SAYS ME STREET

Gentle Readers,

I do not like the much-revered and honored PBS staple Sesame Street. My children did not like it when they were young and didn't watch it for long. It had a scene with Bert and Ernie that frightened them, and it was not because they figured out that Bert and Ernie are sometimes accused of being gay. Saying Bert and Ernie are gay is just plain dumber than shit.

I don't like the show because it's too manic. The idea of teaching numbers or letters by presenting them as if they are commercials has given children the attention spans of gnats, and don't try telling me that children have always had the attention spans of gnats. When I was growing up in the dark ages almost all of us sat quietly in school all day and listened when the teacher spoke and did our work.

We wouldn't have dreamed of getting out of our seats to wander around the room, wouldn't hit anybody, wouldn't talk back to the teacher -- and we didn't have that damn Sesame Street.

The trouble with so many children begins before they hit the public schools. They are parked in front of televisions to watch crap all day long and as soon as they can hit the keys with their thumbs they're parked in front of televisions or computers or game boys or cell phones playing stupid video games.

By the time they hit school the little darlings are ruined.

Damn it all to hell.

Lola