It is a typical day on Fox & Friends. Brian and Steve are the craven, spineless tools of corporate interests while Gretchen spews forth some of the most awful ideas to ever leave the mouth of a human like bi-pedal primate.
And then they get on the subject of Mr Rogers.
And now things are about to get real.
For the uninitiated Mr Rogers is an icon in America. He was part of the holy block of children's programing on PBS that also gave us Sesame Street. His show, Mr Rogers Neighborhood, was all about how we should encourage imagination, be nice to each other and not let the world get us down because the one thing we all have in common is worry over being different. That core message of kindness and tolerance was what built Mr Rogers into a symbol so unassailable that an urban legend about car thieves returning his car when they found out who it belonged to actually seemed plausible.
You can criticize George Washington in some circles.
You can criticize Lincoln pretty much anywhere in the south.
You can criticize Martin Luther King Jr. if you hate infidelity more than murderous racism.
But lord help you if some criticism of Mr Rogers ushers forth from your mouth.
So will Fox & Friends really turn their ultra conservative views on the late Mr Rogers? Could that actually happen?
Sit back and watch and listen
Yep, that really happened.
Now, to be fair they were reporting on what some professor believes. Basically the professor had a student whine for an A while only doing C work and decided this was the fault of Mr Rogers telling everyone that they are special. While only two of the hosts actually seem to embrace this idea all three of them seem to be in agreement that Mr Rogers was telling kids to not work hard because they are special and unique.
And you have to wonder at the kind of warped mind that hears "be fine with who you are" and immediately concludes that the core message of it is to be a lazy parasite. "Be fine with who you are" means don't go suicidal because you have a hair lip, a long nose or whatever else it is that kids get bullied for these days.
That was the important bit. Don't let others get you down, rise above it.
They bring up Tee Ball as an example of what they consider this malicious attitude. In Tee Ball there are no winners or losers. The kids play to have fun. And they want to take that away from them? Kids can't even escape the social paradigm of winners vs losers in Tee Ball anymore?
Time and again throughout the piece they invoke the idea that "everyone is special" means one should not endeavor for self improvement. To me getting that message out of that lesson speaks of a person who thrives on the validation of others. Apparently if you take away constant praise for what they do then they no longer have any reason to do it. Is that really a better way to live?
Not seeing yourself as defective does not mean you are a lazy, entitled leech. If you want a lazy and entitled person go to a morning talk show where you can watch the hosts pretend they are a much better person than everyone else just because they look good on TV. They certainly are special and not in a good way.
Actual moments like this make it hard to spot Fox & Friends Poe jobs. What's a Poe job?
Well this refers to Poe's Law which states that parody of nuttery and true nuttery are indistinguishable. Consider the following list of things Fox & Friends said or did:
Three of those items really happened. One of them is fake. Can you spot it?
Not so easy.
And now you know Poe's Law.
And then they get on the subject of Mr Rogers.
And now things are about to get real.
For the uninitiated Mr Rogers is an icon in America. He was part of the holy block of children's programing on PBS that also gave us Sesame Street. His show, Mr Rogers Neighborhood, was all about how we should encourage imagination, be nice to each other and not let the world get us down because the one thing we all have in common is worry over being different. That core message of kindness and tolerance was what built Mr Rogers into a symbol so unassailable that an urban legend about car thieves returning his car when they found out who it belonged to actually seemed plausible.
You can criticize George Washington in some circles.
You can criticize Lincoln pretty much anywhere in the south.
You can criticize Martin Luther King Jr. if you hate infidelity more than murderous racism.
But lord help you if some criticism of Mr Rogers ushers forth from your mouth.
So will Fox & Friends really turn their ultra conservative views on the late Mr Rogers? Could that actually happen?
Sit back and watch and listen
Yep, that really happened.
Now, to be fair they were reporting on what some professor believes. Basically the professor had a student whine for an A while only doing C work and decided this was the fault of Mr Rogers telling everyone that they are special. While only two of the hosts actually seem to embrace this idea all three of them seem to be in agreement that Mr Rogers was telling kids to not work hard because they are special and unique.
And you have to wonder at the kind of warped mind that hears "be fine with who you are" and immediately concludes that the core message of it is to be a lazy parasite. "Be fine with who you are" means don't go suicidal because you have a hair lip, a long nose or whatever else it is that kids get bullied for these days.
That was the important bit. Don't let others get you down, rise above it.
They bring up Tee Ball as an example of what they consider this malicious attitude. In Tee Ball there are no winners or losers. The kids play to have fun. And they want to take that away from them? Kids can't even escape the social paradigm of winners vs losers in Tee Ball anymore?
Time and again throughout the piece they invoke the idea that "everyone is special" means one should not endeavor for self improvement. To me getting that message out of that lesson speaks of a person who thrives on the validation of others. Apparently if you take away constant praise for what they do then they no longer have any reason to do it. Is that really a better way to live?
Not seeing yourself as defective does not mean you are a lazy, entitled leech. If you want a lazy and entitled person go to a morning talk show where you can watch the hosts pretend they are a much better person than everyone else just because they look good on TV. They certainly are special and not in a good way.
Actual moments like this make it hard to spot Fox & Friends Poe jobs. What's a Poe job?
Well this refers to Poe's Law which states that parody of nuttery and true nuttery are indistinguishable. Consider the following list of things Fox & Friends said or did:
- Interview Santa Claus who dumps on cultural sensitivity
- Decry atheism as disrespectful to Christians just by existing
- They break down the pro socialist messages of Star Trek
- Gretchen notes she feels sick to her stomach because not enough shame is involved in getting welfare
Three of those items really happened. One of them is fake. Can you spot it?
Not so easy.
And now you know Poe's Law.
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