Dear Friends,
This past Monday, the X account for Elmo, the beloved red, fuzzy, monster from Sesame Street, blew up when Elmo posed an innocuous question to his 457,000 social media followers:
“Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?”
As it turns out, not good. Not good at all. Thousands of social media users used the opportunity to tell Elmo they weren’t doing well. The elongated war in Ukraine, fear of famine in Gaza, fear of further terrorist attacks in the Middle East, and a consistent pattern of mass shootings throughout the US have contributed to an already well-documented mental health crisis. Anxiety and depression among young Americans are at alarming rates in the middle of a long, cold winter. People were not afraid to share their deep despair and angst with the fictional character.
Callie Colterman, in a New York Times article about the phenomena, cited Samantha Maltin, the executive vice president, chief marketing and brand officer of Sesame Workshop, who said that Elmo might not have been prepared for all the emotional fatigue shared in response.
“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.”
Jess Maddox, an assistant professor of digital media at the University of Alabama explained,
“Elmo is a beloved childhood character that we associate with a simpler time in our lives. When Elmo pops back into the social-media feeds of adults facing burnout, inflation and a complex geopolitical situation, many may find it hard not to vent about how their lives have changed.
Colterman noted, “On Tuesday, after Elmo’s status check had received more than 9,000 responses, the account posted a follow-up delivered in the character’s signature third-person style: “Wow! Elmo is glad he asked!” it read. “Elmo learned it is important to ask a friend how they are doing.”
It is important to ask a friend how they are doing… and it’s important to listen to their response. Christian communities like St. Bart’s have an enormous opportunity to connect people to one another and to help people know they are not alone. The author of The First Letter of Peter wrote,
“Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
Let us all remember to check-in with one another in this post-Covid world and please, feel free to contact any of the clergy at St. Bart’s anytime you are feeling overwhelmed by sadness, depression, or grief. It is important to ask a friend how they are doing and it is important to remember we are not alone.
Warmly,
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe, D.D.
Rector