January 23, 2018

Goodbye to Tinky Winky.

"The actor Simon Barnes, best known for playing Tinky Winky in the BBC children’s series Teletubbies, has died aged 52," The Guardian reports.
He became embroiled in a furore over the sexuality of Tinky Winky, who was accused of being a gay role model who could be morally damaging to children by evangelical preacher Jerry Falwell in 1999. “He is purple – the gay-pride colour; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle – the gay-pride symbol,’’ he wrote in the National Liberty Journal.

“People always ask me if Tinky Winky is gay,” Barnes said. “But the character is supposed to be a three-year-old so the question is really quite silly.”

56 comments:

Bob Boyd said...

Did God ever give Falwell an airplane or is he still jambed in with the demons?

madAsHell said...

I find the Teletubbies terrifying. It's worse than the Laugh-In re-runs.

M Jordan said...

So the question then becomes, Was Simon Barnes gay? Not that it matters.

Etienne said...

It's not silly. The gender of the child is fixed at birth. The hormones have already fought their battle, and the fetuses are ejected into the world.

Having said that, Jerry Falwell is in hell, and his spirit and that of his followers are there for eternity.

Mass media is essentially corrupt, and the actors and employees are corrupt by association. But I don't think the actors really know what evil is in the mind of the writers.

When the generation raised on Teletubbies reaches puberty, they will be as fucked-up as the generation raised on the Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland.

There is no escape from the eternity of hell. Amen.

Earnest Prole said...

Dear Jerry: Sometimes a purple antenna is just a purple antenna.

Thinking otherwise makes you a fruit.

Big Mike said...

So Jerry Falwell did what lefties do today -- gin up controversies over nothing for no reason so that their followers have something over which they can froth at the mouth. I don't see any difference between Falwell then and the sort of people who claim that small size chairs in preschool are a mark of sexism today. (Besides what sort of twaddle they get exercised over.)

M Jordan said...

"Having said that, Jerry Falwell is in hell, and his spirit and that of his followers are there for eternity."

The essential teaching of Jesus and later his apostles and really the entire Old Testament is that faith, not works, is what makes one righteous. Abraham exercised faith and it was accounted to him as righteousness. Bad deeds send no one to Hell. But unbelief does. If you want to argue that Falwell was not a believer, then make that argument, but to argue that he's going to Hell for something wrong he did is completely against scripture.

Static Ping said...

It is a silly question. Unfortunately, we live in silly times which are deadly serious.

The only thing Jerry Falwell did wrong was be on the wrong side per political correctness. I assure you that there were many gay activists (and fan shippers) claiming that Tinky Winky was, in fact, gay, as they do for every other fictional character and historical figure that they can make at least a paper thin argument. SpongeBob SquarePants is gay. Leonardo da Vinci is gay. Abraham Lincoln is gay. If a shipper wants two characters - any two characters and I mean any two characters - together and they need to be gay to do it, they will be gay. If Jerry had been waving a rainbow flag, the response would have been no worse than being ignored.

For the record, the Teletubbies Theme Song was actually a #1 hit on the UK pop charts. No, really. For that matter, Bob the Builder has two (2) #1 hits.

Comanche Voter said...

He's three--in this day and age that's old enough to self identify as gay. I occasionally watch children's shows in London (when you visit your young grandchildren there, you watch what they watch). And there are all sorts of gay characters romping around on those kids shows--as in adult males who definitely play for the other team.

Rob said...

I'm haunted by the Teletubbies. First of all, Tinky Winky was gay as a three dollar bill. He carried a goddam purse, for chrissake, not that there's anything wrong with that. Second, the whole program was spooky. That celestial baby laughing mindlessly from the clouds. Little Brother incarnate. The teletubbies living in an "earth house" like Morlocks. The television screens implanted in their fat little bellies. The leaden pace of the action, unappealing to any child on this planet. And Wikipedia has the audacity to describe the program as being "notable for its high production values," which is laughable since the damned thing couldn't have cost more than a hundred quid.

Darrell said...

Jerry Falwell was responding to an interview--from the BBC, I think--that had aired at NPR and all over regular radio. In it, the show's creators were saying that they had done a great service by presenting a gay character to be a role model for children. The interviewers were gushing. I heard this myself. Falwell simply said (a few days later) that discussions of sexuality had no place in a children's program--especially one aimed at very young children. Fucking Lefties twisted the fact, as always, and stupid people didn't bother to research the matter. Far better (and easier) to claim Falwell a weirdo for seeing gay babies behind bushes and rainbows. BTW, the show's creators said they were gay and lacked role models growing up. I say this as no fan of Falwell--period--but fair is fair.

n.n said...

