Why Hate Barney? Jihaddi Speak Serena Wakefield Cheryl Payne Shahrazad Amber Stevens Arianna Mahtash DeadLock the Feral

Jihaddi Speak Why does this loose collection of people despise an innocent-looking childrens' television icon? Aristotle's account of Socrates' life portrays him as always questioning, seeking understanding, and demanding coherency of himself and others. So, in the mode of the Ancient Greeks, it seems that the best way to explain Jihaddis' hatred of Barney is to let them speak. NOTE: Some commentary is under a pseudonym, since not everyone on the Internet desires for their identity to be known publically.

Serena Wakefield I've been accused in the past of being young at heart -- excessively so. I've even been called childish -- although I prefer childlike. I collect and design toys and games, I tell puns and knock-knock jokes, I have a tendency to skip instead of walk, and I watch an absolutely unholy amount of cartoons. So why am I so opposed to B'harnii, to some the definition of childishness? Because B'harnii is opposed to childhood. The defining attribute of a child, the attribute which I try to cultivate within myself, is creativity. One of the most precious qualities of the child is the ability to invent complex fictions off the top of their head and to share these fictions with friends. But B'harnii doesn't give children the freedom to exercise their imaginations. When the children are bored, do they envision new worlds as children are wont to do? Naw. They do whatever the Lord of Lard tells them to do. The Tin-pot Tyrant of Toddlers controls every aspect of the children's free time. Everything must revolve around B'harnii. [...] What does B'harnii teach? If you have a serious problem, ignore it and it will go away. A stranger is a friend you haven't met. We aren't just equal -- we're identical. If you do something wrong, no matter what it is, just apologize and everything's perfect again. Adults are endlessly tolerant of children and willing to go down to their level. Obey authority figures without question. That's the problem with B'harnii. The Purple Pain stifles the creativity of children and instills in them an dangerous Panglossian worldview. [...] But there is an even better tool for despongification: parental involvement. Every child's life revolves around that child's parents. If the parents are not present, due to work or neglect, that child may fixate on something else -- B'harnii. Many parents even encourage this, leaving the child in front of the television so they don't have to be bothered caring for it. My answer to this is simple: if someone does not have the patience, devotion, and emotional maturity to accept the 24-hour career of childrearing, they should never have had a child in the first place. The primary duty of any parent is not to keep up the payments on the second BMW or the fancy apartment. The primary duty of any parent is to raise a child, and that means becoming involved in the child's life. Games, toys, stories, music, dancing, arts and crafts; these activities are vital for the development of a healthy self-image. A child who has constant interaction with a real, thinking human being will be far better off than one whose best friend is a colored blob projected onto a piece of glass. That is why I am in the Jihad: B'harnii is not so much a television program as a disease ... a disease that deprives children of a normal childhood and turns them into screaming, squalling little brats devoting their lives to following the bouncing Baal.

Cheryl Payne I hate B'harnii for several reasons, however, the most important ones are the fact that *it* teaches innocent children, most who don't know any better some dangerous habits, such as trusting complete strangers, accepting conformity and repressing negative feelings. It of the one tooth does not give children a realistic view of the world, since not everyone gets along in this world, and not everything can be solved merely by being happy, and not everyone in the real world is the same... we don't all dance in lockstep or sing in unison all the time. Those are the really serious reasons... The not so serious reasons are the fact that the giggling purple one is annoying... and it irks me to see children and their parents mindlessly following the doctrine of a huge stuffed toy. An ugly, uncool, goofy stuffed toy with absolutely *aero* education value.

Shahrazad I don't hate Barney because he is an annoying purple dinosaur that can't sing, but because he represents the programming of society, to which children are more succeptible than anyone else. Furthermore, our society is extremely sensitive to what they see around them, everything that you see and hear constantly changes you, whether you like it or not. Now, Barney is one of the most affecting shows on TV because it is aimed at an age group in which children are in a stage in which everything they see and learn is instilled in their personality, more than it would affect them if they saw the same show at age 12. While Barney is not as harmful as a Marilyn Manson video or a Talk Show, because many people don't realize the bad effects (denial, for starters) produced by Barney don't realize that the bad effect produced by Barney are as harmful to a 2-4 year old as the richard bey show is to an 11-year old.

