Why pick on Barney?

When one searches on Google for the phrase "Why do we hate Barney?" the first site on a list of 93,000 hits is this one http://www.silverdragon.com/punkie/cybertusk/kill_barney.html. Please peruse the site at your leisure. I'm having a difficult time putting my finger on a great and profound answer to this question. Part of my problem is probably that it's difficult to intellectually explain a visceral reaction. It's just a feeling. Somewhat like a woman's instinct...do not leave your kids with this dinosaur! I also must admit that I have never really watched "Barney". I was too old to be interested when it was beginning and my little sister, who was the right age, watched movies and played outside more than she watched television. I have only a passing acquaintance with "Barney" through babysitting jobs, and younger cousins. Nevertheless, I don't like him or him show. I think that we've already hit on some major points in class: it's too unrealistic and not educational enough. I don't think that "Barney" gives children anything to grapple with in their own cognitive development. Multiple problems come up and are resolved within a thirty-minute time period and the viewing children are told what the correct solutions to the problems are. Fairy tales and good children's literature call on kids to make judgements of their own, and I think by this, they learn far more than by passively watching an listening to "Barney and Friends."

Now, just a little information to contradict our class consensus about the value of "Barney" to little ones. Following is an excerpt from the "Barney and Friends" website (BE AWARE OF BIAS) about "Barney"'s good effects on kids. Do we argree? Are we smarter than Yale? :O)

Researchers at Yale Commend Barney & Friends

The value of Barney & Friends' educational influence on children has been well documented. Yale University's Family Television Research & Consultation Center produced a series of studies on Barney & Friends, concluding that the show has a very positive educational impact on young children. The show particularly influences language development, one of the early indicators of future success in school, according to the Yale researchers.

In their first study, Drs. Jerome and Dorothy Singer of the Yale Center reported that Barney & Friends was "nearly a model of what a preschool program should be." Later studies indicated that Barney & Friends' positive influence extends to children of culturally diverse and low-income groups. Teachers who took part in the study reported that after viewing Barney & Friends, occurrences of violent and aggressive play were reduced among preschool students. In a study by the Singers, their research illustrates that Barney & Friends helps children be better prepared to enter a structured learning environment. According to the study, episodes in this series were especially strong in dealing with pro-social behaviors and with emotion. "...Barney & Friends continues to be a television series that adds much to our nation's goal to 'ready' children for school." (Singer & Singer, 1999)