The Fox and Friends clip people pass around where they call Mr Rogers an "evil man who ruined a generation of children" was trolling, yes, and you can see Shep Smith get super pissed at everyone else in it But in 2001, when it aired, it wasn't that hot a take honestly
-
-
Show this thread
-
It was relatively common including among people who saw themselves as left-of-center to sneer at "political correctness" and "the cult of self-esteem" and celebrate the idea of being tough and speaking your mind and so forth Everyone who was cool liked South Park
Show this thread -
The pendulum swung back REALLY HARD on that one and I honestly think it's striking in hindsight how predictable it would be that we'd eventually get so poisoned by irony and cruelty our whole generation would go desperately searching for an icon of earnest compassion in the past
Show this thread -
It's interesting to look at that slice of culture, because as a 90s kid I think every generation of adolescents is in a hurry to cast off the childish things they've outgrown but our generation had this space they thought was uniquely theirs, the Internet, and went way overboard
Show this thread -
Like ironically I now think the cringiest thing by far from the 90s isn't Barney and Friends but all the adults and teenagers who would not shut the fuck up about how much they hated Barney and Friends The members of alt.barney.die.die.die on Usenet somehow proud of this hobby
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
I really liked Mr Rogers as a kid, but as I got older I felt I should be embarrassed by him, and the dominant narrative seemed to me to be "look at this earnest cheeseball, ugh, he's probably secretly loathsome"
-
It took me years to shake this off. It was so gross.
- Show replies
New conversation -
-
-
What really turned the tide was when they stopped calling the show "Misterogers" (as it was in the 60s and 70s) and renamed it "Mister Rogers," and began enshrining kiddie shows that were only broadcast in the PBS ghetto.
- Show replies
New conversation -
-
-
I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Mr. Rogers. I remember feeling really bad when I saw In Living Color take him down and then watch him devolve into a joke. It definitely played out like you mentioned. I'm glad he's now appreciated and beloved again though!
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.