2022 #28 Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers

 

Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers by Michael G. Long
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Even by the author's standards, "countercultural" seems a bit of a stretch. I think a better subtitle might have been "Discovering the not-so-light-and-fluffy Fred Rogers" (I don't actually think that's a good subtitle, but my point will be made in a moment).

Fred Rogers was, by all accounts, a hugely decent human being who used his primary platform (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood) to address pressing issues in a subtle way. As someone who grew up watching the show, it did make me want to go back and rewatch episodes that are now contextualized in a different way. Michael Long does provide a mild critique, so the book is more even-handed than I expected, but readers/listeners should be aware that is very much couched in progressive Christian advocacy, in particular Chapter 4 (A Theology of Peace). Given that Fred Rogers was a Presbyterian minister, that didn't bother me, but the tone/aim of the book blurs in a few places. For the most part, however, Long is careful not to glorify the man, and reveals tensions between Betty Aberlin (who played Lady Aberlin on the show) and Rogers when the latter, for example, refused to move beyond subversive messaging about the Gulf War. His friendship and professional relationship with opera singer Francois Clemmons receives a bit more nuance and goes beyond the well-known anecdote of when the two shared a foot soak on a hot summer's day. Here's one example where "countercultural" seems excessive--while "tolerant" (and more so than many) of Clemmons' sexuality, Rogers initially criticized Clemmons for behavior that might anger the more conservative watchers of the show (namely being seen at a gay bar) and worried that he would lose the audience he was trying to impact. It is worth noting that Clemmons maintained a deep relationship with Rogers for many years, but admitted that Rogers refused to use the show to make any kind of statement in support of homosexuals, as well as refusing to have "Officer Clemmons" and Lady Aberlin (if memory serves) marry as an interracial couple. The tensions here are presented evenly without melodrama, but Clemmons' pain is palpable and understandable in the narrative.

There are also interesting stories about Rogers' activism outside of the show. His use of Daniel Striped Tiger in negotiation with Soviet adults supports Long's primary point that Rogers was fully committed to his work and the use of storytelling to promote peace. While my memories of the puppets are blurry, it was fascinating to have Lady Elaine Fairchilde--whom I remember finding reasonably unsettling--and even Queen Sara Saturday, re-contextualized as semi-feminist icons. Long notes that Queen Saturday's wedding vows, as well as her choice to keep her name (instead of taking King Friday's name) were not commonly accepted at the time.

What's really good about the book is that it manages to celebrate Rogers without glossing over his flaws, such as his relativism when it came to violence against animals (Rogers was an ardent vegetarian, but failed to speak against animals in captivity (e.g. Shamu)). One gets the sense that Rogers always tried to live toward an ideal, very much shaped by his faith and upbringing, but had trouble negotiating that with reality sometimes. It is valuable to get the longview. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood first aired in 1968, with its final episode (of 0ver 900) on August 31, 2001. Long divides the book into two parts: Part One - War and Peace in the Neighborhood and Part Two - Peace as More Than the Absence of War. Some of the chapters work better than others, but Rogers use of puppetry, narrative and music to advocate for pacifism is undeniable. The subtopics of pacifism are the main points of organization, rather than a chronological narrative, and this is mostly effective, although I did tire of hearing "when seen in context" since that seemed for me the reason to read/listen to the book in the first place. George Newbern's reading is calm, not unlike Rogers himself, but occasionally amplifies the Christian guise of the book (not a problem or surprising for a Westminster John Knox Press publication). My criticism is just that the book is MORE than "theology according to Fred Rogers" and even those outside of Christian belief systems might enjoy the text.

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