Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Politically Correct

When i was a kid, watching television program was always exciting. My parents did not bother with slapstick comedy of Donald Duck and Chip and Dale. We just sat down and laughed. My parents did not think of any possibilities if Chip and Dale represent male friendship.


These days it is all different story. Parents or adults will think of hidden agenda that is played out in kids television programme. ABC famous kid show Playschool was a target of criticism. John Howard accussed ABC running agenda with its reference to lesbian parents. In other occassion, the absence of the word Black in well-known nursery rhyme Ba Ba Black Sheep was an indication of this hidden agenda of teaching children to be politically correct.

This is perhaps out of proportion. None of kids ever think of the word Black has a degrading meaning. Nor does two mums mean promoting lesbianism. This sort of controversy is not the first time. In US a Reverend Jerry Falwell attacked British show Teletubbies as bad role model for children due to gay association with the purple Tinky-Winky.

In Tinky-Winky case, sexless Tinky-Winky is then sexed by Falwell interpretation of symbols attached to Tinky-Winky: purple and gay color, male voice but carrying little handbag and triangle as gay liberation symbol. But in Playschool case, it is rather different. Erasing Black sheep as an atempt of being politically correct is not ABC interpretation. It is rather Piers Arkeman of Daily Telegraph opinion. Controversy over two mums in the park which allegedly propagated lesbian lifestyle came from Howard's mouth.

What the problem is not about the hidden agenda or politically correct but it is rather perception of parents. It reflects the unreadiness of parents to deal with their kids' question about Black and lesbian lifestyle. Racism against Black has not became history and also misconception of same sex relationship is still worrying.

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