Big Bird Facing Criticism over Vaccine Message
2021-11-16
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1Big Bird is a popular and beloved character from the children's television show "Sesame Street."
2Recently, Big Bird wrote on his official Twitter page that he had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
3Big Bird wrote, "My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy."
4The COVID-19 shot just became available to children between the ages of 5 and 11.
5Conservative politicians in the United States immediately pushed back.
6Texas Senator Ted Cruz, for example, criticized Big Bird for what he called "government propaganda."
7Lisa Boothe of Fox News, a conservative media agency, described Big Bird's tweet as "brainwashing children."
8"Sesame Street" has faced criticism in the past from conservatives who are unhappy with its connections to U.S. public broadcasting, which receives federal money.
9Nearly 50 years ago, "Sesame Street" pushed children to get the measles vaccine, another infectious virus.
10It showed Big Bird and other children getting the shot.
11The move was similar to other public service campaigns that used characters on the show to teach children helpful safety tips, like looking both ways before crossing the street.
12Thomas Doherty is an American Studies professor at Brandeis University.
13He said, "What Big Bird is doing is part of a long tradition. But what's different now, of course, is that everything is political and everything is contentious."
14If something is contentious, it is likely to cause people to argue or disagree.
15Doherty added, "Something that we all wanted a year ago, the vaccine, is now this matter of great contention."
16Conflict between American television and American politics has been around since the 1950s.
17In 1952, "I Love Lucy" did not use the word "pregnant" during one show because executives thought it would cause a problem.
18In the early 1990s, the show "Murphy Brown" found itself in a notable dispute during the 1992 presidential campaign.
19Dan Quayle, vice president to George H.W. Bush, criticized the unmarried Murphy's pregnancy as an insult of fatherhood and against American morals.
20Robert Thompson is director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University in New York.
21He said when there is a mass media as commanding and powerful as television, "... that's always going to be a battleground over what messages get out there."
22Big Bird's message came at a time when educational messages for children are under increased criticism.
23Schools are experiencing criticism from parents and elected officials over how racial and social justice are taught.
24And education officials have faced conflicts on how they should deal with face coverings and COVID-19 testing requirements.
25Some Republican lawmakers have pushed back against marketing the COVID-19 vaccine directly to minors.
26In Tennessee, the state briefly stopped its vaccine outreach to children.
27The state's top vaccination director was dismissed.
28This came after Republican leaders threatened to break down the health agency over marketing efforts to get children vaccinated against COVID-19.
29Tennessee's Republican-controlled state legislature later passed legislation banning some minors as young as 14 from getting the shot without parental agreement.
30The measure, which Republican Governor Bill Lee promised to sign this week, has only a few exceptions.
31I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Big Bird is a popular and beloved character from the children's television show "Sesame Street." Recently, Big Bird wrote on his official Twitter page that he had been vaccinated against COVID-19. 2Big Bird wrote, "My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy." 3The COVID-19 shot just became available to children between the ages of 5 and 11. 4Conservative politicians in the United States immediately pushed back. 5Texas Senator Ted Cruz, for example, criticized Big Bird for what he called "government propaganda." Lisa Boothe of Fox News, a conservative media agency, described Big Bird's tweet as "brainwashing children." 6"Sesame Street" has faced criticism in the past from conservatives who are unhappy with its connections to U.S. public broadcasting, which receives federal money. 7Nearly 50 years ago, "Sesame Street" pushed children to get the measles vaccine, another infectious virus. It showed Big Bird and other children getting the shot. The move was similar to other public service campaigns that used characters on the show to teach children helpful safety tips, like looking both ways before crossing the street. 8Thomas Doherty is an American Studies professor at Brandeis University. He said, "What Big Bird is doing is part of a long tradition. But what's different now, of course, is that everything is political and everything is contentious." 9If something is contentious, it is likely to cause people to argue or disagree. 10Doherty added, "Something that we all wanted a year ago, the vaccine, is now this matter of great contention." 11Conflict between American television and American politics has been around since the 1950s. In 1952, "I Love Lucy" did not use the word "pregnant" during one show because executives thought it would cause a problem. 12In the early 1990s, the show "Murphy Brown" found itself in a notable dispute during the 1992 presidential campaign. Dan Quayle, vice president to George H.W. Bush, criticized the unmarried Murphy's pregnancy as an insult of fatherhood and against American morals. 13Robert Thompson is director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University in New York. He said when there is a mass media as commanding and powerful as television, "... that's always going to be a battleground over what messages get out there." 14Big Bird's message came at a time when educational messages for children are under increased criticism. Schools are experiencing criticism from parents and elected officials over how racial and social justice are taught. And education officials have faced conflicts on how they should deal with face coverings and COVID-19 testing requirements. 15Some Republican lawmakers have pushed back against marketing the COVID-19 vaccine directly to minors. 16In Tennessee, the state briefly stopped its vaccine outreach to children. The state's top vaccination director was dismissed. This came after Republican leaders threatened to break down the health agency over marketing efforts to get children vaccinated against COVID-19. 17Tennessee's Republican-controlled state legislature later passed legislation banning some minors as young as 14 from getting the shot without parental agreement. The measure, which Republican Governor Bill Lee promised to sign this week, has only a few exceptions. 18I'm Gregory Stachel. 19Kimberlee Kruesi reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 20______________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show 23sore - adj. feeling or affected by pain 24boost - n. an increase in amount 25brainwash - v. to cause (someone) to think or believe something by using methods that make a person unable to think normally 26tip - n. a piece of advice or useful information 27professor - n. a teacher especially of the highest rank at a college or university