No doubt Elmo had good intentions. The Muppets have filled our homes with plenty of good laughs and good times over the years. The Muppet movies are worth investing the 90 minutes of time to watch the illustrious Kermit the Frog and friends seek a life of fame and fortune.
(My personal favorite is the The Muppet Movie and particularly the restaurant exchanges with the insolent waiter played by Steve Martin. HistoryMuppet claims this was “One of the best cameos in any Muppet movie.” I agree.)
So why did Elmo just take center stage? Not long ago, the beloved “Sesame Street” character tweeted out a question to see how the population at large was “feeling.” Specifically, he asked, ““Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?”
And boy did Elmo get replies on X! By the end of January, 12,000 tweeters replied; 47,000 retweeted, and there were some 115,500 likes. Are we feeling good? NO!!
X users decided to share a plethora of overwhelming dread and anxiety. It ranged from their very personal concerns to global. The LA Times cited several of the responses. One not-so-slightly over the top from GundamIsHere read,
“People have lost all hope in a dystopian nightmare that was once called ‘America.’ We are told not to trust our eyes and to ‘believe the science.’ Unless the science has to do with gender. We are on the edge of a civil war, a world war, and a culture war. In the absence of God, there is only Taylor Swift.”
Now there’s a philosopher for you!
Other gems included…from DatDaDatty, “elmo im depressed and broke.” And journalist David Leavitt chimed in with “Elmo I’m suffering from existential dread over here.”
Heavy, man!
And from X user ContrarianGuild: “Every morning, I cannot wait to go back to sleep. Every Monday, I cannot wait for Friday to come. Every single day and every single week for life.”
Now that boy or girl needs help way beyond Elmo!
And get this. Even the President of the United States—as in “POTUS”—responded!! Check what he said (supposedly):
“I know how hard it is some days to sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days. Our friend Elmo is right: We have to be there for each other, offer our help to a neighbor in need, and above all else, ask for help when we need it. Even though it’s hard, you’re never alone.”
Aside from the obvious question of who wrote this for POTUS, we might also inquire as to what were they smoking?
We know that President Biden has been celebrating the “rainbow connection” inside and out of his administration. And the evening news rarely shows us any clip of POTUS saying more than a few words. So were those POTUS feelings real?
I didn’t respond to Elmo. But if I had, my feelings might have shared my frustrations of living in one of the highest taxed states in America.
I don’t feel good about that. Recently, driving from Minnesota back to Illinois, I enjoyed free Interstate travel on I-90/94 in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Once arriving in Illinois, a big sign greeted me: Welcome to the Illinois Tollway. Why do I now have to starting paying tolls every few miles?? They should have just had on the sign “Welcome to the ILL Tollway”—since it sickens all drivers!!
Let’s face it. We can always find something to complain about. The Christian on this earth is told to approach things differently. The apostle Paul puts it this way:
“…I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little. I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.” Philippians 4:11-13 (GNT)
A lot of those who responded to Elmo would benefit from what Paul learned. And I’m still working on developing that mindset. But if Illinois would stop raising my taxes, it would sure help “sweep the clouds away and get to sunnier days.”
