And I was eight–it was a different time. It’s one of those you have to be there to understand. I’m not trying to be smart ass. 1968 is a year I’ll never forget. I was watching the news and just saw the whole country flying apart. We lived in the docile suburbs of Phoenix, but whenever I heard adults talk, they were “concerned” which I took to mean “scared”. When RFK was whacked, it was very upsetting to me. And then it was followed by MLK. Cities burned. Vietnam. How the hell does an eight year old handle that? And so Mr. Rodgers did a show talking to children about what was happening and how to deal with it. Is there anyone out there who could do that today? I can’t think of anybody.
I’d be pretty suspicious now. I remember a great pastor I had in college, who turned out to be a child molester (he’s serving 30 years). No clue he was a predator. Perceptions about people are vastly different now, because so much of this shit wasn’t talked about when I was eight. My guess is that you grew up when this stuff was being talked about so you saw it as matter-of-fact. It was different for me (and I was really, really naive).
You know, they don’t make you fellate a dude to gain entrance to a gay bar. They will serve you even if you are straight. I have been in a gay bar and had a couple of beers. Doesn’t mean I’m gay.
Lol. That’s a funny construction, just on its face, but coming from you adds another layer of hilarity.
As for the rest of your post, I don’t know wtf you’re babbling about, as usual. I never said he did anything. I said he sent out creepy vibes. I stand by that, and millions of people would agree with me.
Puh-leez. I’m not a big fan of that show – in fact, I have a fairly blase attitude toward them – but I can still see that they were using the word “evil” in a tongue-in-cheek fashion for exaggerated effect.
I have a clipping on my refrigerator from when Mr. Rogers died. Two pictures, the same, side by side, of a kid watching TV. First picture: voice of Mr. R from TV - “I like you just the way you are”. Second picture: “I’d like you if you were thinner, younger, prettier, sexier, and richer.” Mr. Rogers was/is OK in our family, just for that.
Back to Kirk Cameron. I haven’t seen any other serious guesses as to who else this could be.
The main thing I’ve read about Mr. Rogers that was shocking to people was that he was exactly the same off-camera as he was on-camera. I remember him ruining a CANDID CAMERA skit where they’d removed all of the TVs from the rooms at a hotel during a PBS programming convention where he was the keynote speaker. Most people noticed the lack of TV instantly and were told by the bellman (all of them Candid Camera folk) “this is a non TV hotel”. People were flipping out and going ballistic and demanding to be moved to another room or hotel or to talk to the manager, etc…
Funt Jr. played the bellman who escorted Mr. Rogers to his room. Unlike the others they had to point it out to him that there was no TV in the room, and when told this was a no-TV hotel he said something like “Oh, I’m surprised you don’t receive complaints”. Told- again- that there would be no TV in his room he said “That’s quite alright, the only thing I watch is the local news and I’m not at home. I wasn’t planning on watching TV tonight.” No rise out of him.
When told that he was on Candid Camera he looked surprised and said what you know was a perfectly innocent line but what was also an “Oooh, snap!” moment: “Oh really… that show is still on the air?” (This was a short lived revival hosted by Funt’s son that not only got low ratings but resulted in a lawsuit by a man injured during one of their many unfunny stunts.)
I also remember reading an article by a young female journalist who accompanied Mr. Rogers on a trip to NYC. She again commented he was 100% the same person off camera as on, but also impossible to flummox. Walking down a street a guy screamed out “Oh my Fuckin’ God it’s Mr. Fuckin’ Rogers!” or something to that effect. Mr. Rogers smiled at him and when the guy came up he posed for a picture and signed and autograph and then told the [del]multitude[/del]crowd that formed around him for his [del]healing[/del]autograph/photo ops “I’m very sorry but I have an appointment and must be going” and walked away in no particular hurry smiling. He wasn’t visibly offended by the bad language or the mob.
She said the strangest thing was when they met with a pastor he knew in NYC- also a young lady- and in leaving her Mr. Rogers asked if she would bow with him and pray for his impending death. (I don’t think he was terminally ill but he was in ill health and knew that he wasn’t going to be around for many more years.) The journalist, who wasn’t religious, prayed with them and said that she felt she’d spent the day with Christ.
Lacking the skeletons in Fred Roger’s closet, Fox News used the false allegation fallacy. I call it evil, because they used a series of these allegations to imply Mr. Rodgers as one of those who corrupted our yoot. Feel free to show cites about his alleged malice, hatefulness, corruption, etc., JThunder. Try Google and see what you up with about Fred Rodgers and evil. Then try Fox News.
This is not a question about Mr. Rodgers being perfect–but I would challenge you to come up with somebody as Christ-like as he was.
I know that Fox was doing it to stir the pot, create controversy, helped the ratings, etc. As is their right under the 1st Amendment. Nothing new under this sun.