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Is Sesame Street At War With Fox News?

by Tommy Christopher | 7:59 am, November 4th, 2009

» 22 comments

sesame A writer at the conservative entertainment blog Big Hollywood has divined a new threat to Fox News. Rising from the cooling embers of the White House’s “War on Fox” comes a foe the likes of which the world has never seen: Sesame Street.

That’s right, Big Hollywood is sounding the alarm, and the panic is spreading like Big Bird’s feathers in a windstorm. The controversy surrounds a 2 year old clip from the educational programming mainstay in which a muppet makes a crack about “Pox News.” If you think that’s funny, you’ve got to read it to believe the lather this guy works himself into over this.

Here’s the offending clip:

And here’s a little bit of what “Stage Right,” a pseudonymous “veteran of the Broadway theatre industry,” has to say:

Later in the episode, Anderson Cooper from 4th place CNN, guest stars as a reporter for GNN. He interacts with “Walter Cranky” and “Dan Rather-Not” — Muppets representing real-life liberal news personalities — and they talk about “Meredith Beware-a” and “Diane Spoiler.” But no affectionate nicknames for Fox News personalities; no Spill O’Reilly or Brittle Hume — nope, and the only disparaging characterization of real-world news is reserved for Fox: Fox is a POX.

Awww, did somebody hurt your feewings?

All year, I’ve been noticing this increasingly whiny trend among conservatives, and this episode is an absurd encapsulation of that. The pattern is always the same: conservative blowhard says something horrible about someone, who then pushes back, causing tears.

In the case of Sesame Street vs. Fox, the cable news network has aired countless hit pieces on Sesame Street and other PBS children’s shows. They ran not one, but two segments about how Sesame Street DVDs were “not for kids,” they called Mr. Rogers “evil,” one of their hosts referred to Cookie Monster’s movements as “erotic,” and even speculates that Oscar the Grouch may have been molested. All things considered, I’d say the Street’s response was remarkably restrained.

Rush Limbaugh kicked off the Obama Presidency by telling anyone who would listen that he hoped the President would fail, and that he wasn’t going to “bend over and grab the ankles” just because Obama is black. The DNC pointed out that Republican leaders bowed and scraped for Rush, and raised money off of it. The conservative response was to claim that Rush was being attacked.

Then, there was CNBC’s Rick Santelli, remember him? He’s the guy who first invoked the need for “a new Tea Party” as he ranted about “loser” homeowners and their extra bathrooms. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs called him out in devastating fashion, at which point Santelli accused the White House of “threatening” him.

Finally, there’s the much-hyped “White House War on Fox News.” Here’s a quick review: Fox News not only went after Barack Obama relentlessly during the 2008 campaign, they also attacked his wife. After a summer of provocations like the ouster of Van Jones and the smearing of Kevin Jennings, the White House responded, wisely or not. Once again, the attacker played the victim, then inflated a claim of escalation that led to the supposed truce. Now, every time the White House pushes back against a news story, they’re accused of setting their sniper scope on new quarry.

And now, the right is playing victim to a puppet. I have to be honest, I expected more toughness out of this bunch. If it makes them feel any safer, though, I’m pretty sure Fox News and Sesame Street have already formed a truce.

muppet_Fox_truce

fnc, fox news, sesame street, sesame street trashes fox news, sesame street vs fox news, Tommy Christopher

TheNewElephants

While I can appreciate your remarks for “crying foul”, I must remind you that when the shoe is on the other foot, Democrats to the same thing. What kills me is that the world of politics has moved from “what is best for the constituents” to “how can we use the newest technology to bash each other”.
sfernando

poor tommy christopher! get yourself another thing to suck, loser!
ImNotBlue

Two points…

(1) It’s funny to me how you complain about right-wingers getting up in arms about a small quote, or minor offense… and then do the same thing, when you pick out some blog which wrote some story, that you now ascribe to the entire political party. I have this kettle here, I was wondering if you could tell me what color it is… here’s a hint, look down.

(2) You realize that some of you links disprove your argument?

Secondly, there’s the clip itself. I want to start by saying that I am as liberal as it gets. I had my kids form a union before I started to give them chores to do. Sometimes, I just don’t get my fellow liberals. This clip, at least the part about Mr. Rogers being evil, is clearly a joke.

They discuss the premise of the guy’s ridiculous study, and it sounds to me like they kinda conclude that Mr. Rogers is not evil. Now, is this a stupid thing to talk about for 3 hours on a news show? Maybe. But then again, there’s a whole running sketch on SNL devoted to the 4th hour of the Today Show, so ease up a little.

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/04/08/evil-mr-rogers-fox-news-clip-makes-rounds-of-humorless-liberals/

See… now this is the problem when you let KOS and the like do your research for you… you don’t actually read what you’re writing and then get caught looking like a partisan dumb@$$, hypocritically attacking people for something you are currently doing! Please try harder in the future.
Tommy Christopher

NotBlue,

Two responses:

1. I used the Breitbart guy’s unhinged rant as a humorous springboard to illustrate a broader point, which is not “about right-wingers getting up in arms about a small quote, or minor offense.” It’s about a specific pattern of attack, response, and whining that they’re being attacked.

2. You fell into my irony trap here. Go back to that story and check the byline.
ImNotBlue

Tommy Christopher says:
November 4, 2009 at 12:15 pm

1) Okay, I get the springboard… but I think that can be applied to both sides. Presenting it as if this is a Republican or right-wing phenomenon is false. Both sides do it… perhaps it’s just human nature. For example, Pelosi complains about nasty language (after how much bashing of Bush?), then Alan Grayson decides to open his mouth, and again, and again… and Pelosi doesn’t blink (which may be a result of the Botox, but you understand). It is what it is.

