The Big Picture
Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was willing to tackle controversial subjects, such as nuclear war, and explain them to children in an honest and understandable way. The five-episode arc called “Conflict” addressed the fears and misunderstandings during the height of the Cold War, using the Neighborhood of Make-Believe to depict the escalation of tensions and the importance of diplomacy. Throughout his show, Rogers routinely addressed difficult issues, such as racial equality, divorce, and disabilities, in order to show children that they can talk about all kinds of things.
If you were to pick one person throughout television history that has never done anything to court controversy, a few names are likely to come to mind. Maybe Betty White, who was genuinely beloved by millions. Possibly Alex Trebek, Bob Newhart, or Alan Thicke. Your safest choice, arguably, would have to be Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. And for the most part, it’s a wise choice. But Rogers, for being a Presbyterian minister and all, had a wee bit of the troublemaker in him, willing to tackle taboo subjects and explain them to children in a way that was honest, in a way they could understand. But one subject proved so controversial that the five-episode arc about it, originally aired in November 1983, was taken out of syndication: nuclear war.
The “Conflict” Series on ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ Tackled Cold War Fears
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1983 was a time of great international tension, when the Cold War between the U.S. and Russia was at its height. Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative, U.S. troops invaded Grenada, and the world came precipitously close (Cuban Missile Crisis close) to nuclear war, as government papers declassified in 2015 attest to. So Rogers did what he did best: confronted the children with the truth in a way that was understandable, without being condescending. The result was the five-episode arc “Conflict.”
In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, a mysterious package is delivered to Carney the beaver, who is the leader of neighboring Southwood. King Friday hears the contents are parts for “things” that are being built for Southwood. Prince Tuesday comes home from school, where he has learned about countries and wars, and tells his father what he has learned. This sparks King Friday to assume the worst: Southwood is making bombs. The king orders his people to start building bombs as well. As a result, all the kingdom’s finances are routed into stockpiling weapons, and the high priority of the initiative means there is no money left over for programs, like “music for the children.” The misunderstandings, assumptions, diplomacy, and paranoia escalate the situation, until King Friday learns that Southwood is making a bridge, and the packages are supplies for doing so. Crisis averted.
‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ Routinely Addressed Difficult Issues
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At the end of the last episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Rogers expresses the joy he gets from making the show and not shying away from controversial topics, because in doing so, “We prove to each other and to other people that we can talk about all kinds of things, and that’s because we care about one another.” Rogers continues by encouraging children to talk to their families about war, about peace, about being angry, and about being loving. He signs off with a simple song about peace, one he wrote for his father once:
We all want peace. We all want peace.
And while the devout minister normally eschewed religious, denominational messages in lieu of focusing on the pillars of all faiths (kindness, love, grace, and so on) Rogers did end off the arc with a Bible verse that appeared on-screen, from Isaiah 2:4: “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning forks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” It was a final, bold statement from a man that never shied away from making them.
The initial airing of the “Conflict” series came a week before the premiere of the TV movie The Day After on ABC, a movie that depicted an escalation between NATO and the Warsaw Pact that leads to nuclear war, and the aftermath of the apocalyptic event. Whether it was purely circumstantial or a direct response to the advertising and other promotional lead-up to the movie is purely speculative, but the timing couldn’t have been better (probably not as circumstantial is how these lost episodes ended up on YouTube shortly after President Donald Trump puzzlingly called for an arms race in 2018).
Mister Rogers Always Advocated for Racial Equality
Image via PBS
The series wasn’t the first time Rogers toyed with controversy. Four years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed, Rogers cast African-American actor François Clemmons as Officer Clemmons on his show, marking the first time a Black actor was given a recurring role on a children’s show. As if that wasn’t bold enough, the following year Rogers had a scene in the show where he was resting his feet in a kiddie pool, and invited Clemmons to do the same. It was a strong statement against racism, made even stronger when Rogers dried Clemmons feet with a towel on screen, a humbling act that Jesus himself did for his disciples in John 13:1-17.
In 1981, Rogers took on the subject of divorce on the show, making it clear to the children watching that they were not to blame for their parents’ struggles, and that even adults aren’t comfortable with the topic. That same year he invited 10-year-old Jeffrey Erlanger, a quadriplegic, to appear on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Erlanger showed Rogers the bells and whistles of his electric wheelchair, and was given the time to explain how he had come to be paralyzed in his arms and legs, having had a spinal tumor when he was younger. It was successful in giving those with disabilities a real person that children could relate to.
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And although not controversial, when Rogers had The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch Margaret Hamilton appear on the show, he used it to show children that movies are make-believe, and that the scary people on film are actually very sweet and kind when off the screen. It was a moment that PBS mate Sesame Street would attempt the following year, only to fail spectacularly. Sadly, now that we live in an age where people are divided on issues like race, sexuality, and political allegiances, where respect and kindness are values that are falling by the wayside, we could use a Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood now more than ever. So we hold out hope that someone, anyone, can rise up and take the mantle, proving to the world that change can be made with a gentle touch.
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