It is good that The Cookie Monster changed to The Vegie Monster.

I will assume that my opponent means to be PRO on this resolution as this would coincide with his original position on the issue. My position is that the Cookie Monster certainly does have an impact on the way children eat. The average child age 2-5 spends over 30 hours in front of a television every week, an eight year high.[1] Sesame Street has long been one of the most popular children's shows, capturing the attention of as many as 90% of low-income children.[2] Because of Sesame Street's incredibly large audience, any implications the show has on the lives of children are likely to be far more widespread and significant than other, less consequential shows. We should therefore consider Sesame Street's impact on children very seriously. Further, TV in general already has major negative impacts on children's health: "-University of Michigan researchers found that just being awake and in the room with the TV on more than two hours a day was a risk factor for being overweight at ages three and four-and-a-half. -The effects can carry on into adult weight problems. Weekend TV viewing in early childhood affects body mass index (BMI), or overweight in adulthood. -Researchers who investigated whether diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior or television viewing predicted body mass index (BMI) among 3- to 7-year-old children, found that physical activity and TV viewing are most associated with overweight risk. TV was a bigger factor than diet. Inactivity and TV became stronger predictors as the children aged. -Children who watch TV are more likely to be inactive and tend to snack while watching TV. -Many TV ads encourage unhealthy eating habits. Two-thirds of the 20,000 TV ads an average child sees each year are for food and most are for high-sugar foods. After-school TV ads target children with ads for unhealthy foods and berverages, like fast food and sugary drinks. -All television shows, even educational non-commercial shows, replace physical activity in your child's life. -While watching TV, the metabolic rate seems to go even lower than during rest. This means that a person would burn fewer calories while watching TV than when just sitting quietly, doing nothing. -The food and beverage industry targets children with their television marketing, which may include commercials, product placement, and character licensing. Most of the products pushed on kids are high in total calories, sugars, salt, and fat, and low in nutrients. -Results from recent studies have reported success in reducing excess weight gain in preadolescents by restricting TV viewing."[1] Because of this, shows such as Sesame Street, which aim at helping children need to proactively take a stance on stopping obesity. Even if seeing their favorite character gorge himself on cookies to the point that his mouth is so full he can only let out an incomprehensible sound of "omnomnomnom" doesn't actually hurt the children, just the fact that they are watching the show instead of playing and exercising outside is harmful in itself. To combat this sedentary lifestyle, Sesame Street needs to take a stance against obesity by teaching children proper eating habits, and they need to do this by eliminating the fat slob that is the Cookie Monster. First, the Cookie Monster clearly shows an addictive behavior when confronted with cookies, as seen in the video here: http://www.bing.com... This is entirely the wrong message to be sending to children. It's like Oscar Wilde once said "Everything in moderation, including moderation." This video shows typical Cookie Monsterish behavior and a disgusting obsession with cookies. The Beast cannot control himself when cookies are in close proximity, clearly unctrollably addicted, yet Ernie nonchalantly walks by and hands him more cookies. This behavior should be condemned, not supported, and yet Cookie Monster's activities aren't shunned, they are accepted by his friends! Second, digestion begins when we come into contact with food[3]. A hungry child who watches Sesame Street and sees the Cookie Monster eating cookies will begin to crave cookies, while a hungry child who watches Sesame Street and sees the Veggie Monster eating veggies will begin to crave veggies. By changing the Cookie Monster's eating habits so that children are less exposed to unhealthy cookies and more to healthy veggies, develop an unconcious desire for vegetables while eliminating that same desire for cookies. [1] http://www.med.umich.edu... [2] http://en.wikipedia.org... [3] http://www.annecollins.com...