In recent weeks, the news of children being ripped from their parents as they cross the US border in attempt to seek asylum spread across the news and social media. I was bombarded with devastating images and stories of this human rights crisis unfolding right in my own country. It’s a country that I don’t recognize anymore and a country whose leaders have openly stated their intentions to use these children as a bargaining chip. They say that if opposing politicians give them the money for their border wall, they’ll end this abusive policy of family separation. This is government sanctioned child abuse in the name of political gain. Over the last few months, I’ve wondered if I’d lost the ability to be shocked anymore, but these images reminded me that there is still plenty to be shocked about, and that we most likely haven’t even reached our lowest point yet. It was under these circumstances that I saw Morgan Neville’s newly released documentary and stunning portrait of Fred Rogers, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
As a child of the 90s, I enjoyed all the standard entertainment options for someone my age, Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles, Batman, Nickelodeon cartoons, etc etc etc. But I was always fascinated with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It had none of the flash of those other shows. It just seemed like an old guy talking about stuff, a cool trolley that rolled through his living room, a bunch of puppets, and of course, sweaters, and yet, I felt a deep fondness for it. Like most viewers who encountered the show, the theme song had been deeply ingrained in my memory. While I went through phases as I grew up where I felt I was “too old” or “too cool” for those others shows, I don’t think I ever went through a phase of out growing Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. When I first heard about the documentary, I expected it to be a light and fun nostalgia trip. I didn’t expect it to shake me to my core and cause me to rethink everything I’m doing with my life, but that’s exactly what happened. I cried throughout the film and then I sat in silence as the credits rolled and attempted to compose myself before I left. And then I cried in the car all the way home.
While the film touches on the history and mechanics of the show, it’s primary focus is on Mr. Rogers’ overall philosophy and how it manifested itself in his passion to be a voice for children from all walks of life. From the very beginning of Rogers’ career, he never shied away from confronting the major issues of the day, and relating them in such a way that children could understand without talking down to them. An early sequence in the film showcases the first week of the show in which puppet King Friday XIII, fearing change and outsiders, decides to build a border wall around the land of Make Believe. This was a metaphor in response to the Nixon administration’s views on immigration in 1968, fifty years before Donald Trump declared his intentions to build a literal border wall around the US. Even the program’s earliest episodes are scarily relevant to our current times.
For all my life, I’d generally understood that our country was vulnerable, but I had put my faith in the checks and balances that had been established throughout the decades. During the rise of Trump, I kept believing that our leaders would see what was happening and put politics aside for the good of the country. What has shocked and disheartened me most is the stunning lack of empathy from our Republican leadership. They are not interested in human lives, but are more obsessed with winning and they don’t care who they hurt to get there. Watching the film, I was struck by the degree of Mr. Rogers’ selflessness and ability to empathize with anybody anywhere. He didn’t care about class, status, or race. He cared about people. He cared about children, and most of all he cared about helping others in need.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? showcases many examples of how Mr. Rogers touched people’s lives and how he used television to promote empathy, tolerance, community, and goodness. Seeing example after example after example, it becomes apparent that being a decent person really isn’t that hard. You just need to think about how your actions affect others. Why does it seem so difficult for so many? What did Fred Rogers have that made him such a charismatic and quick-witted vessel for empathy? In one of his most well known songs, he sings:
“It’s you I like, Every part of you, Your skin, your eyes, your feelings, Whether old or new, I hope that you’ll remember, Even when you’re feeling blue, That it’s you I like.”
His philosophy stemmed from the idea of accepting a person just as they are, and accepting yourself in the same way. If you start with acceptance, empathy comes naturally.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? suggests that Fred Rogers knew how to communicate with children because he never forgot what it was like to be a child, the good and the bad. If only our leadership could do the same. As our lives are filled with the heartbreaking images coming from the US border and our country seems to be on the path of devolution, empathy is what we need. The world is small, and our lives are short. We all struggle with the same issues, and share the same hopes for ourselves. As Mr. Rogers would say, we are all “neighbors.” The film reminds us that even though things can seem hopeless, that doesn’t mean there’s no good in the world, and that small actions can have a huge impact on a person’s well being. In this time of crisis and uncertainty, we need to step up and be forces for good. We need to care about people. We need to care about helping others in need. And in the true spirit of Mr. Rogers, we need to remember what it’s like to have the dreams, struggles, hopes, and fears of being a child.
