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Monster v. “Mega Meanie”: a fight to keep his rights

 

The Soybean Times

September 19, 2020

by The Soybean Times Editorial Writer, Eleanor Stanley

 

 

Elmo is a loveable, furry red monster who loves his pet goldfish, Dorothy, and his magical crayon. He lives in his hand-drawn house on Sesame Street, surrounded by his friends, adorable little children, and friendly neighbors. Being a small town monster, no monster or human would have bothered with a second glance in his direction… That is, until a recent turn of events. No one expected Elmo to be such a persuasive writer, especially at the age of three and a half. After the recent publication of his latest book, Grown-Ups Plus Humans Equals MEGA MEANIE, Elmo’s popularity and success soared, making his book well on its way to becoming a bestseller. However, Elmo’s luck fell short when the governor of Elmo’s World pulled the plug on his publication, violating Elmo’s rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. 

 

Elmo’s first ever published book criticizes adult humans and insists that they must be isolated from society at all costs, due to their inability to “... be nice and kind and caring!” Elmo shares with interviewers that his outrage was provoked by the realization that the only criminals that ever showed up on TV were adult humans. As Elmo’s book sales grew, almost every interviewed monster admitted that they believed it would be best if humans did not reside in their area, to decrease the number of recent crimes. The governor, however, being an adult human himself, quickly halted book sales and blocked publication, worried about the minority population of humans in the area. Outraged, Elmo claims that his publication is protected under the First Amendment. This Amendment guarantees the five freedoms of expression: the Freedom of Religion, Assembly, Press, Petition, and Speech. In addition to this, the First Amendment includes the Free Exercise Clause, where one can practice his or her or no religion freely at no risk to the safety of others, and the Establishment Clause, which ensures the separation of Church and State. With the Freedom of Press being listed in the Bill of Rights, it is obvious that the governor has no right to stop Elmo from continuing publication with his book, as he cannot stop Elmo from printing, publishing, and sharing his opinions with the public. Elmo has yet to take his case to court, but has full intentions of doing so. This injustice that Elmo is enduring has not only happened to him, but to a vast majority of other people as well, from Sesame Street to the United States.

 

 

 

Eleanor Stanley is an aspiritng young writer who lives in Delaware with her family and pet dog. She started writing at age 10, and now that she's 18 years old, she's looking to publish in more literary magazines! She likes to bake cookies and cupcakes in her free time (much to her younger sister's delight) and has a fear of the dark that never quite went away.