Glamorising the Garbage Can
Why is it that when I typed in 'Oscar's Book' into the Goodread's search engine it came up with The Brothers Karamazov. I can understand it coming up with the Picture of Dorian Gray because that was written by Oscar Wilde, and I can understand how a computer can mistake a little green man who lives in a garbage can and bitches and moans all day with Oscar Wilde, but what has Oscar the Grouch got to do with Crime and Punishment (unless Dostoyevsky has some guy named Oscar in all of his books, but since I have not read these books – yet – I am unable to comment).
This is a book where we spend something like twenty four pages listening to Oscar bitch and moan about how he does not like company and how he does not want anybody to bother him, only to realise at the end of the book that he wants company because if he does not have any company he doesn't have anybody to bitch and moan to.
Personally, I don't understand why they are creating a character that lives in a garbage bin and bitches and moans all day because I don't think that that is something that we should be instilling into a children. It is sort of like that book that suggested (to children) that becoming a homeless bum was a legitimate career choice (well it is, technically, but I don't know any parents who ever dream of their children becoming homeless bums, or at least middle class parents – I can't really say all that much about those living in the lower class in places like – well I won't name the places but you know what I mean – who probably expect that their kids will become homeless).
I'm sure Oscar is one of those beloved characters on Sesame street that nobody likes me criticising because, well, it's a children's show, but since we complain that children can be influenced by violent video games and dodgy movies, then is it not possible that children could also be influenced by some green guy that spends all of his day bitching and moaning and living in a garbage can. Personally, if I had children, I wouldn't want them to make Oscar the Grouch their role model.