2) HOW DARE YOU! I refuse to let you trap me, and make me look like a dumb@$$ myself! DAMNIT! Razza-frazza-grrrrrrrrr…

Alright, you got me. I checked the link, read the article, but skipped the byline. DAMNIT… again! I take back what I said… you got me… I’m the dumb@$$.

Although, I thought you said you weren’t “that Liberal” or that “pro-Democrat” in another thread… seems like that article paints a different Tommy Christopher! But I’ll let that slide for now… as I sheepishly walk away, thinking about the importance of bylines.
Tommy Christopher

I’m definitely a liberal, but I hand out lumps to whoever needs them. The left had its own way of dealing with being out of power, but it wasn’t this. This is specific to the right.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jeff-Goodin/1059268054 Jeff Goodin

Damn Tommy Christopher is stupid. Fox News was making fun of the warnings on the DVD labels, not actually claiming that Sesame Street was dangerous. Dope.

And Fox & Freinds were making fun of the “experts” (no doubt liberals) saying Mr. Rogers was bad. The specifically implied that it was foolish to call Mr. Rogers evil. Dope.

They said the exact opposite of what you say they said in all instances. Why don’t libtards understand sarcasm? Or humor in general? Or logic? Fox News laughs at you paeons. You are the cry babies.
Tommy Christopher

Jeff,

you, too, fell into my irony trap. The technique I used in that paragraph is the same one employed by Fox News personalities. Check the byline and the story on that Mr. Rogers link.

The More You Know…
oneifbyland

Arguing on the internet is like running a race in the special Olympics. Even if you win you are still retarded!
CaptainAmerica

Tommy set a trap. He thinks he’s cool.

Guess what Tommy, your precious GAY MARRIAGE went down in flames in Maine! Nowhere has it passed when left up to the voters!

Suck on that!
ImNotBlue

Before I flat out disagree with you, Tommy… what do you think the Democrat’s tactics were in opposing Republican majorities? The ones that were different than the Republican tactics of today?
oneifbyland

“Mahna Mahna”
http://www.facebook.com/people/Larry-Kelly/1464519149 Larry Kelly

Other then Tommy Lasorda and Tommy Tune, no other grown men should be allowed to call themselves “Tommy”. (that means YOU, Tom.)
Tommy Christopher

NotBlue,

that sounds like a subject for a different story. Short answer: Democrats never formed any effective minority opposition to Bush, or even a majority one. Tactics? Ignore their base and apologize a lot.
Tommy Christopher

Larry,

I took the nickname in honor of my late father. Maybe you can grant me an exemption.
ImNotBlue

Tommy Christopher says:
November 4, 2009 at 10:34 pm

Are you kidding me? The minority opposition to Bush was to criticize, attack, mock, and insult him at every turn! That’s all they did for 8 years… more if you count that they’re STILL attacking him!

Calling someone “stupid” in virtually every interview may not be the most finessed strategy… but it was certainly a public one. Let’s not forget their promotion of people like Cindy Sheehan, when it suited their needs (they’ve since swept her under the rug). The strategy was discredit and attack… and it worked pretty well. They’re now complaining that the Republicans aren’t “playing nice.” Now THAT’S whining.
Tommy Christopher

NotBlue,

you asked about the Democrats. If your question is about “the left,” or liberals, that’s a whole different story, and a completely different set of variables.
ImNotBlue

Fair enough, but the folks you’re talking about in this article aren’t “Republicans” then either. Conservatives, media pundits, whatever… but not mainstream “Republicans.”
StewartIII

ChickaBOOMer: Junk Feud
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2009/11/junk-feud.html
ImNotBlue

November 5, 2009, 12:27 pm
PBS Ombudsman Responds to ‘Pox News’ Parody on ‘Sesame Street’
By Dave Itzkoff

Earlier on Thursday, we noted a “Sesame Street” segment that had upset conservative bloggers with its reference to a “trashy” news channel called “Pox News,” which seemed to be a satire on Fox News.

Michael Getler, the ombudsman of PBS, has weighed in on the dispute, and he isn’t delighted either. In his column on the PBS Web site, Mr. Getler writes, “Everybody who wrote to me heard this as ‘Fox News,’ and I can’t really blame them.”

He adds:

Now, on one level, Pox News as an alternative and competitor to the Grouch News Network would seem to be a clever and appropriate title. But you would have to be anesthetized as a producer not to assume that many parents will hear this, or assume this, to be a clever shot at Fox News. It’s a parody, a play on words, and has a timely feel to it at this time, especially, because of the battle now going on publicly between Fox and the White House. So it’s probably not surprising that last week’s showing got more people’s attention.

I don’t know what was in the head of the producers, but my guess is that this was one of those parodies that was too good to resist. But it should have been resisted. Broadcasters can tell parents whatever they think of Fox or any other network, but you shouldn’t do it through the kids.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/pbs-ombudsman-responds-to-pox-news-parody-on-sesame-street/
franciszek

StageRight, you’re overreacting. Sesame Street merely gave Fox News a name change (to Pox) that was perfectly in line with their CNN parody Grouchy News Network. It didn’t come across as ideologically biased to me, and I am pretty sensitive to that kind of stuff, especially on super-liberal PBS.

If we conservatives are to be successful in the media, we can’t keep grabbing our skirts and shrieking every time we are parodied, especially when parodied on a equal level with left leaning counterparts. Man up.

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