English wasn’t my first language. But thanks to Sesame Street, as a toddler I was able to count to ten, say hello, and say please and thank you in English, Spanish, and French, all taught to me outside of the classroom. Sesame Street was also one of the only shows I remembered from my childhood that featured minorities without placing them in stereotyped roles, and had children of all different ethnicities as part of the human cast. Growing up in a very homogenous town in western New York, seeing people on TV who looked like me and didn’t speak with an exaggerated accent was something that made me feel a little less alone, until my family relocated to the diverse landscape of Houston, Texas.
Even beyond Sesame Street, my childhood TV diet consisted of Reading Rainbow, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Wishbone, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and all the “boring” Masterpiece Theatre episodes that would air after the children’s programming was done for the day. PBS programming taught me language, math, science, and literature long after class was dismissed. As a teenager, I watched travel shows that would pique my curiosity in places outside the usual travel hotspots, and I would idly have cooking shows playing while I did my homework, which would passively teach me to be more adventurous with food. Fast forward into adulthood, where I’d grown from a PBS kid into an NPR adult. I would stay informed at a local, national, and international level through NPR News, find amazing new music through Tiny Desk concerts, and after spending countless weekends tuning in to the Moth Radio Hour, would eventually find love and meet my husband at a local Moth StorySLAM. All of this is provided for free, without a paywall or paid subscription, to everyone. Public broadcasting has shaped my interests and understanding of the world more than any other programming in my life. Which is why it’s so incredibly upsetting that PBS and NPR are in danger of losing funding, and it’s even more infuriating to see our lawmakers consciously decide that these services are not of value to the public. Public media isn’t just for entertainment. Having access to quality informative programming is important for families who live in areas without access to libraries, high-speed internet, or are zoned to under-sourced school systems that can’t provide the tools to teach basic skills. What’s even more frustrating is that public broadcasting only makes up 0.01% of the federal budget, so this isn’t a financial issue. The Senate has until July 18th to decide if it will act on the rescissions bill.
I’ve contacted my lawmakers, and while the response I received from Senator John Cornyn’s office was an absolute joke, other lawmakers may be more receptive. Which is why it’s important to reach out and tell them why public media matters and is worth saving. Be loud. Be grouchy. Kind of like this guy:
Even if they lose funding, I hope public media will have enough support to continue to provide the programming that it does for everyone, and that it will remain accessible for all, as it was intended to be. I’m living proof that public media has enriched my life in countless ways.
At any rate, find Oscar the Grouch at SDCC and he’s yours to keep! And whether you find this lovable grouch or not, I’d implore everyone to do what you can to save your local public media station.
If you’ve never followed my SDCC drops before, here’s what you need to know:
- Follow me on Instagram, Threads, or Twitter for updates on new critters!
- When the time comes, follow my Instagram/Threads posts or tweets to track the drops, where I’ll post hints on where I’ve left them for a lucky finder!
- Set up a mobile alert on your phone! This isn’t required, but it’ll help! This way your phone will notify you every time I make a post, so you won’t miss a single drop! Instructions on how to set this up can be found here for Instagram, here for Threads, and here for Twitter.
- If you find a critter, let me know that you found it! Please check in if you find a critter. Each one is tagged with a card with my contact info, I just ask for two things if you find one: 1) Send me a photo of your new friend, and 2) Let me know where the critter’s new home will be so I can add it to my map! I do this knowing that there’s a potential that anyone could swipe the critter and never get back to me on it, but it doesn’t make it any less disheartening when one goes missing.
No specific hints on where these little guys will be dropped, and I’ll drop them whenever the time and place feels right! Find one and it’s yours to keep! Happy hunting!
Pick your social media poison and join the hunt!
