Kindness is an important virtue, whether one identifies it with benevolence or with one of the lesser social virtues. But it is not all there is to virtue, and there are other necessary virtues as well, ones dealing with aggression and assertiveness. Why do people latch on to this counterfeit gospel? Loneliness, atomization, a harsh world. But while community-building requires kindness, it also requires the appropriate response to threats and evil from other people. Do children need care and guidance? Yes, and Mr. Rogers appeared to provide that to children through his show and in real life. But children need to be taught how to live in the world as it is, not a imaginary community. Was Fred Rogers as bad as today's SJWs? No, but he could be as big an activist as others from the 60s, in his own quiet way, and people have latched on to him perhaps because they are not ready to respond to the world as it is. His version of the gospel of niceness is easily subordinated to the needs of the state, even if he didn't intend it to be -- did ever reject the Civil Rights legislation of the 60s? And what was his response to feminism?
As for his demeanor -- did he talk and act more like a mom or a dad? I have witnessed male teachers who act the same way with their students -- has something about their psychic development been stunted? Or is their behavior rooted in something physiological?
Why Mister Rogers Is More Relevant than Ever by John Pattison
Fr. Martin’s Neighborhood by Kevin Wells
Tom Hanks interview
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