I've always been a HUGE fan of Fred Rogers. No one, as far as I'm concerned, will ever compete with Mr. Rogers as far as children show personalities go. The man never had to pretend to be 'something' different other than getting himself into a sweater and walking shoes. That was enough of a transformation to reach out to kids (including me when I was little when I used to watch Fred Rogers followed up by Mr. "Happy Little Trees" Bob Ross. Bob Ross was another amazing children's personality/host). I have a tremendous amount of respect for Fred Rogers as he did some amazing stuff in his life and really touched peoples lives. I swear, as much as I don't want to admit this, I often find myself flipping channels and come across his show and just sit back and watch. Fred taught us that it was "okay to be you" and that really means something -- even now in today's time and age when we've all become so much older and jaded (and even if other people here make fun of me for stating it).
Another shocking confession to the folks here of HPotD, when I'm not here or working I often write poetry as a form of expression. I love literature and writing. Here is a poem I actually wrote in dedication to Mr. Rogers a few years back:
* * * * *
Ode to Mr. Rogers
1 May 2009
Grown adults dressing in yellow bird costumes,
Frightening purple dinosaurs,
And Jim Henson creations dancing with laughter,
With their puppeteers allowing.
But you never gave into all the hype,
Never considered reaching out to all us children as becoming “other”.
Your change was subtle, transferring to the sweater and the walking shoes,
Leaving the stuffy tie and jacket in the closet.
Mr. Rogers, you bid us to be your neighbor,
You offered your friendship to us,
Teaching us about the newspaper press down the road,
Letting us in on those conversations with Mr. McFeely,
Taking us on fascinating explorations across town,
And allowing us a visit to the Land of Make Believe,
As faithful subjects to King Friday XIII.
You reached out to us, not as a caricature,
But with a warm heart and a helping hand,
Raising us to be good neighbors to our loved ones,
To make a difference, to see the world a little brighter,
And I still cannot picture a trolley today without seeing your smile.
When everyone seems to have grown so cynical and jaded in our society,
When there is so much fear, confusion, difficulty, pain,
I think we can all take something from remembering your peaceful nature,
Your joyful expression that life is about kindness, compassion, love,
And that we can all try to stand closer together as neighbors,
As loved ones.
Thank you, Fred, for your charming singing voice,
Telling us that if we are ever alone or afraid, to just think of those we love,
And how those loved ones love us in turn.
Ode to you Mr. Rogers,
how we wish that you were still here to help guide us onward.
j.p.
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Originally Posted by clanglee
That "Fresh Beats" can fuck right off too. For musical type shows I like to let the little one watch "Imagination Movers" on Disney. At least the music is decent & isn't as nerve gratingly insulting as the other aforementioned shows.
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