Okay so let's once again take a break from the day in, day out of politics. Once again, I find myself finding other things to watch and do so that the inevitable political turmoil can be put out of thought for a while. So I did what anybody would do. I went on YouTube and watched some episodes of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. And you know what? Even being an adult who paid taxes and keeps track of how the world works, I still find myself enjoying the simplicity of children's programming. Specifically, the previously mentioned Mister Rogers. There's something to be said about a man who spent forty years working for PBS, yet was the same person onscreen as he was off. This isn't some history, or my connections, just some thoughts on Fred Rogers, America's favorite neighbor.
Fred
Rogers was not your usual children's television host. He is quoted as
saying that when he first watched a program on television, he “hated
it so” because it was just angry people in angry situations. So he
decided to change this, in whatever way he could. This led to being
hired to work on the Pittsburgh area local broadcasting/PBS
channels' children's programming departments, and the occasional floor
management for broadcast opera. Slowly, he built up enough credibility with the network to be able to film a daily series, Mister
Rogers' Neighborhood. By 1969,
he was such a big name within PBS that he was selected to testify in
favor of keeping federal funding to PBS. During the testimony, he
cited his then starting Neighborhood as
an example of the content that PBS was giving to the people of the
nation, and even when the opposition appeared angry or annoyed with
Rogers, he kept calm and simply let them speak, then gave his
thoughts. Needless to say, PBS was granted millions by the government
following his testimony.
But
enough about the man, who's private life is almost unheard of. The
series still holds up today, even with the same formula: Mister
Rogers comes in, talks to us for about ten minutes or so, then we go
to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, then back to Mister Rogers
talking to us again before leaving through the front door. Yet
despite his audience being children, he never talked down to them. He
talked to them like they were equals, whether they were on his show
or at home watching. In a series of famous episodes, he openly
discussed conflict, specifically war. This was during the height of
the Cold War, and the fear of Soviet attack was commonplace. But
instead of lying and saying things wouldn't happen, Rogers just
talked calmly about war and what it is. Beyond war, Rogers also
discussed difficult topics like divorce on the show, using both
himself and the puppets in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to show
to kids watching that it is not their fault. Unlike many children's
shows of today, which focus on flashy colors and computer animation
to draw in the viewers, Mister Rogers
relied on the love the host had for it and the idea that everybody is
important.
Offscreen,
Fred Rogers was just as kind and loving as he was on his show. He
personally responded to any and every letter he got from fans of the
show, both young and old, because he believed that everybody is
special and deserves his attention. He would read the letters, and
respond accordingly – when a child said his family is looking into
buying a computer, Rogers researched computer stores in the child's
area for them. From unverified reports, he would give out full size
candy bars on Halloween. When getting out of the limousine at a PBS
event, he invited the driver to come in and join him – and on the
way home, he sat in the front seat and asked if they could stop in at
the driver's house to meet his family. He fondly spoke of meeting
people who grew up with the show on the street, laughing and
reminiscing with them. When a man, Jeff Erlinger, who was on his show
as a child, went onstage to give Rogers his Lifetime Achievement
Award, Rogers practically ran onto the stage in excitement at seeing
an old friend. Truly, he considered his “television friends” as
friends he just hadn't met yet.
There
isn't much more that can be said about Fred Rogers than what has
either already been said or what he portrayed on television. This was
a man who loved his craft, loved his life, and loved the impression
he had left on the world. He wanted everybody watching to know that
he thought that they were special, and as he sang at the end of every
episode, he felt “such a good feeling to know you're alive.”
Sadly, today's world is one without Mister Rogers, and we can't help
but imagine what he would say about the current situations all around
the world. Yet at the same time, we can look back on his interviews,
his quotes, and no matter how old you are, watch an episode. We will
never see another man like Fred Rogers, but his legacy will continue
so long as there are children of all ages in the world who light up
when they hear those piano notes signaling the beginning of a trip to
the Neighborhood.