What is Marriage?
Straight Guy,
This Sesame Street clip is a gem.
As the fight marriage rights for gays goes on, it gets meaner. Read what's going on with Washington, D.C.'s same sex marriage measure. More people should watch this clip.
The more I watch this clip, the more I like children. And monsters.
Readers, Give this short clip a view, leave a comment, and let's start a discussion.
--Gay Guy
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13 comments:
You gotta love kids. And Grover. I don't really understand the opposition to gay marriage. Oh I get the whole religious standpoint (think it's ridiculous, but I get it) but isn't that why there's (supposed to be) a separation between church and state? Gay people put the same love, effort and time into their partnerships as straight people. Why shouldn't they be able to marry and reap the same misery I mean um, benefits as their straight counterparts? I completely support gay marriage. And Grover.
♥Spot
Religion shouldn't have any part in contractual agreements, and that's essentially what marriage is - it's a legal contract between two people that is sanctioned by your county's courthouse. If people choose to have a religious ceremony to "validate" the union, that's their choice, but everyone should have that same legal contractual right.
This week is the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street. Wow. I always love these clips. The puppeteer (Frank Oz, here) is always just barely out of frame, but the kids never respond to anything but the genuine interaction with the puppet.
It's timeless, but given that this was shot in the first couple of years, I doubt it had much of a political agenda. But it sure seems to click with today's debate.
Although the clip is dated, I love the idea that they did not throw hetero all over it by not using labels such as "mommy", "daddy" and "woman" and "man". The idea of marriage in the clip was pretty much left open. I new there was a reason my son and I loved watching Sesame Street. His favourite character was... Grover! Mine was Bert and Ernie...wondering what the writers thoughts were when they developed Bert and Ernie...
P.S. I am Canadian and I totally support Gay Marriage and incidentally, the PRIDE PARADE in Toronto this year named an international PRIDE PARADE (woot woot) I can't wait I am an ally!
Sorry for the parade promo :)
Let me just add that the push for acceptance of gay marriage echos Sesame Street's main narrative concept:
Monsters are NOT scary once you get to know a few of them. Then you realize that they aren't out to get you, and that there is no national monster agenda.
They just want to demolish a plate of cookies like the rest of us.
What a great clip. Thanks for sharing. Shows like Seasame Street definitely are part of the reason why I love PBS.
Kids always seem to understand things in the most simplistic way, but usually that's the best way to understand things. When two people love each other they get married. End of story. That shouldn't be that complicated but people mess it up anyway.
(I absolutely love Sesame Street. And Grover!)
In general, as a gay Conservative I'm all for leaving kids out of this kind of conversation all together. I think kids should be allowed to be kids.
As for gay marriage, it is a State's Rights issue (Federalism). The Federal Government really has no business even sticking its nose into the debate at all--either for or against. Straight people don't get their marriage licenses from the Federal Government.
Heck, I don't even like judicial activism--it subverts our system of government. Gay men and women should make good faith efforts to convince the populations of their state for equal treatment and allow the voting to take place. That's what democracy (with a small d) is meant to be.
Yes, the beauty of the Sesame Street clip, as WannabeVirgniaW says, is the absence of gender in the child's comments, not man/woman, daddy/mommy. Just two people taking good care of each other.
At some point, doesn't gay marriage become a federal issue, akin to interstate commerce? How does an activity become recognized as legal in all 50 states? What was the history of interracial marriage - I'm guessing it was illegal in some states and legal in others, at one point? Or is it enough to be legally married in Vermont, and if you want to stay married you stay in Vermont? Question marks intentional, I don't have facts/ answers.
What a heart warming clip. Kids...they just say it how they feel it. Everything is so clear to them.
This clip is positively perfect. It's the most fundamental way to explain what a marriage should be.
I love it.
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