In his new book “Primetime Propoganda,” syndicated columnist Ben Shapiro asserts that children’s show “Sesame Street” pushes liberal politics on viewers.
Published by HarperCollins, the book claims that the PBS program has gone after the right for years. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Shapiro notes, “Sesame Street” tried to convey the message that conflicts should be resolved peacefully, suggesting that the Bush Administration should compromise rather than go to war.
The California author noted a 2009 segment that made fun of Fox News. According to Shapiro, the episode included Oscar the Grouch as a reporter for the Grouch News Network. The segment also featured an audience member saying, “From now on, I am watching Pox News. Now there is a trashy news show.”
“‘Sesame Street’ tried to tackle divorce, ‘peaceful conflict resolution’ in the aftermath of 9/11, and had Neil Patrick Harris [a gay actor] on the show, playing the subtly named ‘fairy shoeperson,'” Shapiro said.
Shapiro explores more than just “Sesame Street.” Tinseltown as a whole, Shapiro argues, is infected with lefty tendencies.
“I went into the heart of Hollywood [for the book],” Shapiro noted in a Townhall.com column. “I spoke personally with scores of major Hollywood names, who admitted to me on tape that discrimination takes place in Hollywood, that they use their programming to manipulate Americans politically, that they scorn everyday conservatives, and that they twist the television market to achieve their own political goals.