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Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood got its start in Canada in 1962. Except it was simply called Misterogers—yeah that’s how they spelled it—so there was no debate on how to spell “neighbourhood.” It moved to the U.S. in 1966, and a few years later President Nixon tried to screw with it, but Fred Rogers wasn’t fucking having it.
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: May 1, 1969--
Fucking Nixon. What a cock. He did not like public television because he felt it was run by commies wanting to make him look bad. Like he needed help in looking bad. Anyway, Fred’s show evolved to the name Misterogers’ Neighborhood (although later I guess someone decided they shouldn’t be teaching kids fucked-up ways of spelling shit) and it was broadcast on a precursor to the government-funded Public Broadcasting Service.
And Nixon was all fuck your educational bullshit I need to keep Americans stupid so that they think bombing Vietnam is cool I’m cutting this proposed funding for PBS in half. And Rogers said like fuck you are.
On May 1, 1969, Mr. Rogers went to Washington to defend public television from Nixon’s proposed budget cuts. Rather than talk about money, he talked about feelings, and what he hoped to accomplish with his show. Speaking plainly to the U.S. Senate, he said, “I give an expression of care every day to each child, to help him realize that he is unique. I end the program by saying, ‘You’ve made this day a special day, by just your being you. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you, just the way you are.’ And I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.” He then recited the lyrics to a song from his show called “What do you do with the mad that you feel?”
The chairman of the subcommittee, Senator John Pastore, was known as a tough and gruff politician, but he was visibly moved by Rogers’s speech. Pastore said it gave him goosebumps, adding, “I think it’s wonderful. Looks like you earned the 20 million dollars.”
Fred’s speech became iconic and is credited with saving the funding to launch PBS the following year. And as a fuck you to Nixon, three years later PBS, still a fledgling network, got a major broadcasting hit by using its commercial-free format to cover every minute of the Watergate hearings.
Haha. Owned.
Thanks, Caitlyn, for the suggestion of today’s story.
The book is now available! Get On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down.
Thanks for this, yet again, James. I went and found that Youtube video, and watched it, again. I had seen it before. It is well worth the 6 and a bit minutes to rewatch every once in a while. So marvellous to watch a person speak so softly with such impact. Goosebumps indeed