Lessons from Mister Rogers
If you have not seen the documentary celebrating the life and legacy of Fred Rogers called “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” get off your couch and go. But be forewarned — you will need lots of Kleenex. It’s a tear-jerker.
Anyone who grew up with Fred Rogers remembers the calm and quiet goodness of the man.
But this documentary dug into more of his background, family and philosophy than I had ever known.
Even though the leftists featured in the documentary — NPR hosts, PBS producers, journalists and other undercover radicals — tried to claim Fred Rogers as their own, he was a lifelong registered Republican. (Whoopsie!)
Rogers was extremely Christlike. He was an ordained Presbyterian minister, and his message was as simple as Jesus’ message.
Practice the Golden Rule. Love one another. Accept one another. Be kind. Tell the truth. Do the right thing even if it’s hard. You’re lovable just the way God made you.
Lifelong lessons we should all practice — that’s what Mister Rogers taught.
Watching the documentary, I had flashes of my childhood when I saw Mr. McFeeley, Lady Aberlin, Daniel Tiger, Lady Elaine Fairchild, King Friday XIII, Queen Sarah, Picture Picture, the merry-go-round, the trolley — and, of course, Mister Rogers changing his shoes, putting on his comfy sweater and feeding the fish.
All the things I thought I’d forgotten were right there and more vivid than ever.
I had also forgotten some of the lessons of Mister Rogers. Some episodes were before my time, but the unvarnished way he addressed difficult issues was unique.
He talked about divorce, death, the Vietnam War, Robert Kennedy‘s assassination, segregation, the Challenger explosion and 9/11. He did it in a clear, wide-eyed, truthful yet childlike manner. He reached inside each of us and found our inner child.
I daresay he would be heartbroken at the acrimonious state of affairs in America right now.
Leftists are rioting, throwing tantrums and freaking out on a daily basis over anything President Donald Trump or their fellow citizens do. People who simply disagree with them are now branded as evil and the enemy — and are fair game to be screamed at and physically attacked in public.
Even though leftists tried to claim Mister Rogers, their anger and hatred are the opposite of what he stood for.
Mister Rogers believed in actual inclusivity and tolerance — not the “tolerance” that Orwellian, “1984,” Two Minutes of Hate and Doublespeak leftists now claim.
You know — the tolerance that says either agree with me or you are a racist, xenophobic bigot who hates brown people, women, gays and Muslims.
Oh, the irony.
Leftists are so deranged and hateful that they chased Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi out of a showing of this very documentary! They are attacking Trump officials on a regular basis.
Their marching orders — from the new leader of the Democrats, California Rep. Maxine Waters (she of the wig glue brain damage and a $4 million Hancock Park home) — have been to attack and harass any Trump supporters anywhere they find them.
In Portland, Oregon, the vile slugs of Antifa attacked a Patriot Prayer rally. There was no conflagration of the two groups — Antifa outright attacked the Patriot Prayer group. Luckily, there were many veterans in attendance and Antifa got what was coming to them.
We may not start the fight, but by God, we patriots will finish it.
The intolerance of the allegedly most tolerant has spurred action from former liberals.
We all saw what happened when Kanye West gave a shout-out to Turning Point USA’s Candace Owens on Twitter — leftists collectively came for his scalp. He was awakened to their fascism, and there’s no going back from that.
Last week, a gay hairdresser in New York named Brandon Straka started the #WalkAway movement on social media. The purpose of the movement is to express that the Democrat party he used to believe was tolerant, inclusive, diverse and fair today is anything but.
The Democrat party he (and a growing number of former liberals) sees today is authoritarian, fascist, intolerant, angry, illogical, hysterical and violent. He urges other former liberals to tell their stories, and explain why they too left the Democrat party.
So, while leftists claim tolerance, peace and love, they are practicing exactly the opposite of what Mister Rogers would teach.
Conservatives are not perfect — because no human being is perfect. But the kind of vile tactics practiced by leftists are not something Mister Rogers, Jesus Christ or any prophet of God would support.
Actual tolerance, love, acceptance and reason — these are universal values we should all embrace.
And whether or not you agree with President Trump or his supporters, they deserve your tolerance. They do not deserve to be threatened, maligned, have eggs thrown at them, spit on, manhandled, screamed at, marginalized, or kicked out of restaurants and movie theaters simply because they disagree with the warped worldview of leftists.
We have had to tolerate liberals since time immemorial. It’s time they paid it forward and did the same for conservatives.
Mister Rogers would agree with me.
Angela Box is a former teacher, devoted to the Constitution and conservatism and proud to live in Texas. She currently works with a political consultant on candidate races throughout America. A version of this Op-Ed originally appeared on her blog, angelassoapbox.com.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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