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September 29, 2006
Mr. Rogers
We just read an article for Communication Theory about Mr. Rogers. Yeah, I love grad school. The article talked about how, for many years, Fred Rogers was the only figure in television who could silence a room of TV critics and journalists with his meek demeanor. He was beyond criticism for two reasons: his methods worked and he exemplified his beliefs in his personal life. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister, married to one woman his whole life, had raised two children, and dedicated himself to loving children via TV.
On a whim, I checked YouTube to see if there were videos on Mr. Rogers. Sure enough, there are several, with lots of views and comments and high ratings. Seems that everyone loves Mr. Rogers, and anyone who says something negative is shot down.
Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood WAS my early childhood development. I favored the peanut butter episode, where you watch the kids go to the peanut butter factory and spread the finished peanut butter onto slices of white bread and bite into them with smiles of delight. It's fixed so indelibly in my memory that I think of it EVERY time I spread Jif onto a sandwich - doesn't work so well with natural peanut butter, actually, which I use now. But I used Jif as a child. And I always thought of Mr. Rogers. I don't know how that helps me as a grownup, but it must somehow. I'm sure there are some intangibles there. Also, I always imposed a race between the song he sang and the clothes he changed at the beginning of each episode, anxious to see which task he completed first. That must have fueled my healthy competitive spirit.
Anyone else have a personal testimony about Mr. Rogers? I know he died 3.5 years ago, and that Catacombs had that big memorial for him (I heard about it even though I was in Slovakia), but I think he's someone we should probably never forget about.
| By laurajuanita | 05:06 PM
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Comments
The nice thing about Mr. Rogers is that no matter how controversial your blog has become, quagmired in debate over alcohol consumption and foreign policy videos, any entry about the beloved curator of our childhood is sure to redeem ratings.
I always wanted a house with a train and a stoplight in it. Also, I think of Mr Rogers when I feed goldfish. (He did have goldfish right? He must have; hence my strong associations.)
Posted by: funke at September 29, 2006 05:23 PM
funke, you read my mind quite well. the irony is that my so-called controversial posts probably get the MOST ratings (unless by redeeming the ratings you mean redeeming the image i have with the people who make up my ratings).
just want to say also that you can interpret the bush video any way you want. i just think it's creative. oh, and mr. rogers definitely had goldfish. the ritual feeding of the goldfish signaled the start of every show. there's a video on youtube of an episode where one of the goldfish dies.
Posted by: laura at September 29, 2006 05:56 PM
I remember when I was little being very concerned about that one episode where Mr. Rogers forgets to feed the fish.
Posted by: linnea at September 30, 2006 01:05 AM
Image! Yes, I vaguely felt I was performing some semantic omission of vital meaning, but couldn't remember what it was I was missing...
Since I am studying celebrity right now, how could I forgotten such a key component of successful PR?
Maybe it was because I was laughing too hard at the "incontestible unobjectionability" characterizing your latest blog subject.
Posted by: funke at September 30, 2006 10:26 AM
http://www.thislife.org/
Look up the episode Neighbors and you'll find a great Mr.Rogers moment
Posted by: hopie at October 2, 2006 03:12 PM
You got that right, funke. Redeemed well.
Posted by: mom at October 4, 2006 03:27 PM
