted off of PBS if people had that big of a problem with it. That's what you seem to be arguing against though.

Should SS move from PBS to, say, Fox Kids (or fill in any non-public broadcast station in the US) is the US governement still entitled to ban the show, for this sole reason?

[Ned]

Saint Marcus, I don't believe so. However, in the matter of kids, the Supreme's have allowed the FCC to regulate content to a higher degree. So if the subject matter was deemed inappropriate for kids and was banned from FOX, I believe the Supreme's would say this regulaton was permissible.

[Verto]

How are they going to show that the muppet has AIDS? "This is Bill, and he has AIDS." Are they going to leave it at that? Because the entire point of having an HIV-infected muppet is to increase awareness - to show the dangers, etc, they will have to show that muppet ravished by AIDs ,and die.

[KrazyHorse]

What's the difference between putting on crippled characters to promote acceptance of the physically disabled and HIV+ characters to promote acceptance of the infected?

[NY Hoya]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus Should SS move from PBS to, say, Fox Kids (or fill in any non-public broadcast station in the US) is the US governement still entitled to ban the show, for this sole reason?

absolutely not. This is an issue because PBS is subject to government oversight. Any other regulation would have to be in regard to legality.

[NY Hoya]

Originally posted by Frogger
What's the difference between putting on crippled characters to promote acceptance of the physically disabled and HIV+ characters to promote acceptance of the infected?

very little in South Africa, which is why it's ok to do it there. Little kids in the RSA will certainly come into contact with and have to interact with both of those groups. Little kids in the U.S. will not.

[KrazyHorse]

The HIV infection rate in the US is 0.61% among adults aged 25-65. Probably a bit lower among children. What is the rate of gross physical debilitation among children?

[NY Hoya]

Originally posted by Frogger
The HIV infection rate in the US is 0.61% among adults aged 25-65. Probably a bit lower among children. What is the rate of gross physical debilitation among children?

I'd suspect it's higher than the HIV infection rate of children 2-4. It's also much easier to hide an HIV infection from other kids in a class. Physical debilitations are nigh impossible to hide from other classmates.

[KrazyHorse]

Possibly, and I agree that a place like RSA has a much greater need to teach its children tolerance for the infected, but this shouldn't really be an issue for the politicians. It's excessive government moralising on an amoral subject (the last time I checked, children aren't usually to be held responsible for having contracted HIV).

[NY Hoya]

Originally posted by Frogger
Possibly, and I agree that a place like RSA has a much greater need to teach its children tolerance for the infected, but this shouldn't really be an issue for the politicians. It's excessive government moralising on an amoral subject (the last time I checked, children aren't usually to be held responsible for having contracted HIV).

I would agree with you if PBS were a privately funded company.

[Inverse Icarus]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
HIV-positive anything frightens Republicans. They probably still think you can get it from a toilet seat.

what if a massive quantity of a HIV+ persons "bodily fluids" ends up on the toliet seat, and i have a huge gaping bleeding cut on my arse?

[NY Hoya]

Originally posted by UberKruX


what if a massive quantity of a HIV+ persons "bodily fluids" ends up on the toliet seat, and i have a huge gaping bleeding cut on my arse?

never sit on a toilet seat that is not your own if you have a bleeding arse

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by NY Hoya


I would agree with you if PBS were a privately funded company.

Even though PBS is publically funded, I don't see why anybody would object to a message of tolerance towards HIV-infected children. Most kids that age didn't get it by being junkies or having unprotected sex.

Besides which, it's ridiculous for the government to have such direct editorial control over even PBS. It isn't supposed to be the US equivalent of Pravda...