It’s a disgusting, vile little piece and it’s very likely that you won’t be able to get through all of it. To summarize. Fox News’ argument for Mr. Rogers being “evil” goes like this: he told two entire generations of children that they were “special just the way they are.” Then, in what can only be described as a despicable lie, the Fox News anchors claim that that’s precisely where Mr. Rogers left off. He never taught children anything except to merely exist in a static state of selfish self-entitlement. And that’s why my entire generation is comprised entirely of rapists, murderers, welfare recipients and drug addicts.According to the video, this whole attack Mr. Rogers stems from the notion that today's college students are somehow entitled and don't feel like they have to earn their grades. Not that there is any actual evidence for this beyond the anecdotal grumblings of college professors and the generational resentments of the boomers in twilight once again asserting that the kids aren't all right (in spite of evidence to the contrary).
The real problem here is that a) Conservatives continually attack and undermine the education system b) Conservatives will attack anyone with progressive views no matter how benign and c) Its Boomer parents who turned College education into a consumer item (to be bought, not earned) with their over-emphasis on careerism and return-on-investment thinking (my kid and my money to insert name of college here).
If someone's paying $20, $30, or $40, 000 dollars a year on college tuition (or whatever it is these days), they make it all about the money. And what are they paying for? Straight A's, a degree, and a top job. Anything less than that leads to quality control problems ("what am I paying for?") and customer service issues out the whazoo! ("what's that liberal nutjob teaching you, anyway?)" And how's anyone gonna pay for all those loans with a Philosophy degree? (so you might as well get rid of everything but engineering, law, and medicine.)
It's not the kids, it's the parents. And for pete's sake, leave Fred Rogers out of it.
