I recall it used to air on PBS or some other broadcast channel, and the choices my older one had was Caillou, Barney, Clifford, Arthur, Reading Rainbow and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (reruns probably), Sesame Street. While all the shows were annoying for their goody-goody-ness, there was something creepy about Mister Roger. Even then I couldn't pinpoint what it was.. something about his tone. Not just condescending, something more. I had an evil mind back then too, and recall wishing no child goes inside the house with him. And it was not just me, even better-half, uninfluenced by me, once said 'that guy shouldn't be in a kid's show'. Sorry Mister Roger. Speaking unsubstantiated ill of the gone. : (
My reaction and those views were those of a parent with a very young kid. Parenting involved lot of gut feeling and intuition. You are damned if you err on the side of caution, and blamed if you didn't see something "so obvious.". My children went to a family daycare run by a woman. No way would I have sent them to a family daycare run by a man. Saddens? So be it. I wouldn't object to a male worker in a non-family daycare setting. For the inexperienced: family daycare is usually run in a residential place, not in a commercial building. In a way, it is the sign of the times. And yes, saddens me too. I coach/guide teenagers for a competition. I am careful. I avoid 1-1 meetings. And, if reaching for the child's computer's mouse to demonstrate something in a virtual (online) lab, I am careful. Long ago, volunteering in the kindergarten classroom, 5 yr old's came to me for help with pant buttons after the scheduled class visit to the restroom. To help or not, and how to help ... that was one Sophie's choice I wish I didn't have to make. : ) Tying undone shoelaces was much easier. : )
I'm talking about the show. As presented on television, filmed in a studio one presumes, in the presence of a crew. Not about Mr. Rogers spiriting away unsuspecting children into his basement adda. I have no vested interest in speaking for him. I am simply trying to understand what this perception of "creepiness" is - on television, from a distance. How much of this would someone have 'seen' in 1968 vs 2001? What is inherent in his performance and what is imputed by the viewer? In my limited viewing, all I saw in the show was boredom (unbearable for an adult), like most kid-centered shows. Has there ever been a whiff of scandal? I don't know. As for 'condescension' or 'talking down' - hmmm - there's the 'Hey there Little Person' approach - the Little Lord Fauntleroy* or (an older) Lord Chesterfield school of thought - and then there's the koochy-koo 'ooh look at those cheeks' approach. Isn't there room for a bit of both? Is a degree of sheltering conceivable or must kids be exposed to grittiness and identity politics from the get-go? The daycare business is a different ball of wax. One is leaving a child in the care of others. *"What the Earl saw was a graceful, childish figure in a black velvet suit, with a lace collar, and with lovelocks waving about the handsome, manly little face, whose eyes met his with a look of innocent good-fellowship." (Little Lord Fauntleroy)
@Rihana & your dH were not alone. As I said before I had seen more than a few when they were current shows. As more and more awareness of child safety, teaching children in preschool about who to avoid, what behaviors ought to be suspect and candidates for staying away, Fred Rogers like behavior in a real life person can make parents veer away and drag their children with them. He is a national treasure...etc.. and so on; but then, a middle name of McFeely is not at all helpful in the land of profiling based on stereotypes. When Fred McFeely Rogers came to town, I went to see him. He was himself, not one with the Television Mr. Rogers. And I wished people wouldn't think he was auditioning for a theatrical part as a pedophile. The local "boy" Garrison Keillor made fun of Mr. Rogers in many of his radio shows. Tim Russell, who does voices of various people on the show, was quite good at doing Mr. Rogers. When Fred Rogers passed away, they talked about him on a Saturday afternoon in March of 2003. This is how the skit began... (GK: Garrison Keillor; SS: Sue Scott; TR: Tim Russell; FN: Fred Newman) GK: One of the great figures of public broadcasting died this past week, Fred Rogers, of Pittsburgh, that lovely man who looked into the television camera and spoke to children. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Fred was a brave man, true to his principles, and guided by his imagination, and everyone who met him knew that he was the genuine thing, a man of enormous kindness. So, you may ask, if you thought so highly of him, why did you make fun of him on your crummy radio show, you ignorant peasant ---- well, I guess because whenever we did, people laughed. He was so clearly identifiable. He stood out. And that always makes for comedy. You pick on the guy who is different. TR (MR ROGERS): That's OK. I spent my life helping people learn. Yes, I did. And I'd like to help you learn that comedy is not about picking on people. No, it isn't. GK: Mr. Rogers, I'm sorry. I didn't invent the world--- TR (MR. ROGERS): No, but I was just talking with the guy who did and ---- do you know what the word "kharma" means? Do you? I talked to the big guy this morning and guess what? GK: What? TR (MR ROGERS): You're not gonna be my neighbor. No, you're not.
You were trying to understand and your interest was socio-cultural with a limited viewing of the show. I was trying to explain the perception of creepiness and listed a few reasons. As a young parent, something about the show unsettled me. Then over the years, Michael Jackson, JonBenét Ramsey, teachers accused of having sex with minor students, the Catholic Church abuse cases, etc. happened, and that wariness became a sediment? Mister Rogers was perhaps a victim in a way -- his show was old-fashioned and it's innocence couldn't last changing perceptions over three decades. The examples I gave, of the daycare, were to show that logic can unfortunately take a bit of a backseat when the issue involves judging an adult's interaction with children. Soka, I am out of my depth here. : )
Oh.. was he still doing the show then? Great, we have one more member who makes me open new tabs and search. : ) I read about his hallmark sign-off: "Be well, do good work, and keep in touch." A good message to give departing neighbors who drop around to say bye.
Yes. He was. His show went on till 2001, I think. He looked and doddered about the same for 30 years. For the young Fred Rogers in 1971 it may have been an "act", but in the 2001 version, it seemed real. And the minds of people had got dirtier, cynical and more suspicious over those years. Desi's don't come around to receive that had been a recent observation on a thread. Neither aloha, nor alvida be..... is supposed to have become the new foreign living desi dictum. That sign-off is from Keillor's daily collection of literature on the writer's almanac. In yesterday's post there was this "ponderable" for those who thoughts tend to run a little off course, before that sign-off: Edgar Allan Poe worked as a literary magazine editor, reporter, and critic. He became a household name after The Raven was published, traveling widely and reading the poem to wealthy women in dimly lit parlors. He died a few days after being found penniless, incoherent, and alcoholic on the streets of Baltimore. Some say his last words were, “Lord help my poor soul.”
May I go back to ask a couple of questions about the iPot ? Have people who have one of these, made yoghurt in it ? Does yoghurt come out different from different "seed" yoghurts -- that is, if we use greek-yoghurt for seed, the yoghurt turns out thicker or if we use one brand it comes out one way, another seed makes it different etc ? Danone and Hatsun brands give different results ?
