Elmo's "How You Feeling" shows the condition of contemporary society
Simple questions sometimes become the hardest ones, Elmo's account owner on X (formerly Twitter) didn't expect so many tears in the replies. What are people sad about, and how can we act?
5:03 PM EST, January 31, 2024
At the beginning of the week, the X account held for Elmo, known for being the main character in "Sesame Street," posted what was supposed to be a soft question for web users. "Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?" It was seen by frightening 173 million people, of whom thousands responded that they were not feeling great.
They did not expect this sort of replies
Samantha Maltin, the executive vice president, chief marketing and brand officer of Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street," quoted by The New York Times, said, "Elmo might not have been prepared for all the emotional fatigue shared in response." Later She added
"I don’t think anyone anticipated how deeply this particular question would resonate," she said in an interview. "But we’re so thrilled that we did ask."
What can a reply like "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." tell us about mental health? At the same time, we can argue that accessible healthcare is the main reason. A lot of comments are highlighting work problems, not having time at all, and having to work as a so-called "subscription for life".
Just ask, be like Emo!
After the outcry on the web, Elmo didn't hide his head in the sand; he just followed up the tweet with another one saying that he was glad he asked.
This time's replies have been full of hope that We can all be like Emo; We can try to care more about people around us and what's happening besides just staring at social media. It also sparked a lengthy discussion between the X users about how people can help each other and how we can change the system so everyone feels appreciated.
Remember, be like Emo. Care and ask your friends how they're doing!