HIV-positive muppet frightens Republicans

[Alexander's Horse]

What if the Hiv positive muppet infects other muppets?

[Ned]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
What if the Hiv positive muppet infects other muppets?

How? Sharing Popsicles?

[Alexander's Horse]

I think Big Bird could be at risk to this Hiv positive muppet.

I'd hate to see Big Bird on AZT.

[Sikander]

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

It jumped right up, and grabbed my meat!

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Asher
Are you one of those people who explains to children that when someone dies, they're actually on vacation in Australia?

Why should we horrify the little darling when the truth, though harsh is so much easier to bear?

[Sikander]

I think this issue boils down to this. People sticking their noses into a non-issue that is really none of their business and creating a lot of heat by going off on unrelated tangents for no particularly useful reason, all the while patting themselves on the back and congratulating themselves on their moral superiority.

Those people are St. Marcus and Asher and a chorus of U.S. bashers who can't even seem to pick up on any of the salient points, and not the Senators that they don't like.

1) You are foreigners and we don't care what your opinions are regarding our political process. How often have I posted anything about Canadian or Dutch political events? Never, because I don't particularly care. You seem to be doing ok over there, and that's fine with me. I figure if you want my opinion about it you'll ask.

2) The issue on which the senators were quoted was whether this HIV positive muppet from the SA version of the show (which no one has objected to) would be included on the U.S. version of the show. Not only does the senate have a right to oversee how the U.S. spends it money, it has a duty to do so. In this case there is a clear utilitarian argument against doing so which I spell out below.

3) Using screen time addressing an issue which probably effects less than 1% of the audience is a waste of time, especially when there are at least a dozen other issues of more import to that audience yet to be addressed.

4) Protecting your children from undue amounts of trauma is the smart and kind thing to do. In fact a very simple rule of thumb in trying to decide how much real life trauma to expose your young children to is only expose them how much they can see for themselves. There will be plenty of time after they are drinking out of real cups and all of their baby teeth have come in for them to deal with the concept of the larger world and all of the death, disease and violence and pain it contains. Exposing children early and often to these things will only tend to create depressed and pessimistic personalities like St. Marcus and Asher respectively.

This is not to say that you should lie and make up wild stories to cover up things. If your child saw a man on fire on the street as you passed by you would definitely want to talk to them about it. However showing your 3 year old a video of someone on fire with the attitude "That's life kid. People burn." is child abuse. This is why the HIV positive muppet is ok in SA and not ok in the U.S.

5) If you disagree with a particular person or group regarding AIDs policy or whatever, then find a quote you can rip them on, start up and thread and beat them to death. There are plenty of objectionable people and opinions out there. But take enough time to find a valid case before you get into rant mode. You guys looked a good deal dumber than the people you thought you were beating up for being bigots.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Sikander
Why should we horrify the little darling when the truth, though harsh is so much easier to bear?

Because it's the truth?
Kids aren't stupid, they're ignorant. Some parents prefer to keep them ignorant as long as they can, some tell them the truth (in a nice way).

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Asher

Because it's the truth?
Kids aren't stupid, they're ignorant. Some parents prefer to keep them ignorant as long as they can, some tell them the truth (in a nice way).

This was a joke juxtaposing vacationing in Australia with death btw. For a mostly serious post see my larger one above.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Sikander
Those people are St. Marcus and Asher and a chorus of U.S. bashers who can't even seem to pick up on any of the salient points, and not the Senators that they don't like.

1) You are foreigners and we don't care what your opinions are regarding our political process. How often have I posted anything about Canadian or Dutch political events? Never, because I don't particularly care. You seem to be doing ok over there, and that's fine with me. I figure if you want my opinion about it you'll ask.

I'm a dual citizen and am moving back to the US in about 3 years...

4) Protecting your children from undue amounts of trauma is the smart and kind thing to do.

Trauma? They know it's a kids show, they're not going to go into detail about it. It's going to be "blahblahblah is sick with HIV, and I can still play with him. yay!".

[drake]

Whats next? Big bird handing out rubbers?

Too young of a target audience. Kids that age won't be able to even comprehend what HIV positive is.

[drake]

A whole lot more people. Second, our AIDS infections have been dropping steadily in the past 15 years and is still doing that.

Its actually plateaued in the past few years at around 40000 new cases per year here in the US.

People still don't think "it can happen to them".

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by drake
Whats next? Big bird handing out rubbers?

I just hope he uses one

[Q Classic]

asher, get your political parties straight.

republicans are pretty much the same, be they from the north or the south.

democrats are different: ndems are more liberal, while sdems are almost republican in their morality and conservative streaks.

[Saint Marcus]

Too many people here using the same old slippery slope arguments, and imposing morals, held by a minority, on a the majority. No point in arguing with you guys. It's sad though, that you think the State should decide on matters like this and not the parents.

I just have one comment:

Mark your comparison with HIV in US v Holland is deceptive and I bet innacurate.

No, and no.

First of all, we have more people than holland. A whole lot more people.

It's in %. Doesn't matter if you have more people or not.

Finally, I think you are exaggerating your claims that its 10x higher.

Well, I don't have specific infection rates here, but I do have the prevalence rates. True, not ten times higher (when comparing the US and Holland), but still:

HIV/AIDS is 2 times more common in the USA than in Italy.
HIV/AIDS is 3 times more common in the USA than in Holland.
HIV/AIDS is 3 times more common in the USA than in Greece.
HIV/AIDS is 6 times more common in the USA than in Germany.
HIV/AIDS is 6 times more common in the USA than in Britain.
HIV/AIDS is 8 times more common in the USA than in Sweden.
HIV/AIDS is 8 times more common in the USA than in Israel.
HIV/AIDS is 10 times more common in the USA than in New Zealand.
HIV/AIDS is 12 times more common in the USA than in Finland.
HIV/AIDS is 12 times more common in the USA than in Norway.

[drake]

Sm, is it your full time job to find topics on which you can rub the US's nose in the dirt, or is it just a hobby? Its a pretty unhealthy obsession you have