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Mr. Rogers' Moving, $20 Million Speech

kimklaverblogs.blogspot.com — Mr. Rogers, in 1969, went to Washington to ask for funding for his children's TV program. His program, he said, offered something besides shooting each other "with the mad that you feel." He got $20 million in 6 minutes.

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  • webcure, on 10/10/2007, -4/+169Dude- you really made my day with this video. I'm serious. I don't care who laughs at me, this dude was really a hero!
    I digg Mr. Rogers!
    • Charlotte_Web, on 10/10/2007, -0/+36Fred Rogers symbolizes everything that's good and decent in mankind. The world definitely needs more heroes like him.
      • hiikeeba, on 10/10/2007, -11/+3Mr. Rogers was a great man with a huge heart. Too bad some of his "you are special" bit got twisted into something he wouldn't recognize. Instead of learning to compete, because losing is bad and would destroy a child's fragile psyche, children are taught that merely participating in a event merits a ribbon. That kind of thinking lets people who are unqualified for a job apply for it. Doubt me? Who's in the White House? The man who killed drop out recovery programs in Texas because those non-traditional schools couldn't graduate the mandated percentage of students, in favor of No Child Left Behind, where EVERYONE graduates.
        • GawtMilk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I was wondering how long it would take for some moron to come and ruin a perfectly decent story that made you feel good about humanity.
    • ThinkBox, on 10/10/2007, -1/+24This is the only story I dont mind seeing on the front page for the 4th time this year.
    • chukd, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15Mr. Rogers and his show amaze me everytime I see them. A man dedicated to making the world a better place and he tried to do it to the age group most apt to listen. A hero to the world, I wish his program was broadcast to every kid.
    • UNL1M1T3D, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6I heart Mr. rogers.
    • neodorian, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Yep. I digg this whenever it pops up.
  • anarchytv, on 10/10/2007, -54/+9mister rogers should be required viewing for all military personell
    my guess is most of the trained robot killers would unload a clip into the tv set and laugh about it.
    to the bunch of psychopathic killers, that stuff is fine in Quake 4, but in the real world, life is hard enough, people die and get maimed, and when you chose to dance with death like that and inflict pain and suffering, its a two edged sword, you will be on the receiving end. there is no winning in war. everyone loses.
    • ChiliMac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+21Mr Rogers should be watched by everyone. Sadly those days seem to be gone. Respect is no longer given. People do not listen and understand others even when they disagree. To many people think only about themselves and show little empathy for others.

      It is sad that today's generation will not be learning from Fred Rogers example.
    • jgreene777, on 10/10/2007, -4/+6oh. you so don't get it. our men and women in uniform kill during war, because that is war, and would die in a heart beat to save a single civilian in the lands in which we go to war. if there were no war, they would go down defending your right to criticize them. grow up and have some respect.
      • Stratochief66, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Oh, we respect those troops who died in war, but the last war was WW2.
    • nigh7dagger, on 10/10/2007, -8/+4I have to say that, out of all of the people on Digg that criticize my beliefs and out of all of the people that have flamed me, you are the only person I really have no respect for. How dare you categorize our military as a bunch of mindless killers? Do you think your precious anarchy would be better? I think the hundreds of thousands of US servicemen and women who gave their lives to allow you to spew your crap without consequence would disagree. You seem to think the point of war is to cause suffering. I can only imagine how much you would be suffering if our soldiers hadn't defended us in World War 2 and you said that in a Nazi-controlled country. I can only imagine how much you would be suffering if we hadn't threatened to use our military in the Cold War and you said that in a communist dictatorship. Have some respect for the people who let you live how you are living.
      • JDove6, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Some would argue that we are living in a Nazi controlled country.
        • Flower2112, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Just because they try to argue it does not mitigate the fact that they are ***** retarded^W^W err not applying a modicum of reason behind the issue.
      • PidgeonDeath, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Who's dugg down nigh7dagger's comment? He's right. I may not support the war in Iraq, but the men and women who risk their lives in the military deserve everyone's respect. Let's not forget they do more than killing as well. They help with floods, hurricanes, famine, all these things and people like anarchytv6 have the balls to call them "mindless killers".

