This is a response to Nathan Meno’s “Corruption on Sesame Street” column.

Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Tinky Winky and Bert and Ernie – what do all these colorful characters have in common? They’re all insidious enemies of the conservative right. That’s “right” – Bert and Ernie are vicious terrorists unraveling the tenuous thread that holds together the fabric of modern American society.

This is the scenario portrayed by Mr. Meno in his most recent column, and the suggestion is both absurd and asinine. In case Mr. Meno has failed to realize, Bert and Ernie are fictitious mannequins with as little down their pants as Meno has between his ears. While the characters are gendered on the show as male, they are still just puppets, a fact that any 4-year-old can recognize. Now I realize Mr. Meno is being somewhat tongue-in-cheek with this piece, but he is serious about his points and that’s where the problem lies.

However, I think we should indulge his fantasies and point out some possibilities that may not have occurred to him. Did he consider that Bert and Ernie are PBS employees and as a result are probably paid far less then the pimply-faced kid that bags your groceries at Jewel? It’s not because they’re gay that Bert and Ernie live together – it’s because they’re poor! And the cookies in the bed? Obviously, Bert doesn’t want a roach infestation to worsen his already-squalid living conditions. Camping trips and domestic chores? Don’t you go on camping trips with your decidedly straight male friends, Mr. Meno? And does your sister do all your laundry in your apartment?

As to the question of their lack of genitalia, how can someone be gay if they can’t perform a homosexual act? To clarify, Mr. Meno, being a staunch Christian, presumes homosexuality is a choice. If someone doesn’t have the option to make that choice (being an asexual puppet), then how can they be labeled in such a way? Someone who doesn’t have the right sports equipment can’t be considered a member of a team.

Nevertheless, I think you all can recognize that this conjecture makes absolutely no sense in the light of the fact that these characters are merely lumps of fabric, wood and glue, as clumsily held together as Mr. Meno’s argument.

Christopher Boughton

Junior, communication