Sign of the Times: Sesame Street Creates Muppet To Discuss Food Insecurity

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Run time: 03:58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhJ6hfbn4x8   Posted on YouTube: October 03, 2011 By YouTube Member: SesameStreet Views on YouTube: 4839   Posted on DU: October 05, 2011 By DU Member: Amerigo Vespucci Views on DU: 1093

 

October 05, 2011 08:00 AM
Sign of the Times: Sesame Street Creates Muppet To Discuss Food Insecurity

By Nicole Belle

http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/sign-times-sesame-street-creates-mupp

This year, the good people of the Sesame Workshop have decided that they need to address another issue affecting Americans: food insecurity.

The iconic kids show is set to unveil a new impoverished puppet named Lily, whose family faces an ongoing struggle with hunger issues. Lily will be revealed in a one-hour Sesame Street primetime special, Growing Hope Against Hunger, which is being sponsored by Walmart. The special will star country singer Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams Paisley, as well as the Sesame Street Muppets.

“Food insecurity is a growing and difficult issue for adults to discuss, much less children,” said the Paisleys in a statement. “We are honored that Sesame Street, with its long history of tackling difficult issues with sensitivity, caring and warmth asked us to be a part of this important project.” The special will share the stories of real-life families to raise awareness of hunger issues in the United States, as well as strategies that have helped these families find food. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 17 million American children — nearly 1 in 4 — have limited or uncertain access to affordable and nutritious food.

Let me repeat this: ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN are hungry. This is not some third-world, banana republic nation. This is not some resource- and agriculturally-poor country dependent upon foreign aid. This is the wealthiest nation in the world. This is unacceptable.

[Brickbat]

1. "Sponsored by Wal-Mart."

Well, there's part of the problem right fucking there.

[midnight]

2. This is very difficult to watch... One suggestion is that there are plural

ways to get food... Meals at school is one of them... Last spring the budget folks shifted food dollars from those dealing with food insecurities and gave it to the schools... A family of four here in Wisconsin gets around 350 dollars a month... And now in Florida, Rick Scott is drug testing them for food...I'm watching the new drug laws as they get ready to launch. Here is one of Rick Scotts..."Scott is the flip side of journalism's old motto. He wants to comfort the comfortable, and afflict the afflicted.


Scott also defended his new drug-testing program for certain welfare recipients, even though only 2.5 percent are flunking. "That's out of the people that are deciding to take the test," Scott said.

He said a truer measure of effectiveness is the number who don't bother applying for benefits for fear of failing (hard to gauge so far), and the number who haven't shown up for drug tests after applying (about 7 percent)."
The war on drugs is a war on the poor and the ill... http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/mayo/blog/2011/10/gov_scott_tries_image_upgrade.html

[AlbertCat]

3. "Food Insecurity"????

Do they mean "STARVING"?

[Generic Other]

4. Such a sensitive discussion of this growing problem

You could sense the shame and despair in the father's eyes. And such a beautiful daughter. Glad they found some options for help.