Shitstorm around Riccardo Simonetti: Criticism of Sesamstrasse appearance!

Shitstorm around Riccardo Simonetti: Criticism of Sesamstrasse appearance!

Sesamstraße, Deutschland - The planned guest appearance of the influencers Riccardo Simonetti In the popular children's show "Sesame Street", there is considerable excitement. The Norddeutsche Rundfunk (NDR) announced the appearance on social media, which triggered a massive shitstorm. This incident comes into the context of the new season of the "Sesame Road", which will be broadcast from October

The reactions to the announcement were mixed. While some Facebook users expressed their rejection by declaring that "something like that does not belong in a children's program", there were also voices that advocated the openness and diversity of the format. In the meantime, the NDR has closed the comment column on Facebook to stop the tolerance of homophobes and insulting statements. watson.de and emphasizes that some negative comments from right-wing accounts came.

diversity and responsibility

The closure of the comment column is part of the commitment of the NDR, which emphasizes that the "Sesame Straße" stands for diversity and tolerance. Simonetti has been living openly gay for years and described this situation as a "challenge". In an Instagram contribution, he expressed that the visibility of queer topics will not lead to children becoming queer. He critically states that the authors of the hate comments often push the well -being of the child to legitimize their agitation.

Simonetti, known for his moderation on German television and author of several queer and autobiographical books, is part of a new season in which the wizards will also perform Siegfried & Joy. The filming started in March and he announced that his episode is not only about his sexual orientation, but about showing children that they are valuable.

influence of social media

In the context of this discussion, it is also important to look at the role of social media. A study by the Plan International Association shows that younger people (14-32 years) are strong and stereotypical on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. The results suggest that stereotypical representations on social media, which often convey a traditional gender image, for which opinions are responsible for young people. Elizabeth Prommer, director of the Institute for Media Research, explains that these negative phenomena are promoted by algorithms that prefer content with many likes and thus create a supposed mainstream.

Simonetti received numerous support messages from colleagues and influencers via social media. Nevertheless, he reports that the hate messages are a challenge for his mental health. Despite this adversity, he expresses gratitude that the "Sesame Road" is a safe place for children where diversity and acceptance can be taught.