Transgender... transitioned. RIP

n.n said...

all sorts of gay characters romping around on those kids shows

Targeting adolescent and prepubescent boys and girls for transgender conversion therapy. It's the predatory behavior that #MeToo and #TimesUp conveniently forgot.

Laura said...

"It is a silly question. Unfortunately, we live in silly times which are deadly serious."

Exactly. Sexuality is fluid, but somehow we need toddlers to be aware of and decide their sexuality because prolonging innocence does not promote diversity.

And we need guinea pigs for sexual reassignment hormone therapy.

Laura said...

When did Mr. Barnes make the remark that the question is silly? If he were alive, would that remark fly today?

Etienne said...

...going to Hell for something wrong he did is completely against scripture

The Catholic church teaches a completely different lesson. Starting with the 10 commandments, and extrapolating from that.

All are "something that you do wrong" and all are based on scripture.

Danno said...

Tubby custard, tubby custard!

Buh bye.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

“People always ask me if Tinky Winky is gay,” Barnes said. “But the character is supposed to be a three-year-old so the question is really quite silly.”

Oh what a simpler time!

Elle: Watch 8 Year Old Boy Turn Into Drag Queen

Yesterday it's silly, today it's celebrated, tomorrow it's mandatory.

dbp said...

Falwell was an idiot for falling into the trap:

I could never tell the sex of any of the telletubbies--or even if they had a gender. My little nieces and nephews all assured me that the purple one was a boy. A boy who carried a purse, and had a triangle antenna and was played by a gay actor.

It was all just a coincidence. Or maybe an inside joke--how much can we gay-up this character before some square complains that he is gay and then we mercilessly mock the fool.

Ralph L said...

I don't know why, but I thought of the purple teletubby just a day or two ago. Really creepy, since I'm not a regular viewer.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

I'm not saying that Tinky Wink was gay, but there was that one episode where Dipsy and Laa Laa walked in on Tinky Wink watching gay porn on Po.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Josephbleau said...

The Council of Trent stressed: "[N]one of those things which precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification; for if it is by grace, it is not now by works; otherwise, as the Apostle [Paul] says, grace is no more grace" (Decree on Justification 8, citing Rom. 11:6). Death bed grace without works still punches the ticket.

Was the purple telly tubby a gay character? Who are you trying to BS, of course he was but open public denial of a subversive act is a common deception strategy.

buwaya said...

Also reported deceased today, Ursula Le Guin.

Amazon Kindle - "Left Hand of Darkness", "The Dispossessed"

Mark said...

You do know that the only folks engaged in the argument about justification, faith and works are Protestants? Catholics left the room on all that 500 years ago and you've been arguing to yourself ever since.

buwaya said...

"Yesterday it's silly, today it's celebrated, tomorrow it's mandatory."

And then there are no grandchildren.

Nancy Reyes said...

Falwell didn't make that claim up. The gay following of the telebubles was well known in the gay community, and he merely quoted one of their sites.

The press probably knew it but used his comment to smear him.


Mark said...

Tinky Winky wasn't the gay one, he was the sexy one.

Its obvious.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

I'll always remember the first time I saw Teletubbies with my then 3 year-old. It was so odd that, for at least a few minutes, I didn't even think it was a children's show. Regretfully, I've never experienced watching it stoned out of my mind.

Mary Beth said...

According to the DM, he collapsed in the street and died of hypothermia.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Everyone was so upset over Barney. That is much more frightening.

Birches said...

Some children's programming is quite good. Some is not. Teletubbies was not. I can't believe it was on PBS. Usually the better stuff is on PBS. Oh well. RIP poor guy.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Big Mike said...

So Jerry Falwell did what lefties do today -- gin up controversies over nothing for no reason so that their followers have something over which they can froth at the mouth.

Yes.

chickelit said...

Hypothermia would explain the purple skin.

n.n said...

And then there are no grandchildren.

Delayed "punishment" until women are infertile and men are impotent.
Planned Parenthood that renders women infertile and psychologically confused.
Men who in following liberal mores, and in collusion with women, look for friends with "benefits" and are admonished on a politically convenient basis.
Activists who target adolescent and prepubescent children for transgender conversion therapy, including indoctrination.
From a natural right to one-child to recycled-child to selective-child, a progressive slope concluding with dysfunctional convergence and dodo dynasties.

Bilwick said...

Although an adult, I used to watch Teletubbies, fascinated by its weirdness. It reminded me in a strange way of "The Prisoner," only with docile, sedated, infantile creatures instead of Patrick McGoohan.

eddie willers said...

