Fred Rogers

[stonehearted]

Fred Rogers, creator of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, died last night of stomach cancer at the age of 74.

 

I find in Rogers an example of an American who diplays the good qualities we want in our leaders: he was stong, humble, gentle, equipoised, caring, and absolutely authentic. Mister Rogers was not a character or a persona he adopted for TV; it was Fred Rogers in his studio. He was that same accepting, loving, gentle man 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He was also a vegetarian who did not drink alcoholic beverages.

 

Several years ago, Esquire Magazine published an issue dedicated to heroes. The cover was a picture of Fred Rogers, and inside was a wonderful, long profile. My copy is in a box somewhere in the house. when I find it, I'll share a couple of stories.

 

The world is a little smaller today because Fred Rogers is gone, but it's a much nicer place because he spent 74 years among us.

[Gauracandra]

Mr. Rogers was quality television programming for the whole community. He created a safe and peaceful environment, so that any kid, could feel secure regardless of the real neighborhood they lived in. I always thought (in fact I’m sure), there were probably children in inner cities, where their neighborhood had graffiti, gangs, and drugs, who could go to Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood and have some peace. He never condescended to the audience, the children, but still communicated with them perfectly. I especially like how he would take tours of places that built things, like crayons, or shoes. Even as an adult you could watch that and be entertained and informed. I mean, how many people actually know how things we take for granted are actually made? Those programs were always fascinating. I never realized he was a vegetarian, but understand, I believe, he was a Presbyterian minister. He probably had more influence on children than we could understand. His program was on for like 30 years. And he seemed like he would actually be a really neat guy you could meet.

 

 

[stonehearted]

Thanks for the wonderful pictures, Gauracandra. Here's a story from the Nov. '98 Esquire issue dedicated to heroes. He' arriving at New York's Penn Station to tape something for his program:

 

He had makeup on his face and a dollop of black dye combed into his silver hair. He was wearing beige pants, a blue dress shirt, a tie, dark socks, a pair of dark-blue boating sneakers, and a purple, zippered cardigan. He looked very little in the backseat of the car. Then the car stopped on Thirty-fourth Street, in front of the escalators leading down

to the station, and when the doors opened--

 

"Holy s**t! It's Mister F***ing Rogers!"

 

--he turned into Mister F***ing Rogers. This was not a bad thing, however, because he was in New York, and in New York it's not an insult to be called Mister F***ing Anything. In fact, it's an honorific. An honorific is what people call you when they respect you, and the moment Mister Rogers got out of the car, people wouldn't stay the f**k away from him, they respected him so much. Oh, Margy Whitmer [his producer since 1983] tried to keep people away from him, tried to tell people that if they gave her their names and addresses, Mister Rogers would send them an autographed picture, but every time she turned around, there was Mister Rogers putting his arms around someone, or wiping the tears off someone's cheek, or passing around the picture of someone's child, or getting on his knees to talk to a child. Margy couldn't stop them, and she couldn't stop him. "Oh, Mister Rogers, thank you for my childhood,Oh, Mister Rogers, you're the father I never had.Oh, Mister Rogers, would you please just hug me?" After a while, Margy just rolled her eyes and gave up, because it's always like this with Mister Rogers, because the thing that people don't understand about him is that he's greedy for this--greedy for the grace that people offer him. What is grace? He doesn't even know. He can't define it. This is a man who loves the simplifying force of definitions, and yet all he knows of grace is how he gets it; all he knows is that he gets it from God, through man. And so in Penn Station, where he was surrounded by men and women and children, he had this power, like a comic-book superhero who absorbs the energy of others until he bursts out of his shirt.

 

I'm standing against a wall, listening to a bunch of mooks from Long Island discuss the strange word--[Greek text cannot be converted in ASCII text]--he has written down on each of the autographs he gave them. First mook: "He says it's the Greek word for grace." Second mook: "Huh. That's cool. I'm glad I know that. Now, what the f**k is grace?" First mook: "Looks like you're gonna have to break down and buy a dictionary." Second mook: "F**k that. What I'm buying is a ticket to the f**king Lotto. I just met Mister Rogers--this is definitely my lucky day."

[stonehearted]

A few years ago, I walked into the room while my kids were watching a special about Koko, the gorilla who has been taught to use American Sign Language. Koko watches television, and one of her favorite shows is Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and she was about to meet Mister Rogers himself. When Mister Rogers walked through the door, Koko became very excited. She started signing, "Mr. Rogers, I love you!" He signed back, "I love you, too, Koko." After she gave him a big hug (he weiged 143 lbs., and she weighs 280), he sat down facing Koko. Well, what does Mr. Rogers do when he sits down. You're right, neighbors: he takes his shoes off. This time, Koko reached down and, one at a time, untied his shoes, slipped them off, then reached under his pants cuffs and pulled each of his socks off and began to very gently stroke his feet.

[theist]

Seriously? I would love to see that. More manners on how to receive a guest then most humans.

 

Koko remembered him. Amazing.

[atma]

I used to sit with my kids to watch Mr Rogers, I still have the music and song in my head. We'll miss him.

[theist]

Saw this interveiew with him last night. He credited part of his success with never lying to the children about things. He used the example of telling them that yes an injection would hurt a little at first but not last long etc.

 

This truth up front approach builds long term trust.

 

He also refused to let advertisers use his show or name to sell their products to kids even though he could have become very rich doing that. He felt it was exploitive. Besides he said how much does one really need to live?

[Guest guest]

I found this thread, and the Koko post in particular, so refreshingly sweet amidst the more recent topics, that I just had to bring it back up to the top one more time.

[stonehearted]

I thought I'd respond, if only to get up above the Kirtanananda thread. That's not to say that K isn't auspicious; he has helped spread Lord Chaitanya's movement. However, he has also undermined that work in many ways. Fred Rogers, on the other hand, seemed only to be missing contact with Mahaprabhu and His devotees. (Too bad.)

[Priitaa]

Sad to loose Mr. Rogers. He was one of the few pious leaders of America. A vegetarian and a minister. Only Mr. Rogers could say that the space between the Television and the viewer is a holy space.

 

Well, it applied for his show.

 

YS,

Prtha dd

[Priitaa]

Yes, Mr. Rogers missed out on the contact with Lord Caitanya, Prabhupada, and the devotees. That's unfortunate. The way I see it, he's on his way up. I once heard that Prabbhupada said if people are going to be a Christian, then let them be a real Christian and Christ can actually help them. Mr. Rogers was a vegetarian and so few Christians get the importance of 'tho shalt not kill.' He did. Maybe Mr. Rogers is on Christ's planet right now and his gurudeva, Jesus, is teaching him about Krishna. :-) Or maybe he will, unfortunately, have to take birth again, but it appears that it would be a pious birth. I think of all the devotee children who benefited from watching his show and see it as a form of devotional service he unknowingly performed.

 

I can't comment on Kirtanananda. All I can speak of is in general, that one never looses the devotional service they do, yet if they knowing commit offense after offense, it is worse then the nondevotee who is on their way up but may make an offense out of ignorance. Of course, the devotee can always throw themselves at the feet of Srila Prabhupada and the assembled devotees (tho these days, more honest when done in private) and beg for forgiveness. As long as they adding the needed purification work (which may include therapy, especailly for a sex offender), then they can be forgiven. From that point on tho, they must continue to do their work and be honest about the level they are truthfully on. But Krishna is not beyond forgiveneess, just that I have seen too few actually go that route.

 

YS,

Prtha dd