With the COVID vaccine finally given an emergency authorization for children aged 5 through 11, Sesame Street did what Sesame Street has done for decades and promoted public health by sending out a tweet from Big Bird to allay kids’ fear of getting the shot. While it should’ve been an adorable moment that no doubt helped parents with anxious grade-schoolers on their hands, Republicans did what Republicans do and started firing off nutso tweets about “government propaganda.” By Saturday evening, Big Bird was trending as another full-on battle in the culture wars broke out.
Among those attempting to dunk on Big Bird was Ted Cruz, who has a well-documented history of tweets blowing up in his face, and this time was no different. After getting widely mocked on Twitter, the ladies of The View tore into Cruz on Monday morning.
“He clearly, clearly has never watched Sesame Street and didn’t do any homework to find out,” Whoopi Goldberg said to kick off the panel. “Because Big Bird has been talking to children about immunizations, and all kinds of things. So why you pickin’ on Big Bird, man?”
TED CRUZ SAYS BIG BIRD VACCINATION IS ‘PROPAGANDA’: The senator claimed that children are getting “government propaganda” from #SesameStreet’s Big Bird after the character’s Twitter posted about vaccines — the co-hosts and @MorganOrtagus react. https://t.co/cVclFZyKV0 pic.twitter.com/PKHrPtGQ49
— The View (@TheView) November 8, 2021
As the panel continued, the rest of the co-hosts continued to hammer Cruz and reiterate Goldberg’s point that Sesame Street has been telling kids to get vaccinated going all the way back to the ’70s when Big Bird promoted the measles shot. Goldberg wrapped up the segment by telling Cruz to knock it off. Via The Wrap:
“Here’s the thing to remember: this is Big Bird, talking to little kids about getting this shot in their arm,” Whoopi said. “They’re not gonna walk up to the doctor’s office and say ‘Give me a shot!’ A parent has to bring them. An adult has to bring them. But kids need to know what’s happening and why. And that’s what Big Bird does, so leave Big Bird alone!”
As for whether Cruz will back off, the Texas senator was retweeting Big Bird memes as The View was airing, so don’t expect him to do any soul-searching on why he’s now pot-committed to attacking one of the most beloved children’s TV characters of all time.
(Via The View on Twitter, The Wrap)