"Won't You Be My Neighbor?"...Why It Struck Me as It Did

[Chris A]

This is a personal observation on the documentary movie Won't You Be My Neighbor--which chronicles the effect that Fred Rogers had on generations of young people--and perhaps why he has such a continuing effect on adults, too.

 

 

While I watched this film on DVD, I became aware of how I felt about Fred Rogers' on-screen persona.  On one hand, I felt that it was a bit more than "elementary" for adults--a common reaction of mine over the years when watching short clips from his show Mister Rogers Neighborhood.  I wanted to do something other than watch the movie at that particular moment.

 

On the other hand, it was a clear reminder of (or even a foil to) how it seems the world has changed in terms a general loss of civility and tolerance, to be replaced by something more vicious and intolerant. This perception seems to be prevalent on mass media--which itself nowadays seems to be a gigantic echo chamber of information cascades as James Surowiecki described in his book The Wisdom of Crowds.

 

After thinking on it a little, what occurred to me was Fred Rogers' approach that was so surprisingly simple--and of course that which was telegraphed to his viewing audience--even though he broke all the rules of television presentation.  It's so surprisingly simple that it's clearly taken for granted that this is the way that children should be raised, i.e., in a caring and protective environment safe for them and one which gives each of them a sense of personal identity and self-worth. 

 

But then it occurred to me what was happening: that multitudes of young people are not apparently receiving it consistently from any other source.  Even those "decisionmakers" that were featured (i.e., the ones holding hearings to take away PBS funding) were left speechless when they listened to Rogers: you could see when they suddenly realized what they had overlooked--and so blatantly.  We have a broken culture (in this regard)--apparently perceived as hostile by our youngest members...hostile to their own sense of who they are.

 

That sense of special care and community protection that perhaps many of us experienced while young really has changed...and what generally became for all us "adults" as taken for granted, was replaced with that which has been described above.  It's clearly pervasive in social media/news.  How people tend to treat each other with civility and mutual regard--has changed.  [Just drive down a well-traveled road or freeway nowadays, and watch how people treat each other.] 

 

The end of the show (which I'll not reveal here) is a testimonial to how profoundly our culture has changed.  This is the part that keeps me thinking about the show. For us adults, I think we tend to think of the world in terms of how we experienced it growing up, and perhaps not how it appears to the young today.  This was the silent bombshell that I think was planted by the director/screenwriters in this documentary, ostensibly on the life of Fred Rogers.  It think it hits the viewers squarely on a subject other than the life of just one person. 

 

Highly recommended: there's something here to see.

 

Chris

[avguytx]

I'll have to check that out.  Thanks for the reminder of the movie and the mini review on it.  I agree wholeheartedly that our society as we live in today is a total $h1t-show run by idiots.  I'm glad I grew up in the era I did.

[CECAA850]

46 minutes ago, avguytx said:

I agree wholeheartedly that our society as we live in today is a total $h1t-show run by idiots.  I'm glad I grew up in the era I did.

That same sentiment has been echoed for generations over the years.  I'm not saying it's wrong rather it's pointing to a steady decline.

[Chris A]

4 minutes ago, CECAA850 said:

...it's pointing to a steady decline.

Maybe not so steady.  Watch the show---through to the end.  A typical blasé viewpoint maybe isn't apropos in this particular instance.

[Ceptorman]

It was a wonderful show, he genuinely cared about everyone. 

Didn't he stay the same weight throughout his whole career?

Tom Hanks has a movie coming out soon about Mr Rogers.

[Rivernuggets]

3 hours ago, Chris A said:

Even those "decisionmakers" that were featured (i.e., the ones holding hearings to take away PBS funding) were left speechless when they listened to Rogers: you could see when they suddenly realized what they had overlooked--and so blatantly. 

I remember that speech! Many years ago there was a documentary about PBS itself, and how it went through a tough time with little funding. What I remember the most is Fred Rogers in that courtroom with his soft voice and calm cadence of speech. He silenced that room with his proposal / request for PBS to get more funding. The judge said something like, "Well....who can argue with that".

I still haven't seen this most recent documentary. Thanks for the reminder.

 

I have two young sons, and Mr Rogers' explanations about the power of TV (and now internet) are so true. There is close to zero truly good content out there for young kids.

 

Another word about Mr. Rogers, he was the same wonderful person off camera.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/time-mister-rogers-comforted-real-life

 

What isn't said is, after the exchange with Fred Rogers, the man apologized for taking so much time and making him late to an appointment. Rogers simply said "Sometimes you're right where you need to be".

[Delicious2]

Thanks for reviewing this movie Chris.  It had been on my playlist for a while and I finally watched it the other night.  I was 10 years old when his show premiered in 1968 - a little old for it but I remember liking it and especially my dear younger sister loving it.  I was struck by Mr Roger's description of his "door opening" encounter with a group of children.  In particular the loving and teaching at the same time.  When the first child described the ear coming off his toy tiger in the wash  Rogers didn't say "oh, how sad" or "I can sew it back on" but "that's what happens to toys sometimes but that's not what happens to us" - reassuring them and making a distinction between the make believe world  and the real world much as his show did.  

 

"We have a broken culture (in this regard)--apparently perceived as hostile by our youngest members...hostile to their own sense of who they are."

 

"Broken" if our goal is to raise secure, emotionally and mentally stable adults, not so broken if the goal is to raise insecure, easily manipulated, emotionally unstable consumers always looking for satisfaction in the next thing they buy...

 

I"m glad that social message wasn't too heavy handed.  Instead I got a sense of hope and wonder!

 

[KlipschFish]

Correct again, good King Friday!

I haven't seen the documentary. I have watched the PBS commercial on this many times. And many times with tears in my eyes over the profound understanding by this man of our little ones.

I watched Mr. Roger's with my son when he was a child. And now my beautiful grandaughter is just SO enamored with Daniel Tiger. I was surprised and elated to see that during the years that I did not watch, the great Mister Roger's Neighborhood morphed that little trolley into Daniel's life of friends, learning and good deeds. I will watch with my family as many times as opportunity allows.

It never fails to make me feel very, very good.

[codewritinfool]

I wrote to Mr. Rogers in 1972 or 73 and he wrote back. I have the postcard that was typed and signed. He specifically mentioned what I sent him. It wasn’t just a form letter.

I later read that he personally replied to all of his fan mail.

I’ll have to post a photo of it.