Barney: the Baby-Sitter

        Each morning in the state of Washington, a toddler wakes up and
greets his parents.  This young boy doesn't start the day with a
friendly, "Hi, Mom," or "Hi, Dad."  Instead, he greets them eagerly with,
"Hi, watch Barney!" [1]  This toddler is just one of the millions of
children that have become spell-bound by the bouncing, purple
Tyrannosaurus Rex commonly known as Barney.
        With today's world of television inundated with violence, many
parents view "Barney and Friends" as a safe show.  However, not only does
it teach some rather hazardous lessons, this show also heralds the birth
of a new era in children's television, an era that not only puts aside
the educational aspect of children's television, but also focuses solely
on utilizing the television as a baby-sitter.
        Heralded by supporters as a modern-day "Sesame Street", "Barney
and Friends" was really only created to serve as a baby-sitter for
today's busy parents.  Mom or Dad can now set Junior in front of the TV
and leave the room, secure in the knowledge that their young son/daughter
is held entranced by the dancing dinosaur on the screen.  One example of
this behavior can be found in New York City.  In one Upper West Side
apartment, a psychiatrist (and father) regularly uses the show to
"immobolize" his four-year-old son - so he can conduct a half-hour
telephone session in a nearby room. [2]
        Unfortunately, while convenient, today such practices can be
rather hazardous to children's well-being.  Shortly after the show's
debut, an episode aired focusing on the theme, "A Stranger is a Friend,
You Haven't Met."  While seemingly harmless, the show's producers soon
found that it could also be extremely dangerous for young children.  In
fact, several young Barney-lovers from across the U.S. fell victim to
pedophiles, who were using the show's friendly message to lure children
away from their parents.  The episode has since been pulled, but the
damage had been done.  Innocent mistakes in programming, like this one,
clearly show why parents need to watch television WITH their children.
        Barney and Friends, however, is not only a show created for the
child alone, its purpose is to give parents a break from parenting.  From
its very conception, the show was meant to be neither educational nor
something for families to do together.  Rather, the idea sprang from a
mother's desire to find a videeo to hold her two-year-old son's
attention.  In fact, every aspect of the show is "carefully calculated to
keep a two-year-old transfixed." [1]  As one grandfather (and Connecticut
Public Television Executive put it, "The kids shut up for thirty minutes
and it works out good!" [2]
        The scary thing is that it *does* work and parents condone it.  They
may complain about the dopey voice or the annoying songs, but they still
tune in to the show every morning, they still purchase Barney plushes,
books, and videos, and they still visit him in shopping malls.  In doing
so, they not only support Barney, but they also support the idea of using
the television as a baby-sitter.

And that's something that everybody should recognize as wrong.

---------

[1] Riley, Michael. "Stuuupendous!" _Time_. December 21, 1992, p 7.
[2] "Pacifier," _New_Yorker_. May 3, 1993, p. 37.


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Written by Alex Bellinghausen.
July, 1997.