Comments on: Fox News: ‘Blame Mr. Rogers!’

By: Bob Davis

Bob Davis — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 07:25:03 +0000

Was this a study? Fox “News” just cites “a professor from Louisiana State” and the WSJ article cites “a professor of finance” but neither actually call it a study or cite data collected. From the WSJ article, it sounds like it’s just this finance professor’s opinion with no data to back it up. Yes he is a professor, but is he actually qualified to give an opinion on the effect of a children’s television program on an entire generation? I would think that study would be more suited for a social psychologist or even a professor of television studies. Hell, why not get an astronomy professor on Fox “News” to say that America’s invasion of Iraq has boosted the economy and will continue to do so as long as we are there. It’s the opinion of a professor after all, so it must be legit!

By: Bill Wilson

Bill Wilson — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 02:21:42 +0000

I saw the story, the people on Fox & Friends DEFENDED Mr. Rogers, they were simply citing a report.
Pay attention!
Why is website whipping up a feeding frenzy over a non-story?
Get mad at the university that spent the money to study this crap!

By: D Jenner

D Jenner — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:09:33 +0000

Hang on, Mr. Rodgers is a kids show, I mean, yes everyone is special, and everyone deserves to be special, but COME ON, this man just wanted to make kids lives better and more enjoyable, and he did that better than Barney the Dinosaur ever did or Blues Clues, then these people just come on in and say hes causing all these problems. Proof or leave him alone.

By: Nameless

Nameless — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:18:50 +0000

Huh? Mr Rogers–AKA the Reverend Fred Rogers–was an ordained Presbyterian minister. So now Fox is attacking the Christian Right? They have met the enemy, and it is them!

By: Alexia

Alexia — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:56:34 +0000

Mr. Rogers was a great person who helped children feel good about themselves and taught them how to treat others nicely. It’s completly stupid how all of a sudden people are blaming this guy for these issues. It’s ridiculous.

GO MR. ROGERS!

By: Mother

Mother — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:48:47 +0000

Fox News should be ashamed of themselves for allowing those idiot journalist to deface what Mr. Roger’s stood for. Mr. Rogers represented educating the young in an entertaining environment. Whomever started this jealous hatred against Mr. Rogers is perhaps a celibate, lonely individual. If I were Mr. Roger’s family I would legally handle this situation in a moral manner. To watch the jerks on tv actually agree with some cooked up bogus information is just as ill as the sick fed theory. What Mr. Rogers enhanced upon his show was positive. What kind of parent would go against a positive message? Probably a negative parent.

The mother of two of the smartest, well rounded children.

By: MDC

MDC — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:44:20 +0000

“entitlement?”, WTF does that have to do with anything? You don’t have to approve of the current administration to think that modern parenting is the epitome of spinelessness and too many kids think the world revolves around them.

By: Teri Fox

Teri Fox — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:31:16 +0000

Like, the intellectually challenged news anchors at Fox never had to beg a professor for a grade??? Come on!

By: entitlement?

entitlement? — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 21:28:39 +0000

MDC, apply that line of reasoning to the current administration. Bush, Cheney, Rice are not speshull bestest friends—they should be spanked like any other “waste of skin”. Huh, kind of like Cheney’s new test-tube bastard child.

By: euepublius

euepublius — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:23:30 +0000

“[Mr. Rogers] also â€” constantly â€” told [kids] that honesty, personal integrity, compassion for others, and always working hard to do your best were fundamental components of what made them special.”

Maybe if Commander Blinky Bunnypants had watched Mr. Rogers when he was growing up he wouldn’t have become the sorry sociopathic sack of shit he is.

By: eyeoubkius

eyeoubkius — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:19:03 +0000

We’ll keep Mr. Rogers, they can have Dick Cheney.

By: logocracy

logocracy — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 13:45:00 +0000

I am truly astonished…I cannot believe that these journalists are so unprofessional and effectively brainless. I don’t know why I am even bothering to post this comment, as if it would mean anything at all, but I cannot express in words how simultaneously saddened and outraged I am by this. I watched it because it sounded so ridiculous that I thought I would at least laugh. I wonder at what point we recognize what we are doing to ourselves and to our society. And sense of entitlement? Really? This from Fox News? I can’t even express how ridiculous that is.

By: venovel

venovel — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 00:25:34 +0000

Mr. Rogers never served in any branch of the military. He wore the long sleeves not to cover tattoos, but to lend an air of formality and authority.

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/mrrogers.asp

That misconception aside, I grew up watching the guy and never got an inflated sense of my own self-worth. I suspect a great many of my contemporaries are the same way.

By: MDC

MDC — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 23:24:46 +0000

Rosenfeld is right. Too bad so many of the touchy-feely types on this board can’t see it. OMG CHEELDRUN R SPESHUL111 No, I’m sorry, Zooey and Heather, most of them are as mediocre as any given grownup, and some of them are downright wastes of skin. Like these kids, or these, or these. “Innocent little angels,” my arse. I’m no right-winger but I truly loathe the Rousseauesque lens through which too many lefties look at kids. Stop worrying about “invalidating their feelings,” stop worrying that they won’t be your bestest friends anymore, and start smacking their asses for a change. The rest of us will thank you.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 20:15:35 +0000

“Well, he is kind of a pussy! Comment by Mr. President â€” July 6, 2007 @ 4:49 pm”
Before going into the ministry Fred Rogers was a Marine sniper who saw combat in Korea. He always wore long sleeves to cover his tattoos.

He was a decent man who stood for what he believed in. He did teach children they were special. He also — constantly — told them that honesty, personal integrity, compassion for others, and always working hard to do your best were fundamental components of what made them special.

His message that people should not hurt and hate others because they are different — and that you should never let others make you feel you are unworthy because of your skin or your faith or your social status because every human has rights and every life has value — runs throughout all of his programs. But he also always emphasized that being human and being part of the human community placed upon each of us the responsibility to be the best person we can be.

But one aspect of the charges against Fred Rogers is true: He often repeated Jesus Christ’s words that each of us is special and that each of us is loved no matter what our condition or status. No surprise there. He was a minister, quoting Jesus sorta goes with the job.

By: John H

John H — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 19:43:22 +0000

Mr. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. I thought the right wing was supposed to be religious. Apparently being a minister for 40 years does not count for much if you do not agree with everything the right wing believes. I wonder how many of the right wing religious beliefs Jesus would support.

By: anna rydercart

anna rydercart — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:03:36 +0000

I don’t see how Mr. Rogers saying that every person is special, translates to kids feeling like they deserve an “A” in a class when they didn’t work for it. I think he meant to make kids feel important and respect themselves- not demand extra credit or anything like that. It’s also kind of insulting to me as a young person to see an elder (whoever agrees with this stuff on the station) trying to figure out what’s “wrong” with my generation. Thanks a lot. Why don’t you try talking to members of “this generation” to find out why they might have a sense of entitlement. That would be a lot less disrespectful, I think.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 17:12:07 +0000

Look where is coming from Fox. This is called PROPAGANDA people… And yes, it makes me sick

By: Mikey

Mikey — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 17:07:19 +0000

The WSJ article I mentioned in #299 above was basically saying the same thing regarding entitlement. The point was that because Mr. Rogers told kids they were special, kids grew up thinking they were special and therefore think they deserve things without earning them.

Why is fox news rehasing a WSJ article?

By: Tay

Tay — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 16:31:52 +0000

It is not a sense of “entitlement.” Entitlement would assume these kids demanded the ‘A’ without doing any more necessary work. These kids put forth a show of decent ethic and dedication for trying to better their grades.

I seriously hate Fox.