Two Essays by Terrell Henry Barney vs. Individuality The television show "Barney & Friends" seems to be an attack on the essence of individuality itself. One of the core reasons for spongification is loss of individuality, caused by long exposure to the show, which erases all traces of individuality in oneself by messages that spur on this assimilation into spongism. What are these messages? The most plain and obvious example of the lack of individuality in "Barney & Friends" are the random break outs of singing and dancing of all the characters. The choreography involved in the excecution of these routines is uncannily torturous to watch. Everything is performed in absolute unison. When together, everyone performs the excact same routine everytime. Hence, everyone is always doing the same things when it comes to something that involves creativity and talent, and that it's only good to do everything identically with other people. This is one of the smaller yet subtle messages that erodes away at the individuality of young, impressionable minds watching the show. In an episode of Barney in which the theme was, ironically, 'individuality', one of the activities involved each character identifying something that they enjoyed doing. The point of doing this was to show that enjoying different things than other people made you an individual. Which is the absolute truth. However, if one continued to watch on, they would see that Barney than 'forced' everyone to do all said things together. The message that they sent was that it's only fun when everyone else enjoys doing it, bringing back the group thinking and disproving of individuality that is so coveted on "Barney & Friends". One of "Barney & Friends" worst crimes against individuality is its attempt at racial harmony. The show has character of different races, religion, nationalities, etc. on the show. However, when all the children are acting exactly alike, one cannot discern the differences that these qualities in the children are supposed to affect. When every child dances the same, sings the same, acts the same, and relies on 'guidance' from the same source, where is the distinction that race, religion, and nationality makes in real life? There is none on this show. This can be one of the most harmful messages of the show if misinterpeted by the viewing children. Lastly, "Barney and Friends" makes no distinction is the age of the character through the maturity in their acting. All actors in the show act at the same maturity level by performing the same activities under the same direction/guidelines. Both child and adult. Is this what the real world is like? The individuality that differentiates ages is stripped away. When one looks at all the attempts to decay individuality in "Barney & Friends" it is quite obvious what the final results turn out to be if the attempts are successful. First, everyone performs things in the same way through dancing and various other activites. Second, everyone is pushed into liking the same things through forced activities that require everyones participation. Third, the loss of differences between race, nationality, and religion. Fourth, the dissapearance of a difference in ages. In a nutshell, one loses individuality in creativity, preferences, culture, and age. This is the effect the "Barney & Friends" has on individuality.