There's been a lot of talk about how Sesame Street is introducing a muppet character with autism. That fits the strategy they often use, of demonstrating something from the real world using their characters.
I was thinking that's a pretty good idea; its a concept that kids won't know very well, and this will help them to understand it and learn how to deal with people with autism. Of course, then I realized, that's actually a lesson most of us in society need to learn. This isn't a case of teaching kids how to cross the street, which the rest of us learned a long time ago. In this case, it's something everyone should have learned, but we grew up before they invented empathy.
So perhaps we need a sort of Sesame Street for adults. Okay, that sentence probably took you to a very strange place that I did not intend, and I apologize. What I mean is, we need a show that explains the modern world to us in the same simple way. There could be a trans muppet, a millennial muppet, senior muppet, poor muppet, Trump-voter muppet. We'd learn about everyone in society, and the proper way a mature adult behaves towards them.
Yes, I guess our actual TV shows occasionally do this very thing, usually during A Very Special Episode. But we need something faster and more direct. And perhaps teach people other basic things, from balancing a bank account to downloading apps. Hmm, what else to people need help with...learning that the Earth is round? Okay, maybe we all need to go back to watching the actual Sesame Street instead.
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