Good TV

I seem to be watching a lot of the boob tube lately, but not all of it's crap. Tonight I'm watching an Independent Lens documentary about Sesame Street in other countries. Sesame Street was originally created in the late sixties in part to put poor children on more of an equal level educationally with their wealthier peers and it crossed racial divides in a way that no other children's program had done before. And now they're doing that on a global basis, and teaching values like respect for other people along with reading and numbers.

I found some parts of the program riveting, and touching, like when the Bangladeshi team got their Muppets -- they were just experiencing this pure, human, joy. I'm not the sort of person who believes there will ever be peace on earth, because I don't think any of us (well, a majority of us) are either all good or all bad. But I do believe there are powerful forces of goodness in the world (even though typing that sappy line makes me want to throw up a little) and I think Sesame Street is one of those forces. Watching those Bangladeshis with their puppets made me cry a little.