12/29/2022
Mister Rogers has been a symbol of gentleness and non-toxic masculinity for decades. As a result, for many years, he has faced the ire of the Far-Right and the talking heads over at Fox News. They’ve blamed him for creating an era of entitled children and promoting softness over violence.
Until now.
Fascism is notorious for taking the beautiful and making it profane. One needs to look no further than to the Third Reich’s appropriation of the sw****ka. This ancient icon is a sign of well-being but was perverted and inverted to become one of the most widely recognized images of hate.
Now, the Far-Right in America is attempting to do something similar with Fred Rogers. They wish to co-opt his message of peace, love for your neighbor, and gentleness to become a weapon to wield against the trans community.
Most specifically, trans children.
In 1967 a song was published by Fred Rogers with the title Everybody's Special. It was designed to be a song to help kids understand their bodies and their uniqueness. There are two lines in the song of which have become of great interest to the Far-Right:
“Boys are boys from the beginning.
Girls are girls right from the start.”
These two lines have become the focus of influencers wishing to goad the left into canceling Mister Rogers and incorporating him into the fight against trans kids. This is forgetting the most important line of the song, which I must double down, is entitled Everybody’s Fancy (the queerest sounding song of all time):
“Everybody's fancy.
Everybody's fine.
Your body's fancy, and so is mine.”
Fred Rogers wasn’t writing a song to hurt kids; he was writing a song to help them. Is this song helpful through the lens through which we view the world now? Probably not. Do I think all signs point to where Fred would be if he were with us now? Yes. Do I think he would be standing with the kids and making sure they are safe, loved, and protected? Hell yeah, I do.
Joanne Rogers once said of her husband, “I think one of the greatest aims that he had was to make children feel safe. He wanted to provide a safe lap for families and children, especially little children. I think that’s why he’s remembered at times like [this]; it’s the safe haven he always wanted his work to be. Hopefully, the strength of Fred’s words in our world today will continue because they’re still so apt and right with what’s going on.”
Fred Rogers was not a perfect man. No person is. But he loved people deeply and strived to make the world a letter place. I believe he did that. He brought tenderness into our broken homes and showed us what a father could look like. He taught us how to understand difficult issues like anger, pain, and death. He told us it was okay to cry and be sad and sit with our feelings.
He taught us to love our neighbor, even if our neighbor was different than us. Just love them.
There are now figures out there that wish to turn that legacy of love and acceptance into one of hatred and rejection. They want to suck up the icon of tenderness and turn him into a war machine to further harm those that Fred so desperately wanted to keep safe: children.
You can’t have him.
At least not like this.
I’ve watched the Right take Jesus and contort him into something grotesque, and I’ve watched them take Trump, one of the truly most grotesque men in the world, and call him lovely. There is nothing sacred that they will not blaspheme.
If you want Mister Rogers for your gross game of Third Reich cosplay, you can’t have him. But you can join him. If you want Fred in your life, accept his message of loving kindness and protecting innocence. That’s the message.
I can see a world now, and I want you to imagine it with me. Close your eyes and think of that room, the goldfish, the trolly. Mister Rogers is sitting there and inviting us to meet a new friend.
Mister Rogers: everyone, I want you to meet my new neighbor Stephanie. What is it that you do, Stephanie?
Stephanie: I’m a performer. I like to dance and sing.
Mister Rogers: I like to dance and sing very much. When did you decide you liked those things?
Stephanie: when I was a little boy, I thought my mom had the most beautiful dresses, and they swirled when she danced.
Mister Rogers: but you don’t look like a little boy to me.
Stephanie: that’s because I’m a drag queen.
Mister Rogers: that’s very fascinating. Would you mind explaining that to my friends and me what a drag queen is?
Stephanie: it’s different for everyone. But I do have a book I would like to read.
Mister Rogers: is that something you like to do?
Stephanie: yes, we do a story hour at our local library every week. I love reading to kids.
Mister Rogers: I like that too. I think we have a lot in common. Can we hear your story? (he pauses and then looks right into the camera) would you like to hear a story today from my neighbor Stephanie?
Yes, we do.
That is the Fred Rogers I grew up with. It’s who I believe he would have evolved into. And I’ll fight like hell to keep that memory of him alive for myself and for all children. Let’s fight for him not to become a symbol of harm.
Because as Mister Rogers says:
It's such a good feeling to know you're alive
It's such a happy feeling you're growing inside
And when you wake up ready to say
I think I'll make a snappy new day
It's such a good feeling, a very good feeling
The feeling you know that we're friends
You know you can always help to make each day a special way
By just you're being yourself
You grow in your own way
Everyone does
That's one reason each one of us is different and special
And people can like us exactly as we are
