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Sesame Street deals with HIV LUKE SMITH GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM (U-WIRE) ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The cameras flashed at. the Children’s Television Workshop press conference. Reporters timidly dished tough questions while tears streamed down the cheeks of frumpy bearded puppeteers. It was a sad moment for pup pets everywhere. For the first time in ages, the sun was not keeping the clouds away from Sesame Street. Naively, the cloth-caped humorists thought they were immune, instead they were reckless and em powered by their own per ceived immunity and immor tality. But now, finally, HIV/AIDS has befallen one of their own. Yes, a friggin' puppet has HIV. The female character, tenta tively named “Whorio” at press time, is rumored to be an orphan and has indeed con tracted the HIV virus. It is not known or has not been an nounced how “Whorio” con tracted the illness, but it does lead doctors to believe it might be possible that the HIV virus can be transferred through the hands. “Whorio's” puppet-mas ter has declined blood testing and has not returned my phone calls. Thd character is set to debut on “Takalani Sesame” (South Africa's own Sesame Street”) and it is undecided what color the new character will be. God help us if they make her black, or white, or red, or any color that any group in the world can associate themselves with. We'd no doubt have an excessive amount of complain ing about how all the 'orange' people feel they are being stereotyped as carrying the HIV virus. CTW Vice President Joel Schneider said the new puppet would be very confident and proud. They certainly don't want to give the impression that HIV is something to be concerned about. Keep the morale high at any cost, Sesame Street.” At any cost. Contrasting news reports from Reuters have indicated that CTW has no plans to bring the character stateside. However, Reuters also report ed that negotiations to intro duce “Whorio” to the United States version of the program were already under way. Special thanks to Reuters for making absolutely no sense with these reports. In a nation like South Africa, where in some areas as many as 40 percent of people have AIDS (again, this a Reuters fact, and it makes lit tle sense), there seems to be some cultural relevance to a character living with HIV. What makes an issue cultur ally relevant in South Africa doesn't make it relevant or pressing in the United States. If Schneider's remarks are true, and the U.S. branch of CTW is in negotiations to bring the character stateside, “Sesame Street” is setting it self up for a Mr. Hooper-like decline. Viewers will rightful ly see no reason for their preschool-age children to learn about HIV and dealing with an issue so complicated the ma jority of adults can’t handle it. There is no reason to burden a child with information it took a weeping Magic Johnson to break to the public. Children don’t need to think about HIV; they need to be con cerned with being children. Smith writes for the Michigan Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Michigan. Rapp CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 completion behind my dear workplace of four years, the Roger Center. To go off on a tangent for a moment, I note that, thankfully, I'll get to use the Carolina Center to see some basketball games be fore graduation. Yet, oddly enough, someone decided that our new “jewel,” or should I say the athletics department’s new toy, isn’t suitable for commencement this December. What a great idea, mo rons. Build a new arena of which we can and should be proud, but let’s keep commencement in the dark and dreary hellhole known as the Coliseum. Instead of showing off what’s good about USC, we’U sell 2,000 tickets for some garbage basketball game where the men’s team beats the slob ber out of Nashville Auto Diesel College. I know the university doesn’t exist to educate young people; it ex ists to make money. So that said, capitalist swine, I’m sure there are families with students here who would rent a luxury box for graduation. As I step down from my soapbox, I’ll confess that I’m neither bitter nor a commie. Yes, I wish I had the luck to be an obscure freshman again instead of only a marginally less ob scure senior, only to enjoy the new perks of being a student. The statement has almost become cliched, but it’s a great time to be a Gamecock. Great things are happening here. Great things will happen here. I’m going to be walk across the stage (some where) in December and shake Dr. Sorensen’s hand with pride. I’m going to dis play my hard-earned diplo ma with pride. The funny thing is, and I alluded to it earlier, I don’t know where said diploma will be dis-; played. An office I inhabit, or an apartment I rent while I attend law school? That’s what I mean about knowing nothing. You spend four, and sometimes slightly more, years figur ing out nearly everything only to wind up back on square one. But I’ll say this: there’s time to worry about that stuff. Stop and smell the roses, before you end up four months from walking out. You very fortunate freshmen aj*e embarking on a magnificent journey. I’m glad I both enjoyed mine and managed to hold my own academically, too. I hope you can find the right balance for you and do the same. Rapp is a fifth-year print journalism student. Winners and Sinners ANDREW SORENSEN Escapes third world state everyone ignores and moves to third world state everyone ignores. NEW GREEK HOUSING Nicest undergraduate housing...until first party. WANDA DAVIS Gets to keep Carolina Styles. Some bad cuts can be reversed. DEREK WATSON Gets new life at S.C. State. Good luck, Squeaky. USC BOARD OF TRUSTEES Again we ask, want to know where to put your 17 percent? MICKEY MOUSE Can’t crack Top 10 cartoons list. Walt rolls over in freezer. JIM BOWDEN Cincinnati Reds general manager compares possible baseball strike to Sept. 11. Name should appear on INS deportation list. U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT Loses firearms and sensitive laptops. Why couldn’t it have been Bush instead? -• V r- — ■ G - 77-7 r^ J ' r Classic Top Tens i 10. Stay inside and read The Gamecock. 9. Take a breather in the frosty air of the Columbia/USC relationship. 8. Relax on the National Audobori Society Horseshoe. 7. Skip class. Also a great way to'beat lots of things. 6. Bat .406 so you can die and get cryogenically frozen. 5. Take a stroll through the GMP walk-in freezer. Report the 10-year-old mold samples to DHEC, please. 4. Two words: mint juleps. 3. Avoid hot air coming out of Ankit Patel's mouth. 2. Take a dip in the BioGuard Pool at the MetRx Blatt PE Center. 1. Get head shaved at Carolina Styles. 10. Make him find a place to park. 9. Squirrel attack! 8. Dodge dump trucks and other heavy machinery when crossing Sumter Street. 7. Late-night fire alarms. 6. Ankit Patel tries to get Board of Trustees to prohibit Sorensen from endorsing anything. 5. Stand in line for Georgia and Tennessee football tickets, and the Clemson lottery. 4. Make late bid for U.S. Senate seat. 3. Get lost in the catacombs of Thomas Cooper. 2. Put "Clemson sucks!" sticker on back of car. 1. Throw him off the Horseshoe for not being in the Honors College. 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