        People on Digg are supposed to be more educated and more open-minded than everyone else, so why the idiotic comments?
        • scronide, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1No deserves respect on a universal basis. I'll decide who gets my respect. People in the military do a job and get paid, like everyone else.
          • radiometric, on 12/11/2007, -0/+1People in the US military, and many other militaries around the world, chose to sign up and serve their countries. A choice was made to make a stand and protect their fellow citizens. Even those that are drafted into service can choose to do their service to the best of their abilities. There are many ways you can serve your community, on local and global scales, and still receive money for your trouble. There are few ways to make money from being a prick and parasite.
      • scronide, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Guess what, many people in Nazi and Communist controlled countries said just the same thing about their military! All depends on what side you're on, eh?
    • Jeebugorn, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12if only i could digg you down more than once!

      i AM a soldier in the US Army, and not just any soldier...i am an infantryman...aka "grunt". i live by a code of honor which you will never be able to understand. i am not a mindless robot, nor are any of my soldiers. they know that they are responsible for every bullet that comes out of their weapon. people die...and when people see their friends get blown up and/or shot, sometimes they overreact. again, this is something that you will never understand. i dont condone any atrocities that our soldiers have committed over there, but that only represents a small fraction of the entire force. that would be like blaming every american for crimes that serial killers commit. we have a saying "one screw up overpowers 1000 at-a-boys", meaning no matter how much good you do, one screw up is what everyone remembers.

      i watched mister rogers everyday as a kid. fred rogers is by far the most decent, caring human being i have ever seen on television. i wish that there were more people on this earth like him.
  • mrchin, on 10/10/2007, -1/+64Wow, that felt refreshing! Great video. A great man. We'll miss him and let's hope his show continues to rerun for future generations.
  • vroom101, on 10/10/2007, -26/+6Why is this story taking so long to reach The Front Page?!?!
    • sedawk, on 10/10/2007, -3/+15Umm, becuase it has been on the video front page at least three times!!!
      • phip42, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1ya, does no one visit the video section?? I can't wait until digg releases their new system with the "all" button and a seperate section for pics. It's going to be freakin awesome
  • ChiliMac, on 10/10/2007, -2/+115What a strange site. A man speaking respectfully to Congress without trying to be sensational. And at the same time Congress being respectful of him. Listening to what he has to say rather than interrupting and trying to get more camera time. This is the way life should be.
  • mjesq, on 10/10/2007, -37/+4Mr. Rogers is a true American pimp.
  • HA5TY, on 10/10/2007, -0/+49I could not spend my whole life thinking about kids....but Mr.Rogers did.

    He was awesome
  • Error601, on 10/10/2007, -48/+6So, why did he feel he needed a government handout to do it?
    • BeyondGoodNEvil, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2Cause govt has lot more money and the people who give it out have no consequence to the money they spend. Today, I think something like this should be financed by venture capitalists. Ron Paul '08 and/or 2012.
      • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Ron Paul is just another greedy Republican who pretends to be good while oppressing children, the poor, the sick. You can't be a patriot while saying the most needy American tax payers should not benefit from taxes. You can't even be humane and hold that attitude. You people are a not so funny joke. You will spend your life supporting candidates like this then, when you're old, sick and have used all your resources, you will be tossed aside and ignored and called lazy like you do to others now.
    • proliance, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Because PBS is funded by govt. grants and public fundraisers?
    • MagicCake, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I highly doubt he had $20 million laying around and just didn't want to use it. I suspect that's why he asked someone else.
  • SlamShut, on 10/10/2007, -0/+82Fred Rogers did more than think about kids. He thought about humanity as a whole. He just recognized the power and importance of dealing with kids, who would become the adults who run the world. There's no telling how many of us who are now adults owe a small or large part of our emotional sanity to the message that he brought us every day. He was one of the greatest people of the 20th century.
    • ziffel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+19I think there's an important addendum here: He did all these things without interjecting religion. Fred Rogers taught that people could be decent to each other without implying that any kind of help from a supernatural being was required. R.I.P. Mr Rogers, I'll always remember your neighborhood fondly as part of my childhood.
    • bariswheel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3It would be nice if he had won an award that would make him very famous, a pulitzer/nobel prize, etc..
      • radiometric, on 12/11/2007, -0/+1Mr Rogers won the respect of all those that heard his message. Best reward ever.
  • xOKxWhy, on 10/10/2007, -27/+10Already was in the video section, so why repost it?
    • super_spyder, on 10/10/2007, -4/+22i can honestly remember this being on diggs front page over 5 times, but i digg it every time
      • svenathon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8Thanks for helping put it there, this was the first time I've seen it
  • SilentSpyder, on 10/10/2007, -40/+4How many times has this been on Digg's frontpage? Burried
  • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -0/+51wow. the budget for his 1st show was $30. can you imagine that?
    He really was a huge part of my early childhood. Great man.
  • WolvenSpectre, on 10/10/2007, -18/+7Most people don't know that before he started his show he worked behind the scenes for a Canadian Mainstay of children's television aimed at a slightly older audience called "Mr Dressup" hosted by Ernie Combs.

