Finding ourselves in each other: Barney and the other-directed child

Abstract

The currently popular children's television program, Barney and Friends, is utilized as a vehicle for illustrating what Riesman saw as a shift toward other-direction in American society. Barney programs and merchandise demonstrate that the emphasis on peer group socialization is occurring in the preschool marttet. Changes in parenting practices, education, and politics, demonstrate that Barney and Friends illustrates a larger social shift toward other-direction. It is argued that this shift leads to a packaging of friendships and emotions, and ultimately a loss of individuality and self-awareness.