Amber Stevens Well,I already told you about the bad messages and a bit about the annoyance factor.I started to think about the creator of the show saying that the show was basically escapeism,and the fact that the Lyons Group is passing off what is basically a 30-minute commercial as educational just so they can get some free advertising space.That disgusts me.If you want to use a show to advertise your product and are still "concerned" about education,tack a little thing on the end and PAY FOR IT YOURSELF!!! Worked in the '80s.

Arianna Mahtash The Hell Beast teaches mindless conformity, something many people have died fighting against all throughout history. This country was founded on the idea that we should be free to make our own choices. Many people gave their lives for what freedom we have today, and the Hell Beast seeks to take it from us. I don't relish the thought of such sacrifice being made only to have the Hell Beast render it pointless.

DeadLock the Feral When I mention to those who know me in real life that I despise b'harnii, the almost-immediate question is: "Why?" Often, adults with children can't comprehend why I object so strongly to this show or what it is that gets under my skin. I've even had a few spirited conversations with coworkers who are of the opinion the show is harmless. Two of my definitive aspects of humanity are the use of our minds and the ability to love. I am of the opinion television and most 'entertainment' is mentally equivalent to bubble gum. Regailing and 'Barney & Friends' on the point of mental stimulation would be about as pointful as proclaiming Bubbalicious nutritionally superior to Wrigley's Spearmint. However, B&F proclaims itself as educational and therefore must meet more stringent standards. What I have seen in the show is no redeeming quality, and in fact, negative value. Child psychologists have (on the Lyon's Corp payroll?) praised B&F for its slow, repetitve pace of instruction and derided "Seasame Street," "Wishbone," and other children's show as "confusing, chaotic, and disharmonious." The implicit assumption is that repetitve, slow, narrowly focused interactions are superior in educational merit to something which covers a broader range material at a quicker pace. My question, given education often shapes life-long beheaviors and habits, is: "How capable is an adolescent or adult who requires slow, meticulous interaction of handling such common-place things as interpersonal relations, social interaction, or your average work environment?" I suspect the answer is "not very." If you, the reader, think of the timing of most things in the adult world, you will realize they're not slow, meticulous, or repetitve until the subject understands. All of what I've said so far is well and good, but it's not my biggest problem with the show. In a nutshell, I object to 'Barney & Friends' because it takes one of the base characteristic of Humanity -- love -- and leverages it as both a marketing and control technique over the children who watch the show and participate in it, respectively. Children are taught to love a purple plush toy. This is an inanimate object. Children, largely ignorant of money, are strongly encouraged with love as the carrot on the stick, to pester their parents to purchase merchandise so, implicitly, they can feel love from Barney. Effectively, a defining characteristic, one of the foundations of humanity, has been used to remove money from parents' pocketbooks and lie to a child Let's take a different look at this. First, I don't think anyone will contest the notion non-living objects (cars, stereos, houses, toys, tools, computers) are incapable of thought and emotions. Explicitly: love. Second, at its base, money is a non-living, inanimate object. It a metal rock (gold) that everyone collectively agrees has an arbitrary worth. If one owns enough rocks or pieces thereof, one is entitled to legitimate acquisition of other items. Third, few will contest that love, in the non-sexual sense, cannot be created by handing someone a pile of rocks, objects, or valuables. Forth, children in Western societies, for a minimal scope, freely express emotions and unconditionally love their parents. Often times, they love many other things as well. Therefore, we arrive at a contradiction: one is to exchange money for an inanimate object which provides its implicit guarentee of love. This is a falsehood, for a plush toy cannot love its owner. When giving an inanimate object to a child, promised to return their love, this is clearly a lie to the child and a subtle perversion of both parties' humanity. I call it a perversion for humanity is now on sale at $19.95 with the basic options, or $99.95 if you want the deluxe, computerized version. On a daily basis the Lyons Corporation thrives off this perversity, selling spurious promises of humanity to the innocents in order to satisfy their base, profane desire for monetary accumulation. It is this fundamental betrayal of humanity which earns my undying hatred of 'Barney & Friends' and its creators.