    That is where he leaned the basic idea for a show like his with puppets interacting with human playing on the imagination while being educational
    • WolvenSpectre, on 10/10/2007, -2/+20Ignore this, Idecided to double checkmy sources and it turn out that is and urban legend (sort of) MisteRogers was originally a CBC show and the design of the trolley, castel, and other things are Canadian. Mr Rogers Hired Ernie Combs from Maine, then bought his show and left a year later.

      Ernie Combs then joined another CBC show and soon was offered his own and he invented Mr Dressup.

      Sorry, to anyone who I mislead by propagting the legend I have heard for YEEEEEEEARS.
    • Joeyshinobi88, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10dugg for correcting yourself =) wish more people would do it.
  • fuzzmeister, on 10/10/2007, -0/+99Imagine the guts it takes to go in front of a US Senate panel and recite the lyrics to a children's song, with complete sincerity.
    • TrevorBelmont, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5Would have been pretty creepy if he'd SANG the song though. Excellent call, Fred.
  • AndrewDB, on 01/10/2008, -0/+39Mr. Fred Rogers was also an ordained minister, a friend of mine's friends got married by him. :)
    • gingerbreadcat, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12That is the coolest thing I've heard all day. I wonder how many other people he performed the service for and what happened to them?
      • AndrewDB, on 01/10/2008, -1/+12Well my friend's friends are still together.
  • vamos, on 10/10/2007, -3/+27He's awesome and he actually gave a ***** about people.
    • digglugg, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I imagine he is thrilled to read your articulate comment. :-)
  • thenoxx, on 10/10/2007, -1/+23Ah, good ol' Fred Rogers.

    What most people don't know is that he was also an amazing jazz composer (he wrote all the music for the show; just go back and give it a careful listen if you don't believe me) as well as a Presbyterian minister. Probably one of if not the best Christians of today.
  • coldskool, on 10/10/2007, -31/+4This was already submitted to the videos section a few days ago, why do you ***** keep regurgitation *****? ***** you sepultura
    • sepultura, on 10/10/2007, -3/+18What's your problem? I hadn't seen it on Digg before, not everyone goes to the video section so PLEASE forgive me for ruining your day. I really don't think it was worth telling me "***** you" for. *****.
      • dannyboy3020, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Deal with your anger : :(
      • imandir, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Sepultura, yes it has been on Digg before. I think a few times actually. Coldskool should learn to deal with his anger but you should learn to check other sections of digg.
      • TrevorBelmont, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4@ imander:
        Clearly, 300 some people didn't mind it being re-submitted. If it gets dugg, you're complaints are irrelevant.
        • imandir, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Just because something is good does it mean we should repost it every week so more people can see it.
          • rebopper, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1If it makes it to the front page it does.
          • imandir, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I see "bury - duplicate story". Why shouldn't we follow that? I would much rather see new things on Digg rather than a bunch of reposts.
      • coldskool, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1My bad dude... I assumed you did it on purpose, sorry.
    • jgreene777, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7What do you do with your anger?
    • ziffel, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I've just started auto-blocking people like you. Hostile, trollish, full of venom -- why bother?
      • coldskool, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1I dont give a *****, I dont give a *****, I dont give a ***** so you can go and ***** a duck.
  • DiggzDE, on 10/10/2007, -24/+2Hmm... could this have been on Digg before?


    Survey says? Yes!
    There is a new meaning for the Digg effect. It means now when you come on here, you will never find anything original because it is pretty much always a repeat of something that was on Digg a week or so ago.
    • shakestheclown, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Hmm...hasn't your comment been on Digg before?

