Two Essays

by Terrell Henry

                         Barney vs. Individuality

     The television show "Barney & Friends" seems to be an attack on the
essence of individuality itself.  One of the core reasons for
spongification is loss of individuality, caused by long exposure to the
show, which erases all traces of individuality in oneself by messages that
spur on this assimilation into spongism.  What are these messages?
     The most plain and obvious example of the lack of individuality in
"Barney & Friends" are the random break outs of singing and dancing of all
the characters.  The choreography involved in the excecution of these
routines is uncannily torturous to watch.  Everything is performed in
absolute unison.  When together, everyone performs the excact same routine
everytime.  Hence, everyone is always doing the same things when it comes
to something that involves creativity and talent, and that it's only good
to do everything identically with other people.  This is one of the smaller
yet subtle messages that erodes away at the individuality of young,
impressionable minds watching the show.
     In an episode of Barney in which the theme was, ironically,
'individuality', one of the activities involved each character identifying
something that they enjoyed doing.  The point of doing this was to show
that enjoying different things than other people made you an individual.
Which is the absolute truth.  However, if one continued to watch on, they
would see that Barney than 'forced' everyone to do all said things
together.  The message that they sent was that it's only fun when everyone
else enjoys doing it, bringing back the group thinking and disproving of
individuality that is so coveted on "Barney & Friends".
     One of "Barney & Friends" worst crimes against individuality is its
attempt at racial harmony.  The show has character of different races,
religion, nationalities, etc. on the show.  However, when all the children
are acting exactly alike, one cannot discern the differences that these
qualities in the children are supposed to affect.  When every child dances
the same, sings the same, acts the same, and relies on 'guidance' from the
same source, where is the distinction that race, religion, and nationality
makes in real life?  There is none on this show.  This can be one of the
most harmful messages of the show if misinterpeted by the viewing children.
     Lastly, "Barney and Friends" makes no distinction is the age of the
character through the maturity in their acting.  All actors in the show act
at the same maturity level by performing the same activities under the same
direction/guidelines.  Both child and adult.  Is this what the real world
is like?  The individuality that differentiates ages is stripped away.
     When one looks at all the attempts to decay individuality in
"Barney & Friends" it is quite obvious what the final results turn out to
be if the attempts are successful.   First, everyone performs things in the
same way through dancing and various other activites.  Second, everyone is
pushed into liking the same things through forced activities that require
everyones participation.  Third, the loss of differences between race,
nationality, and religion.  Fourth, the dissapearance of a difference in
ages.  In a nutshell, one loses individuality in creativity, preferences,
culture, and age.  This is the effect the "Barney & Friends" has on
individuality.