“I love you, you hate me” The impact of Barney the Dinosaur and individualism.

[smahala1991]

It's 1994, Three-year-old me is coming home from head-start (a version of preschool for lower-income families and families who are non-traditional) and it's time for my favorite preschool television program. It's not "Sesame Street", but a giant purple dinosaur named Barney. At the time, he is everywhere. Barney is a stuffed animal, there are Barney bedsheets (That smell like pee), and He's on stickers in every doctor's office, dentist's office, hair salon, and grocery store in the country.

But what made us kids so enamored with a giant purple flamboyant dinosaur? Well, in my case, I liked the songs and the imaginative aspect of them. The show introduced my childhood to songs like "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt," "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes," and "I Love You, you love me." Many of the songs were made up of existing folk songs from other countries, just re-written as educational children's songs. His attitude was also always very upbeat. He always made the kids on the show feel very special while also making us; the viewers feel validated. He made us feel like our imagination was necessary; we should love and treat everyone with the same respect that we should be treated. According to Barney, we were all special in our own way.

Some people, however, did not take to this way of thinking. Media at the time was mocking Barney every chance they got. Saturday Night Live did a skit of Wayne's World where Garth talked about going as Barney on Halloween and getting beaten up for it. There were also videos of people taking Barney's stuffed animals and lighting them on fire on a cross, beating them up with hammers, ripping the stuffing out, and even treating them like piñatas. There were also anti-Barney groups because some parents felt like the kids were paying more attention to Barney than them. There were also instances of people in Barney costumes being attacked at sporting events. Why would people hate Barney? At the time, the previous generation, "Gen X," was becoming more cynical and snarkier. Grunge music was dominating the airwaves. Shows like "Jerry Springer," "Beavis and Butthead," "Ren and Stimpy," and modern television, in general, had no time to display the saccharine sweet "propaganda" that Barney or Sesame Street was putting out.

Many people talk about inclusion and participation trophies nowadays, and thinking everyone is unique is negative. What do you think? Do you feel that we should all embrace individuality and see everyone as unique in some way or another, or are we all just nothingness? I would love to hear what others think. #Barney #Individualism

[MrOracle]

The Barney backlash was much less ideological and much more about the fact that there were Barney commercials on TV CONSTANTLY, including at times and on channels that weren't focused on young children. When you add that to merchandise everywhere, people quickly grew tired of the over saturation and there was a backlash. Many people who participated in that only knew that the commercials drove them crazy.

As for the message, individualism is not a bad message, but the idea that everyone is "special" IS bad, and has proven to be toxic. That's the same ideology that led to "sports, WITHOUT keeping score" and "participation trophies for everyone." It dilutes the idea of achievement and it leads to weak, entitled victim hood - you know, the thing that is destroying society today.

The purpose of childhood is to prepare children to be successful adults, but it's especially critical that we keep things very simple for young children, and even more important that every facet of the foundation is solid, because that's the base that the rest of the person is built upon.

[Guffrus]

This sounds right to me, I watched a thing on youtube the other day about Nickelback? I dunno, doesn't matter, whoever it was, the point being they became a victim of their own success, they were always on the radio because everyone liked them but there comes a point where its just too much, no one wants to hear the same thing all the time and so love became hate.

[Jamie05rhs]

My little brother was a big Barney fan, and my little sister loved Baby Bop. I used to watch the show with them. I was a little older at the time, so I did think it was slightly cheesy, but it was still alright. I liked how it brought us all together, and I liked the positivity and good vibes.

Some people just feel the need to be hateful for no reason. I really don't get it.

[Jamie05rhs]

Thanks for the MHO. I love you, man. And we're a happy family. 🤗

[Rosexøxø]

Nah man. Fxck logic, at this case scenario.

Love Barney and that’s that, lol.

If Barney said: People are special in their OWN ways- that’s a positive outlook.

People hitting on extinct dinosaurs, purple plushies, and kid builders are immature and need some therapy 😂

[Bethany22]

I think we should embrace individuality so that people are more willing to participate and include everyone in a group. If people don't feel validated for being unique, they will be unable to prefer inclusive activities since those group members all rejected them

[crossdressingrihno]

Everyone is just another cog in the machine. Well oiled and well maintained cogs function better and are less likely to be tossed out but beaten and rusty cogs are less valuable and sometimes it’s better to throw the cog out than to restore it.


Point is that nobody is special and everyone can be replaced and eventually they will start to rust and get warn down. Raise your kids with that in mind

[WhitneySnow]

I think individuality and uniqueness are good things

[msc545]

Barney was very cute/ The constant commercialism that accompanied him was not.

[normalice]

Individualism is a myth designed to discourage cooperation and foster resentment.

[Sonorous]

I don't know about that. I agree more with this YouTubers takeaway:

https://youtu.be/tp4FGAv2gks

[normalice]

Yeah, his is better presented but false - which is kind of the problem with... everything, really. Of course I'm not a youtuber.

[exitseven]

I hate you, you hate me,

I'm gonna get a machete,

And cut you head right off clean,

Than I'm gonna shoot you with an M-16.

[scott04sa22]

👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿👿

[legalboxers]

I remember this. people are truly assholes