Entrance Essay

by Jamal Qureshi

     Here is my essay.
     jamal qureshi

          Every so often I find myself flipping through the channels of my television set. And every so often I come
     across one of the public access channels our local cable provider offers. Sometimes I come across one of these
     channels while the children's show "Barney and Friends" is on. Most people think this is just another harmless
     children's show, and think Barney is just another cute main character in such a show. However, upon further
     inspection, this is not the case. "Barney and Friends" is not an educational show that aids in a young child's
     development, but rather is one that presents ideas that contradict real life and can shun development. One of the
     problems with "Barney and Friends" is that it does not provide a realistic view of life, but a sugar-coated view
     where anything negative is non-existent, or, if it does exist, simply ignored. There are numerous examples of this
     that can easily be found in the show. Consider the episode "Carnival of Numbers." The children play a game that
     involves throwing a football through a tire. Two of the children are able to do it, and receive a prize. However, one
     child does not. This child still receives a prize, though. This teaches children that they do not need to accomplish
     tasks set out for them to receive an award. Real life will slap them in the face when they grow up and need to
     actually work for a living. They will probably abuse the welfare system, since it will give them money that they feel
     they should get even though they have not done anything. Dealing with negative feelings is avoided at the cost of
     learning that you do not always win, and that you should try again and not give up. "Barney and Friends" ignores
     negative issues once again in the episode "I Can Do That!" In this episode Barney and gang learn how to do other
     things, like skip and make bubbles. Barney puts something up for a vote. But hold on, there is only one choice!
     Once again the show ignores negative feelings; in this case those that would have arisen from voting for the choice
     that would have lost. Children who are used to only having one choice will be poor decision makers. Making good
     decisions is an integral part of everyday life, from what to eat to who to vote for. It is even more crucial for our
     leaders (which is what our children will ultimately grow up to be) to make good decisions. Adjusting to having a
     new sibling in the house can be a traumatic experience for a young child. In the episode of "Barney and Friends"
     called "A Very Special Delivery," this happens. One of the children gets a set of twin brothers. However, none of
     the negative feelings that can accompany a new sibling are brought up. As far as everyone is concerned, suddenly
     having brothers is great. Feelings of jealousy, which are perfectly normal for a young child, do not seem to exist. A
     toddler whose parents do have another child will probably feel more resentment towards his or her parents and the
     new sibling than one who was properly prepared. Sometimes problems do come up in the show. However, they
     are remedied by a song and dance, as in the episode "I Can Do That!" Barney says, "Dancing with my shoes will
     chase away my blues!" How exactly does dancing and singing a song fix problems? The only way to fix a problem
     is to face it, not run from it like Barney says to. People who ignore or run from their problems end up being
     irresponsible people who blame everyone but themselves for their misfortunes. So while "Barney and Friends" may
     seem like an innocent enough show, it does not do a good job of preparing children for life. Children who do learn
     from Barney will probably grow up to be adults who do not trust anyone, since they were lied to as children. They
     also will be irresponsible, since they won't be able to make wise decisions. They won't be very good problem
     solvers, since at some point they will fail at something and will not try again. Barney does not help children
     develop, but slows development by sugarcoating life and ignoring negative feelings. Perhaps the most malicious
     thing about Barney is the fact that a vast majority of the population is unaware of the threat he poses to our
     children.