Sappiness

When I was six or seven years old I loved Mr. Rogers. Though a little older than his intended audience, I would nonetheless, park myself on the sofa, turn on the, then black and white, program, and let the soft tone of his voice and demeanor wash over me. I didn't care what he was talking about, only that he was talking to me and that was more than enough. I would get a distinct tingling up my spine and a comforting warmth in the pit of my stomach. Those bodily reactions came to signify a sense of psychological safety. To this day, whenever I get those physical sensations, usually accompanying warm, safe expectation, I refer to them as "the Mr. Rogers". Maybe it was his voice or that easy jazz trio sound behind him, I don't know, but I liked the guy.

An easy target of jokes and parodies over the years (how could he not be), Fred Rogers continued, unconcerned. He wasn't talking to jaded adults and cynics, anyway. He was talking to the kids and over the years the kids, millions of them, loved him. They knew he was there for them everyday and was always willing to talk; about the things they were interested in, about things worth knowing, but most of all about how they felt. That was the guy's inside track. He talked about their confusing array of emotions and gave them methods of coping, methods that sadly, as evidenced by anti-depressant usage, many couldn't carry over to their adult lives.

Forty years ago this week on NET, the predecessor to PBS, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood premiered. His program showed up when there was little else that spoke to children and certainly nothing that could be described as educational. Many others would follow, but none would remain truer to the vision; television can and should do more than sell beer and deodorant. In celebration of the anniversary, PBS is rerunning some special episodes this week having to do with dance. If you have some time, sit down and watch one with your kids or just watch it with the kid that still lives in you. It's nice, sometimes, to just have someone who cares.