Mister Rogers will be missed

Where have our gentle, guiding elders gone? Moreover, who can possibly replace the vacuum of leadership created with last week's stunning news? That's right -- for those of you in a recount-induced coma, Fred Rogers announced the final new episodes of his children's television show, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, will be taped next year. That's right. Mr. Rogers, 71, is taking his message to greener pastures. I sense that most will quickly shrug off this news, assuming Mr. Rogers is just another program soon to be forgotten. But let the record show that when Mr. Rogers goes off the air, it's not just another show signing off; it's a sign of the times. There's just no more room for the Mr. Rogerses in today's world, is there? Instead of the poised comfort of a man clad in a cardigan expounding the wonders of sharing, anger management and the need to address your fear of the dark head on, we are left with Japanese anime and the Power Rangers. Granted, most of you left children's television behind some 15 years ago, but for all who still find comfort in consistency, Mr. Rogers was a rock, and a pleasant one at that. Mr. Rogers never was the cool show to watch or even something you would talk about with your preschool friends over cookies and milk. And from talking with my 5-year-old nephew Benji, this has stayed constant. But everyone watched Mr. Rogers, and for that, no one can claim to have been made a lesser person. Today's shows targeted at children often come with the focus on selling a myriad of spin-off products. Take the evil to end all evil -- Pokemon -- or the more benign examples of commercialized education, like Blue's Clues. Mr. Rogers? Did he ever try to sell you anything other than the good feeling that comes along with being a good person? Instead, he was a sign that with all that's wrong with television raising our kids, at least there's something mildly right. Over his 50 years in television, the last 33 spent with his eponymous neighborhood show, Fred Rogers had the sole intention of making this crazy world a more calming one for children. And if you still think monetary motives drove his actions, might I remind you that public television is where profits go to die. In fact, as the longest-running children's show on public television, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood likely had its opportunities to strike it rich on other media outlets. But how can you preach the value of self-esteem when the value of the advertising revenues paying your bills is the primary concern? Maybe some will see this as a weak manifesto for public television. But I'm not all that passionate about stations whose "prime time" programming consists of repeats of the Three Tenors. I do think, however, that the sooner we realize how much we were influenced by television when we were growing up, the quicker we can determine that some programs do more than keep our kids preoccupied. Some shows are more innocuous than others and offer educational value in exchange for selling toys, but the fading away of a man who embodies all that can be good about children's television is something that can't be ignored. So while we've likely forgotten King Friday XIII, Daniel Striped Tiger and Lady Elaine Fairchilde, we won't forget that honest humanitarians like Mr. Rogers do exist and have made an impact. And with any luck, someone watching his show today just might follow his sneaker-wearing footsteps. And that person might learn a lesson which the entire country should today take to heart -- that playing fair and treating your opponents with respect are more important than winning at any cost. Even my nephew Benji could tell you that Mr. Rogers wouldn't be pleased.

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