Don't Ever Put Down Mr. Rogers!

Like it was for many children, Mr. Rogers was a staple of my childhood. He was the perfect substitute parent when Mom and Dad were busy, teaching us manners and how to share, along with other interesting topics like basketball and chocolate cake and who knows what else. All good stuff. I even went to the guy's alma mater (at least we claim him as an alumnus, though he didn't graduate (like all our cool alums, he didn't stick around for the entire 4-year sentence)). The man is a saint.


Of course, imagine my horror upon reading this editorial in the Wall Street Journal. I know, my mistake for reading the Op-Ed page of the Journal (though it is not nearly as disheartening as that of the Washington Times, and I read both as part of my work). Apparently I was being indoctrinated by one of Satan's Helpers, and that's the reason I'm a jerkass who's full of himself and spits on the elderly (note: I am in reality only a jerkass; I don't encounter the elderly enough to have vindictive feelings towards them).

The problem with this guy's claim is that it takes platitudes that Mr. Rogers often employed and warps them beyond recognition. For example, "you're special" doesn't give one carte blanche to do whatever one pleases; it instead reassures those who are cast aside by others that there's nothing to worry about.


Thank God some of the readers of the Journal have a heart--the letters received were overwhelmingly in favor of Mr. Rogers, minus one Grinch who is too worried about the damn kids on her lawn. This almost makes up for the letters they had shaming Bill Gates for thinking that he needed to give some of his money back--he had made the world immeasurably richer because of his contributions with Microsoft, like a good capitalist!



Then again, no it doesn't.