      Oh yes, I read an approximation of it 3 times per topic.
  • yensed, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/v/a41lJIhW7fA
  • pianonotes1010, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2http://youtube.com/watch?v=exy_ht-OKOQ

    site down.
  • compgeek, on 10/10/2007, -0/+22Rock on Fred Rogers. this man was a huge part of my early childhood watched his program every single day practically. He truly helped shape a generation. he taught us that you can overcome disputes with words instead of violence and then also had the fun things he did like crafts and such. every child even today should watch at least one episode. I'm actually tempted to torrent it for my brother and sister so that they can see the great man that is Fred Rogers. they were born long after the program went off the air and I see them know running around fighting with each other or w/e and it makes me sad cause I know that I took a lot of what Mr. Rogers said to heart when I was younger I didn't get into a lot of fights unless someone took a swing at me (still am that way) I knew to respect my parents and understood feelings of anger and such at a young age and Mr. Rogers played a part in that. a very very stirring speech by a great man Dugg
    • Joeyshinobi88, on 10/10/2007, -1/+52nd'd

      I haven't checked mid-morning pbs in a few years now, but I seriously hope they're still running re-runs of the 'hood for future generations. Rogers taught something more than the ABCs and 123s that are the focus of so many children's shows today - to be kind and understanding toward your fellow man and to try to be an all-around good human being. I hope his legacy lives on in some form or another - the idea of a generation of children without such guidance sort of scares me...
    • bariswheel, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2My sister is turning 9 in 2 months, do you think she would be too old to watch Mister Rogers? I didn't grow up in the US, so I haven't seen his shows, but I'm considering getting her a DVD set of Mister Rogers or something. Thoughts?
      • AbradeKhan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1It's never too late for Mister Rogers.
        • radiometric, on 12/11/2007, -0/+1It's never too early for Mr Rogers.
    • MagicCake, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I always liked the segments where he would show a video from a factory and you got to see how something was done and/or made. I saw a re-run of Mr. Rogers a few months ago and actually stopped to watch that part, heh. Good show, good man.
  • DualCortex, on 10/10/2007, -0/+60I've noticed Rogers is the only person that brings diggers together.
  • givemereplay, on 10/10/2007, -15/+4Digg videos is part of Digg. You don't need to resubmit it between the two.
    • rebopper, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Digg videos don't hit the front page.
  • gcnaddict, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9Of course, there are some poeple who would compare Jack Thompson to Rogers. Just in case that comes up here, here's a debunker post:

    Rogers actually cared about people and didn't get mad at things. He was genuinely concerned (as evident here) and actually had an alternative to TV violence for young children.

    Thompson just bitches for law cash.
    • rnwen2750, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Blasphemy. NEVER compare Thompson to Rodgers. I don't even have strong feelings about Thompson, but no one comes close to the amazingness of Mr. Rogers.
    • mescad, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Furthermore, Mr. Rogers saw something he didn't like, and instead of trying to take that away, he got off his ass and made something even better. If Jack was taking the high road like that, I wouldn't have a problem with him.
  • doctechnical, on 10/10/2007, -16/+5All props to Fred Rogers (I've talked to people who knew him and said he was a terrific man), but let's defund PBS now. Let them live on their Tickle Me Elmo money.
    • AndrewDB, on 01/10/2008, -3/+9Shouldn't you be playing wth your squeaky toy Mr. Bush?
      • doctechnical, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Have you been in a toy store lately, Sparky?

        PBS needs my tax dollars like I need a third nostril.
      • Flower2112, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1No, Ernie and Bert have bank. If it wasn't for PBS I'd have never seen Carl Sagan, no National Geographic, no Dr. Who, no Red Dwarf, no encounters with music that would never get played on public TV because it wasn't popular enough. No real news programming. No shows about art.

