Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
IT WAS ONE of the only missteps by Mitt Romney during last week’s presidential debate against Barack Obama.
At one point during the debate Romney said he wanted to cut the government subsidy to PBS, the public service broadcaster in the US – but insisted that he still loved Sesame Street, which is shown on the channel, and its star Big Bird.
A lot of people weren’t so sure. Since the debate, there have been parody Twitter accounts, memes, and many bad jokes about how Romney is going after the real enemy by focusing on Big Bird.
Now, the Barack Obama campaign has joined in.
In this video released today, the campaign promises that Mitt Romney is the man who will “take on our enemies” by putting a stop to Big Bird (“Big. Yellow. A menace to our economy”).
However Sesame Street isn’t happy about the ad. In an update posted on its blog this evening, the Sesame Workshop said that it has asked for the ad to be taken down.
“Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns,” the update said.
“We have approved no campaign ads, and as is our general practice, have requested that the ad be taken down”.
Watch it here before it goes:
(Video: BarackObamadotcom/YouTube)
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Irish is taught in schools for around 13 years from infants through to leaving cert but yet the majority of people can’t string a sentence together, why is that?
Maybe we need to look at how it’s being taught instead.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: Answer: Gaelscoileanna.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: I can only speak for my personal experience of learning Irish, ending up as 1 of 6, out of almost 200, to get an honour! We were bullied into learning History and Geography through Irish. We had Gaeltacht holidays, where we learnt “sad depressing Irish songs, had a few haon do tri dances. It is so funny (in a sad way) that the Dept of Education (for all their intellectuals) did not realise that when we left school 90% of us would hate Irish and be reminded of that hatred every time we hear a hyperactive unintelligible (to the masses) speaker rattle through the nuacht in a gutteral delivery reminding us every so often of 13 years of bullying teachers of Gaeilge. Mo bhrón.
Please No.
@Dave Barrett: excuse me?? Why
@LiamMac2018: Just another amadán with a colonised mind. Ná bac leis
Maybe if RTE and TG4 stopped using people with thick dialects to speak Irish on TV and Radio, people would stop, listen and understand a bit more to care about it? I was fluent in school but got fed up trying years ago. There are many like me that the Gaelgoiri in charge of Irish wont listen to.
@Neil Neart:
“.. I was fluent in school but got fed up trying years ago..” what are you even trying to say?
In all fairness Neil, you’re making a habit of posting negative comments on these Irish language articles and it just makes you look like you have a serious chip on your shoulder when it comes to the Irish language.
Complaining about fluent speakers who speak in their native dialects?
How rïdïculous. Would you complain about someone from Kerry or Donegal speaking English in their native accents just because you can’t understand it?
You must have had a bad experience somewhere along the line to be coming out with these sorts of juvenile responses
Somehow the Irish language feels irrelevant and out of touch. It’s too confined to a small part of a small island.
@Teresa O’Donnell Joyce: All the more reason for its expansion so.
@Teresa O’Donnell Joyce: Irish was originally a simple language spoken by ordinary people in everyday life. Then it was codified and complexified by a group of well meaning intellectuals who decided to teach it in a way that alienated ordinary people. Irish needs new champions to survive and thrive.
@Neil Neart: @Neil Neart: Irish was never “codified” or complexified by a group of intellectuals who for some reason decided to add weird rules so the plebs wouldn’t be able to speak it, these were all features of the language already. It’s definitely true that it needs to be taught better in schools, but what you seem to want is a simplified version of the language, probably without the “ach” sounds as well so it will be easier on your anglicised ears. I personally don’t see any value in keeping the language “alive” if it’s in a form that bears little resemblance to the natively spoken tongue.
@Neil Neart: Because the language is confined to Ireland and is a second language, most people won’t bother learning or using it. It’s of no real practical use.
@Neil Neart: @Neil Neart: Irish was never “codified” or “complexified” by a group of intellectuals who for some reason decided to add weird rules so the plebs wouldn’t be able to speak it, these were all features of the language already. It’s definitely true that it needs to be taught better in schools, but what you seem to want is a simplified version of the language, probably without the “ach” sounds so it will be easier on your anglicised ears. I don’t see any value in keeping the language “alive” it it’s in a form that bears little resemblance to the natively spoken tongue.
