To his credit, Mister Rogers also modeled behavior that he expected his viewers to pick up on, little things like hanging up your coat and putting your things away, treating people with respect and courtesy (he was always Mister Rogers, never Fred). He might be seen as the poster boy for the self-esteem movement, but he also demonstrated and expected what you refer to as “substantive attributes”; in Mister Rogers’ world, nice was not enough, he also encouraged kindness and fairness, and I think that part gets left out just as surely as Jefferson and Ford’s contributions.
Aside from that quibble, I agree with everything you’ve said here.
Oops. Wrote a comment that appeared to be a double post and deleted it. Everything went ka-flooie after that and I now stand here with egg on my face. Cheers.
I like nice, way better than hostility, but it isn't trustworthy. Ross's greeting card trees and candy-assed colors trivialize the great outback in a way that is reassuring to simple souls but is also a shit-faced lie. Raw nature is brutal, ruthlessness and terrifying. It's only a transcendental marvel if you survive long enough to indulge contemplation. Before civilization, nobody did.
To his credit, Mister Rogers also modeled behavior that he expected his viewers to pick up on, little things like hanging up your coat and putting your things away, treating people with respect and courtesy (he was always Mister Rogers, never Fred). He might be seen as the poster boy for the self-esteem movement, but he also demonstrated and expected what you refer to as “substantive attributes”; in Mister Rogers’ world, nice was not enough, he also encouraged kindness and fairness, and I think that part gets left out just as surely as Jefferson and Ford’s contributions.
Aside from that quibble, I agree with everything you’ve said here.
We don't disagree. Fred may well have been successful in spreading his message of kindness and self-esteem. What he didn't do was make a good TV show.
Oops. Wrote a comment that appeared to be a double post and deleted it. Everything went ka-flooie after that and I now stand here with egg on my face. Cheers.
Here's your comment:
"You heartless monster, you! How could you?! Bob is a god among the curly afro-coifed artists of our time."
And yes, I am a heartless monster.
Next, Captain Kangaroo is marked for death....
I like nice, way better than hostility, but it isn't trustworthy. Ross's greeting card trees and candy-assed colors trivialize the great outback in a way that is reassuring to simple souls but is also a shit-faced lie. Raw nature is brutal, ruthlessness and terrifying. It's only a transcendental marvel if you survive long enough to indulge contemplation. Before civilization, nobody did.
Pleasantry gets to be pandering before long. JDA