Read this and please consider signing this petition. I don't believe petitions ever amount to much in changing bad decisions...but it would be a nice thing to show some support for Melanie Martinez in the face of abject stupidity and cowardice on the part of her former employers.
I've never seen the PBS Kids Sprout network and I've never seen this thing called The Good Night Show. For that matter, I've never seen the "Technical Virgin" parody videos that got her into trouble, if you'll pardon the unintended pun. But I know this much: when George Carlin, or Ringo Starr, or Alec Baldwin, or Sharon Stone are all perfectly acceptable to PBS but this lady suddenly isn't, on the basis of acting in one comedy project seven years ago, that means someone is arbitrarily making new standards on a personal whim. And when any person in authority has the power to suddenly invent new rules -- if there are no objective standards or even written guides as to what is acceptable and what isn't -- that's a necessary precursor to an atmosphere of complete intimidation. It is absolutely chilling in any workplace, and if that workplace happens to be Public Television -- currently desperate to avoid doing anything which might offend the religious right -- an atmosphere of terror is the next step towards outright censorship.
Whoever made this call had just better hope that he or she has never, ever done anything in his or her entire life that someone, somewhere might conceivably find offensive. Oh, wait, he or she already has.
Update:Just for fun, here's the contact info:
PBS KIDS Sprout
PO Box 59269
Philadelphia, PA 19102-9997
215.320.5891
info@sproutletsgrow.com
This has been going around teh internets, and yea verily, it doth suck.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, I'm sure this means we're just two verified witnesses away from getting Elmo off of Sesame Street on accounta all the crack he's obviously done.
Yeah, Elmo's been involved in some dodgy stuff over the years. I'm almost certain there must be a "Tickle Me There Elmo" doll which is strictly for the adult residents of Sesame Street.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course there was the Tigger porn video. So that's about it for Elmo's career at PBS...
On a related note, some years back a friend of mine ordered a copy of Elmo Saves Christmas from Amazon as a gift for his nephew. When my friend got the receipt for this gift, he was amused to see the title had been truncated to "Elmo Saves Christ." But as any of my evangelical friends will tell you, it should be the other way around: Christ will have to save Elmo from his empty life of tickling and sex with Tigger.
You might like the REAL contact information for Sprout president Sandy Wax. Her number is 215-667-2750
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