        PBS == National Treasure and it is cheap compared to what we spend for other programs. Leave well enough alone.
  • joshuagor44, on 10/10/2007, -21/+2He's a good guy, but *yawn*
  • Bob042, on 10/10/2007, -7/+2Mr. Rogers is great, but why would we want a link to a blog that's probably going to crash? This was already submitted in the video section, and was actually available through the story link then.
  • StiGUP, on 10/10/2007, -20/+3my name is rogers...rogers gump
    • BeyondGoodNEvil, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Good one. Extremely slow talking.
  • yensed, on 10/10/2007, -16/+4I like to picture Mr. Rogers in a tuxedo T-Shirt because it says I want to be formal, but I'm here to party.
    • radiometric, on 12/11/2007, -0/+1I like to picture Mr. Rogers as a ninja.
  • Brianguy2000, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8A good man.
  • guinpen, on 10/10/2007, -13/+1this triple-quadruple dupe thing is starting to become a pet peeve of mine
  • PlasmaFlux, on 10/10/2007, -1/+26It's a good feeling
    Such a happy feeling

    It's such a good feeling to know you're alive.
    It's such a happy feeling
    You're growing inside.
    And when you wake up ready to say
    I think I'll make a snappy new day
    It's such a good feeling,
    A very good feeling,
    The feeling you know that we're friends.

    It's a good feeling
    It's a happy feeling

    It's such a good feeling
    To know you're in tune.
    It's such a happy feeling to find you're in bloom
    And when you wake up ready to say
    I think I'll make a snappy new day.
    It's such a good feeling,
    A very good feeling,
    The feeling you know that we're friends.

    And I'll be back
    When the day is new
    And I'll have more ideas for you.
    And you'll have things you'll want to talk about.
    I will too.
    • neodorian, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Man, I'm at work and I totally took a minute to sing along in my head.
  • GeneralGore, on 10/10/2007, -3/+31Finally, a reason to pay taxes.
  • doctechnical, on 10/10/2007, -1/+13And let's not forget Fred Rogers had an asteroid named after him:

    http://www.space.com/news/mr_rogers_030502.html

    Meow meow big space rock meow.
  • hagbard72, on 10/10/2007, -18/+1He got the $20m and the kids still grew up to be losers.
  • Joeyshinobi88, on 10/10/2007, -1/+27i cried the day Mr. Rogers died.
    even though I was in high school.
    it was like loosing a friend.
    • LuxFX, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6I was in college, but it didn't stop me from crying either. I wish the world had more like him in it. Friends, as well as heroes.
    • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I watched Mr. Rogers as I grew up and each of my three sons watched him everyday before their naps. When he died I cried like my own dad had died. I still tear up every time I see him. Few people make the impact this dear man made.
  • tnoy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+19This has been on here a whole bunch of times, but still dugg. Hell, I logged in JUST to digg this. He's done nothing but good for children, and will continue to do so for many more through syndication.
  • sdizier, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0Nice one, A nice change
  • Ocelot13, on 10/10/2007, -12/+2i saw this like 2 days ago on here. wtf happened to digg? buried as dupe
  • jcm267, on 10/10/2007, -11/+1Umm... This was submitted yesterday, too. They resubmitted it (I guess) because it didn't become popular. I hate to bury Mr Rogers, but I have to.
  • Joe_rigby, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10The Mr. Rogers goodbye.

    Seeing Mr. Rogers makes me nostalgic.

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=UcvRMHz4mb4&mode=related&search=
  • thredden, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11these are one of the posts that makes you login to digg it.

    i wish digg could back to things like this more often...
  • ggnictee, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7I miss Mr. Roges.
  • akeating, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8I want to download all his shows before they're unavailable so I can show my kids.
  • svenathon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12Easily the most genuinely moving thing I've ever seen on the internet.
  • Sil369, on 10/10/2007, -4/+3The video makes him look a little bit like Edward Norton.... just something I observed.
  • TrevorBelmont, on 10/10/2007, -2/+26An open note to all the complainers about re-posting:
    If something is re-submitted and hundreds of people digg the dupe, you lose. Complaining is more wasteful than a dupe story. It is also pointless. You might as well go yell at the rain not to fall.
    If you're still angry, I suggest you go punch a bag or kneed some dough.
    • rkettner, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3The video is #2 in the video section right now with more diggs... so yes - it's a dupe.
    • TrevorBelmont, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8Hi. What? I know it's a dupe. My point is that whining about it just makes more wining and stories continue to be duplicated.
  • smacksaw, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3And to think, FOX News said that Mr Rogers telling young children and toddlers that they were "special" is what causes all of our social ills today.
  • jcims, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2sad how paltry $20 million sounds
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