Muppets in Moscow by Natasha Lance Rogoff

Author:Natasha Lance Rogoff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2022-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

13

AN ANGEL DESCENDS

Things get more heated as the Russian educators turn to a discussion of how Sesame Street promotes inclusivity. We watch a clip about a boy in a wheelchair. In the segment, the boy meets a friend on his way to the park and the two of them play catch and fly a kite while a whimsical song with upbeat lyrics called “Me & My Chair” plays in background.

Surprisingly, the sweet and touching segment elicits a harsh response.

“How can you show children in wheelchairs? It’s so exploitative,” reacts one teacher.

“It’s shameful showing this poor crippled boy trying to act normal by playing ball and flying a kite,” says another.

A third educator shakes her head. “Why would normal children ever want to watch nenormal’nye [not normal] children in a TV show?” I’m shocked to hear “not normal” used to describe children with disabilities.

I play dumb. “So, are you saying that Ulitsa Sezam cannot show any disabled children?”

The teacher who’d spoken first nods. “Yes, exactly—allow children to forget about these hardships; at least while watching the television show, let them escape the hell we live in.”

I feel deflated. How can Ulitsa Sezam teach empathy and understanding if these distinguished and enlightened educators express such archaic views? But the conversation takes a further turn when a child health expert suggests that it is insensitive to show a child in a wheelchair because most Russians cannot afford such an apparatus. With great sympathy, she explains that many handicapped children are trapped in their beds, and when they see a child in a video with a wheelchair, they will feel sad about what they do not have.

I hadn’t thought of this, but ignoring Russian children with disabilities also seems wrong.

From the corner of the room, a middle-aged woman with a soft, round face speaks in a quiet voice. “My name is Ludmila Chapurina. I teach children in Cheboksary, the capital of Chuvashia, one of our poorest regions in western Russia.”

Drawing in a long breath, she continues, “For decades, the communist government used our town, populated mostly by Turkic people, as a dumping ground for hazardous chemicals. Not surprisingly, the rate of birth deformities in the Chuvash region is among the highest in Russia.” She speaks slowly and calmly but with sincerity and intensity that mesmerizes everyone in the room.

“I work with wheelchair-bound children every day. They laugh with me, paint pictures, play music, and have a wonderful time. But you can’t imagine how much these crippled children long to play with normal children—how they long to live in a world where they are not treated with contempt. Don’t you people understand that just because a child has a problem with his legs doesn’t mean he can’t be talented in other areas? These children are so sensitive. We need to help healthy children see these other children as equal to themselves and valuable in society.”

It’s as if an angel has descended into our presence. The harsh language poisoning the atmosphere moments earlier evaporates into thin air.

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