Mister Rogers and His Nationwide Neighborhood
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Mister Rogers and His Nationwide Neighborhood

In today's world, we all need to remember the man who loved all his friends, even if he hadn't met them yet.

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Mister Rogers and His Nationwide Neighborhood
The Fred Rogers Company

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.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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