Tall man just cracked me up. Even in 1968 it's hard to imagine that tall man made it on the air. I wonder how many kids showed their parents what tall man was.
This business will get out of control. It will get out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it. -Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Joshua Painter Played by Senator Fred Thompson
Posts: 3590 | Location: Central Virginia | Registered: November 06, 2006
"I’m not going to read Time Magazine, I’m not going to read Newsweek, I’m not going to read any of these magazines; I mean, because they have too much to lose by printing the truth"- Bob Dylan, 1965
Posts: 16690 | Location: Texas | Registered: May 13, 2003
My childhood being crushed before my eyes. First Gomer's revelation and now Mr Rodgers throwing double tall mans. I probably watched that episode first run after kindergarten one day.
Posts: 3593 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: July 24, 2009
These days it’s Daniel Tigers’ Neighborhood. Same themes and characters but lead is a Tiger. My 4 year old loves the show but I haven’t seen them do a version of this. Yet.
The clip I posted truly does reflect a more innocent time. Although this hand gesture was well known then, Fred Rogers used it and had all the children at that table using it. There was another adult at the table, and she saw no issue as well. The producers of the show saw this, and as adults, certainly were familiar with the vulgar meaning of this hand gesture, yet allowed the segment to go to air. The management or station directors of the TV stations where this segment aired apparently had no issue with it.
What does all that mean? It means that when Mister Rogers flipped the bird, he wasn't flipping the bird. He was using this hand gesture, but to all involved- from Mister Rogers on down- it was an innocent thing. Although they (except for the children) knew this was considered a vulgar gesture, the use of it and the intent of it in this particular instance was purely innocent, so the segment was broadcast. We've lost this and we've lost it forever. If this were to happen today, parents would lose their freaking minds and Mister Rogers would be fired, his show cancelled and he would be brought up on charges of child endangerment or some such crap. Protesters would surround his home, harass him on the street and he would have to go into hiding. Tell me I'm wrong.
Originally posted by parabellum: The clip I posted truly does reflect a more innocent time. Although this hand gesture was well known then, Fred Rogers used it and had all the children at that table using it. There was another adult at the table, and she saw no issue as well. The producers of the show saw this, and as adults, certainly were familiar with the vulgar meaning of this hand gesture, yet allowed the segment to go to air. The management or station directors of the TV stations where this segment aired apparently had no issue with it.
What does all that mean? It means that when Mister Rogers flipped the bird, he wasn't flipping the bird. He was using this hand gesture, but to all involved- from Mister Rogers on down- it was an innocent thing. Although they (except for the children) knew this was considered a vulgar gesture, the use of it and the intent of it in this particular instance was purely innocent, so the segment was broadcast. We've lost this and we've lost it forever. If this were to happen today, parents would lose their freaking minds and Mister Rogers would be fired, his show cancelled and he would be brought up on charges of child endangerment or some such crap. Protesters would surround his home, harass him on the street and he would have to go into hiding. Tell me I'm wrong.
I tried to write something similar to this yesterday, but I couldn't put it together as well as you just did, para. Very well done, sir.
