Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/09/05/mr-rogers-widow-says-trump.html
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While I can’t imagine Fred himself saying that about anyone, good for her all the same. I’d say it’s a shame that Trump’s supporters will use this as an excuse to hate on Mr. Rogers’ memory, but I’m sure they loathed him already- he was like the anti-Trump in every possible way simply by being a kind, gentle, honest person, no politics needed.
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Sadly, Mr. Rogers’ real neighborhood isn’t anything like the Neighborhood of Make Believe. Not only does the town lack any talking striped tigers, but Fred would’ve found himself pretty disturbed by how a too-large number of his neighbors show their idolatry toward the false orange prophet. Odd that the same folks who worship 45 still have their “proud home of Fred Rogers” signs out though. They just can’t see the contradiction. Good on Mrs. Rogers for using what I’m guessing to be very spicy language (for her) in condemning the bad man.
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Right-wingers have hated Fred Rogers ever since he invited a Black man to cool his feet in the same pool.
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Image from that actual episode:
Acts like that is part of the reason why Fred Rogers was such an awesome human being.
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Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who felt called by his faith to spread the “love-thy-neighbor” part of Christ’s teachings through the medium of Public Television. Pretty much the human embodiment of the best parts of Christianity, and the polar opposite of the modern American Evangelical movement.
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Nobody badmouths Mr. Rogers around me. The man was a saint and we need hundreds more of him today. He was the anti-Trump, and always will be.
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I didn’t know Mrs. Roger was still with us. Someone get her some cookies and milk and let her put her feet up. She’s earned it.
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…Whenever I am tempted by seeing all the wrongs that are done in the name of Jesus to believe that Christianity is a bad influence, I try to remember people like Fred Rogers. He was a GOOD man, and those that dislike him seem to be uncomfortable with how they look in comparison. It puts the lie to the common justification “Everybody (lies, cheats, steals, behaves like an asshole, etc.) so if you don’t, you’re just a sucker.”
I am reminded that one of the reasons that I liked the show “Due North,” was that the main character expected the best of people and often got it, to the surprise and consternation of his co-workers.
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Not just Christianity - all the major human religions have these same rules - don’t cheat, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t be a dick treat others badly. I’ve been taught it’s “human nature” to do bad/be evil, and organized (Christian) religion is the way to be a decent human being. Funny how most of the religious people I know break those rules, and most of the non-affiliated people I know strive to upkeep them.
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Right? A human being who actually lived out his faith in a way that was inclusive, loving, and authentic. We’re all better off for having grown up with him.
Some of that comes from the modern capitalist system. It’s “naturalized” greed and self-centeredness in order to get buy in, and some religions are complicit in that process. I’m looking at you Calvinist and prosperity gospel assholes.
I’ve known plenty of both kinds of religious people, those who are more Fred Rogers like, and those who use their faith as a way to signal their superiority to others. And I’ve known plenty of secular folks who are both striving to be good and those who are just assholes.
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Almost like “any group of sufficient size will contain enough assholes to taint the others by association.” If that is not a law, it should be.
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“Every orifice has a sphincter somewhere.”
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I was quoting Sa-Roc.
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I always call him Saint Rogers, for very good reason.
If anyone qualifies, he certainly did.
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I think in the case of Republicans v Mr. Rogers, it’s also a way of psychologically surviving being a Nazi. You can’t espouse the idea of Negative Liberty and the acceptability of most people suffering more than you if you believe everyone is special, and worthy of happiness.
Republicans are supposedly order and justice personified, yet somehow they are Tyler Durden when it comes to their views on competition with their fellow humans. They are the antithesis of Christ-like.
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I’d send them a copy of The “Stirner Wasn’t A Capitalist You Fucking Idiot” Cheat Sheet, but I doubt most of them know who Max Stirner was. The rest would probably dismiss him because he associated with Marx and Engels in the Young Hegelians.
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