Abraham Lincoln is gay

I like to say "Lincoln was as gay as a five dollar bill".

Liberals really scratch their heads at that one.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"reminded me in a strange way of "The Prisoner,""

That occurred to me when I first saw it too. It had that '60's British surreal/totalitarian vibe to it. I love that stuff.

pacwest said...

Reminds me a bit of that little teletubbie Kim Jong Un bless his heart.

Lydia said...

The only thing I know about Teletubbies is that Iris Murdoch took to watching it as she sank deep into Alzheimer's.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

"Some children's programming is quite good."

Maybe, but when it comes to "educational TV", it's all failure. What was educational about Teletubbies? What did it teach? What was/is educational about Mr. Rogers, Arthur, Sesame Street, Electric Company etc.? Sure, every child watching Sesame Street learned "abierto" y "cerrado", but not one of them actually learned to speak Spanish from watching that dreck. They did learn "Me love cookie! Me love milk!", but I can't understand the educational benefit of promoting bad grammar and gluttony.

What little these shows do teach could be far better taught from hands-on, engaged tutors/caregivers/PARENTS (Heaven forfend!), and books, but it's so much easier to set the kids down in front of the tube and not have to bother.

traditionalguy said...

Speaking of good bye to Tinky Winky, NBC has fired Matt Lauer, and next fired all show personnel that he ever worked with, and finally Matt Lauer's wife has kicked him out of his home.

Evil Hillary's curse that she was going to destroy Lauer for asking her an unapproved question on a TV Townhall still has its full powers.

Hunter said...

I watched part of the video. I think if David Lynch ever had a nice dream, it would look like this.

Bay Area Guy said...

Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls.
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world,
Except for Lola. Lo lo lo lo Lola.


"Lola", The Kinks (1970)

Original Mike said...

Time for Tubby bye bye.
Time for Tubby bye bye.

Trumpit said...

The Chinese have a one child policy. That should be the norm everywhere. You must be forced to abort your subsequent children. Humans are destroying the planet, so they must be culled. There are 7.6 billion ESF units on Earth today. That stands for Eating, S---ing, and F---ing units.

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

David said...

“People always ask me if Tinky Winky is gay,” Barnes said. “But the character is supposed to be a three-year-old so the question is really quite silly.”

My awareness of Tinky Winky was always very weak, but I remember that quote vividly. It was perfection.

Quaestor said...

Falwell was a shithead for promulgating that Tinky-Winky myth, howsoever it came to be. That being said I do not believe Teletubbies was in any way vindicated by the obvious mendacity those allegations. The program was aimed at toddlers on the cusp of language, and unsubstantiated claims were made about its educational benefits. However, I conclude that the habit of passive adsorption of televised programming inculcated by Teletubbies more than erased any supposed educational value. Viewed objectively Teletubbies and many other TV presentations such as Barnie the Dinosaur, aimed at preschooler and younger children were more beneficial to the conceits of self-absorbed Gen-X parents than to their helpless viewers.

Quaestor said...

Trumpit wrote: The Chinese have a one child [sic] policy... You must be forced to abort your subsequent children. Humans are destroying the planet, so they must be culled.

Please abort yourself, Trumpit, and make room for a wittier troll, or at least one with better grammar.

Quaestor said...

When Teletubbies were The Thing Windows XP was also The Thing in a different realm. The default XP wallpaper was always a minor freak out because that featureless rolling meadow suggested the 'tubbies were lying in wait for the unwary just over the rise.

Achilles said...

The teletubbies are creepy.

More importantly Shiff and Dianne Feinstein of all people demand that facebook and twitter crack down on #releasethememo.

Yeah the same Feinstein that just released sealed testimony. She is senile and her supporters have no excuse. This is beyond hypocrisy.

David said...

"[Feinstein] is senile and her supporters have no excuse."

If you watch and listen to her, it is obvious that she is not senile. She is simply old. I gather she is not going to run for reelection. Too bad. Almost certainly she will be replaced by someone far worse.

MPH said...

Falwell Jr has taken over the family business of outrage masked as religion. Trump has been a Godsend.

$$$$$$$$$$$

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Bilwick said...

Maybe now they can release the suppressed "Tinky Winky Fisty Fisty" episode of Teletubbies. It's great when the baby in the sun looks down at what's going on, and the baby's usual smile and giggles are replaced by a look of intense shock and horror. You just know Sun Baby is just never going to be the same.

Gahrie said...

Too bad. Almost certainly she will be replaced by someone far worse.

An indication of how bad things have been and are in California is the fact that Feinstein has been known as the "responsible" senator.