Poll: Mr. Rogers is Evil Apparently, Says Fox and Friends

[XJ-0461]

Because anyone who's teaching kids to feel good about themselves must be evil, right?

And the female reporter calling him "evil"... hyperbole much? She doesn't say damaging, or harmful, or any othe such word she says "evil" like he's going to be th next tyrannical ruler of the world. That's scare-mongering, not journalism.

 

[Gindil]

I saw this and it blew my mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29lmR_357rA&feature=youtu.be

Just wow. What do you think Escapist? Is Mr.Rogers Evil?

This is the same man that fought for the VCR to be used as non incriminating technology. Source [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers#VCR]

He was Badass. How many other people come back from a warzone, become an inspiration on TV, then make comments on legislation that advance the technology sector to untold heights?

 

[SonicWaffle]

I'm not sure what the first quote had to do with the second. Why should that make people seek shallow fame instead of more meaningful achievements. It has nothing to do with the goal, only the drive.

Except that what is promoted above all is fame. A celebrity cheating on their partner is more likely to make the front page of the papers than a natural disaster in which hundreds died.

I remember reading about a study a while back in which children were interviewed about what they wanted to be when they grew up. A significant proportion said they wanted to be "famous" - not famous for anything, just famous. The study found that compared to previous generations, very few children gave answers like 'teacher', 'policeman', 'doctor' or even 'astronaut'. They all wanted to be celebrities, because in our culture celebrities are more important than anybody else.

The link between that and the entertainment media they watch is that a lot of these shows and movies reinforce the idea that following your dreams, believing in yourself and wishing upon a star is going to get you further than getting your head down and working for what you want. How often in a Disney film does the lovable streetwise scallywag/bookish nerdy girl remain that way to the end of the film? Usually some stroke of luck propels them to the point of being royalty. Of course this fosters a sense of entitlement. 99% of the people who go on rubbish like the X-Factor are absolutely talentless (at singing, anyway) but they're so convinced that they will be famous, that they deserve to be. Fame and fortune are their right just for being the special little snowflake that they are.

 

[Vampire cat]

Ahahahahaahahah!

Oh my GOD!

I'm sorry, this is just... *waits for American Mothers to freak out*

But seriously... Has it come to the point where things in USA is so bad that they have to blame friggin Mr. Rogers for the country going to shits? Holy crap! Whats next? Seriously, we have some discussion value here; who/what will the media/government blame next?

Exactly! Because Fox and Friends is the opinion of the entire country! We also love exclamation points! We are hive mind country here! We are currently working to build a consensus!


Consensus complete!

Obviously NO Americans reads the posts in this thread >>. Well there is 8 pages so understandable. Take your time to find my posts explaining, cause I'm sick of ALL Americans assuming I'm talking about them collectively. Just cause I'm not American doesn't mean I hate you, stop assuming I'm like the French OO.

 

[maturin]

The link between that and the entertainment media they watch is that a lot of these shows and movies reinforce the idea that following your dreams, believing in yourself and wishing upon a star is going to get you further than getting your head down and working for what you want. How often in a Disney film does the lovable streetwise scallywag/bookish nerdy girl remain that way to the end of the film? Usually some stroke of luck propels them to the point of being royalty.

You were talking about that sort of message in schools before, and I still say that it's just as conducive to making people work their butts off as it is to entitlement and expectation of easy success. Hard-won expertise and accomplishments make people feel entitled too. It's the content of our fantasies reflected in the media that makes peoples' aspirations shallow, not the encouragement. It's kind of funny to think how being told to believe in yourself and follow your dreams is going to turn people away from med school. Becoming a doctor is even harder than becoming a reality star for most of the population.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Hard-won expertise and accomplishments make people feel entitled too. It's the content of our fantasies reflected in the media that makes peoples' aspirations shallow, not the encouragement. It's kind of funny to think how being told to believe in yourself and follow your dreams is going to turn people away from med school. Becoming a doctor is even harder than becoming a reality star for most of the population.

Well, yes, it is. This is another reason why kids would prefer to be a reality TV star than a doctor. That's the whole point; fame is the goal, not success or achievement. You see it everywhere. Look at the massive boom that reality TV has undergone in the last decade. Yes, partly this is due to studios pushing it as a cheaper to produce form of entertainment, but if people weren't so desperate to be on the shows then there would be no market for them.

It's easy to get famous these days. People like Jade Goody, Paris Hilton or various others are household names for being worthless, and they probably (well, not Goody anymore) rake in more cash in a single year than a top-tier doctor.

We live in a celebrity culture. You never see an interview with a brain surgeon discussing a revolutionary new technique on the front of your newspaper; you see a footballer who has cheated on his girlfriend with a lingerie model or some starlet who got thrown out of a club at 3AM for fighting. I've said it before and I'll say it again - fame is more important to kids today than genuine achievement.

 

[maturin]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - fame is more important to kids today than genuine achievement.

That's not what I was disagreeing with.