@Neil Neart: @Neil Neart: Irish was never “codified” or “complexified” by a group of intellectuals who for some reason decided to add weird rules so the plebs wouldn’t be able to speak it, these were all features of the language already. It’s definitely true that it needs to be taught better in schools, but what you seem to want is a simplified version of the language, probably without the “ach” sounds so it will be easier on your anglicised ears. I don’t see any value in keeping the language “alive” if it’s in a form that bears little resemblance to the natively spoken tongue.
@Neil Neart: Irish was never “codified” or “complexified” by a group of intellectuals who for some reason decided to add weird rules so the plebs wouldn’t be able to speak it, these were all features of the language already. It’s definitely true that it needs to be taught better in schools, but what you seem to want is a simplified version of the language, probably without the “ach” sounds so it will be easier on your anglicised ears. I don’t see any value in keeping the language “alive” if it’s in a form that bears little resemblance to the natively spoken tongue.
@Neil Neart: Irish was never “codified” or “complexified” by some group of intellectuals who for some reason decided to add lots of weird rules to make the language harder for the plebs to learn, all these rules were features of the language already. I agree that it definitely needs to be taught better but that’s a different matter. What you seem to want is a simplified version of the language, probably without the “ach” sounds as well so it will be easier on your anglicised ears. Personally, I don’t see any value in keeping the language “alive” in an artificial form that bears little resemblance to the historic, natively spoken tongue,
I tried to post this comment a few times but kept having issues attempting to verify my account, I finally managed it and it seems they all went through now, and now its not letting me delete them?
My other half is from South Africa and is self taught, before I met him. We live in an English speaking area but about half hr drive from Gaeltacht. He became aware that the elderly man in local corner shop speaks Irish, and now always speaks Irish to him when he shops there. Also, when he had to go buy timber from timber mill, he needed directions and because this timber mill is located in the Gaeltacht he decided to chance his arm and only ask for directions in Irish and guess what, he succeeded. He is an inspiration. So he is a European using the language and enjoys it. He watches TG4, is very much dependent on the subtitles but just enjoys listening to the language.
@Anú Ni Shúilleabháin: nice. Its a pity one person wont be enough to rescue Irish from its gaelgoiri guards who prefer utterly perfect complexity from a few (with dialects that only they can understand) over simplicity from many.
@Anú Ni Shúilleabháin: He’s lucky to want to speak and learn it. He hasn’t been put off the language with years of it being forced on him in school with ‘God help us’ books.
Cinnte tá an AE in ann go leor a dhéanamh agus tá déanta acu cheana féin. Is minic Gaeilgeoirí le teangacha eile na hEorpa agus le dearcadh níos leithne ná lucht an Bhéarla amháin. Viva Europa!
Unfortunately we are controlled by the EU by our muppets who have not only sold us out but now we have to ask then to approve even energy hikes reductions. Ireland will fall to the Europe knees and so will our sovereignty.
@hw007: a ludicrous, disastrous comment. Sure the EU is helping keep it alive, funding and expanding its use
So we can talk to ourselves
Irish is a cultural language and we force it academic. Its hated by most accounts with poor materials. Duolingo has probably done more for the language. If a hotel could lose its VAT rate off season if it operated in Irish. We need to start with a focus on fluent speech.
Ireland needs to rapidly be more European about language and Irish could be part of that. Our investment model of low corporation tax now harmonized and nullified, Intel for example will likely be gone in 10 years its moved its newer technology to Germany and Italy. However it could be offset with a genuine multi lingual workforce. Free summer courses, genuine community classes, multiple free accredited online courses to get recognized language badges.
Enough already. Let the language live or die on its own two feet. All the government ‘help’ won’t make a jot of difference
Parents of young children need to be allowed to opt their children out of learning Irish.
Making Irish compulsory in school belongs to the days when Ireland was a small-minded State and priests, doctors and anyone in authority could tell you what to do and you would just accept it.
We have opened up divorce, abortion and homosexually, now is the time for free choice on forcing families to waste their children’s time on Irish.
Too late. I’m learning Latin. I know more Latin in 2 years than Irish, which I studied for 11 years in school. Lost interest decades ago. Plus now when I’m reading (english) I can understand and recognise the roots of so many english words we use on a daily basis.
I think TG 4 and RTE should offer Free Irish language classes!
have your say