Fred Rogers Neighborhood Analysis

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“There is no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.” Are you feeling a little uncomfortable right now? Because I know I am. Most people can’t say something like this without making people cringe and question their sincerity, yet this year we commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of the most modest, most original, and most iconic American television shows of all times – yes, I am talking about Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. A show where Fred Rogers would say something like this quote every day and his audience loved it because they knew he meant it. The show premiered on February 19th, 1968 – the same year that saw the bloody Tet Offensive of the Vietnamese War, the murders of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, and the violent riots in urban America. But among all this …show more content…

Fred Rogers was the embodiment of gentleness, kindness and grace, which was portrayed in his show, but also gave him an authentic and genuine voice in the political realm as well. On May first of 1969 Mr. Rogers testified in front of the US Senate for funding of a national non-commercial television network, which was a new idea at the time. What the head of the Commerce Committee, Senator Pastore, was expecting was just another person from the entertainment field asking for money, but what he saw was someone with a genuine interest in childhood development and teaching thoughtful self-expression. When Mr. Rogers chose to speak with the Senator rather than read from a prepared speech, the act of going off script revealed Fred Rogers’ genuine character and allowed the Senator to let down his guard. From that point on, the two men were on even ground, with the Senator responding warmly to Mr. Rogers’ gentle yet powerful message, saying, with a wave of his hand, “Looks like you’ve just earned 20 million

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