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EARLIER THIS YEAR, an alert appeared in the evangelist Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal, warning parents about the Public Broadcasting Service series Teletubbies. According to Mr. Falwell, the popular show-aimed primarily at children aged 1 to 4-undermines the moral fabric of America by surreptitiously condoning gay values It seems that one of the show's characters, Tinky Winky, exhibits homosexual tendencies, to wit: He is purple-the color that symbolizes gay pride; he sports a triangle, another symbol of gay pride, atop his head; and, although apparently a male, he frequently carries a handbag.
Notwithstanding the power of such evidence, the ensuing controversy over Teletubbies unfortunately misses the point.
That is not to say we should remain unconcerned by these weird, corpulent, colorful creatures-indeed, quite the contrary. Yet while Mr. Falwell and others have directed their scrutiny toward relatively narrow areas of inquiry, a larger, more disturbing Tubby conspiracy threatens the very ideals we Americans hold most sacred.
For the uninitiated, a brief description of the characters and their world may be in order. The four Teletubbies-Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po-are rotund, laconic beings of bright pigmentation (purple, green, yellow, and red, respectively) who inhabit a seeming paradise of perennial flowers, rolling hills, and benign rabbits. They reside in a semi-subterranean dwelling and subsist on a nutritionally dubious diet of Tubby Toast and Tubby Custard. Apparently children (or, at least, childlike), the Tubbies survive without obvious adult aid or interference. Indeed, the Teletubbies seem to enjoy a rather idyllic life style.
Beneath the surface, however, sinister undertones...