It's parents, materialistic bullshiat on tv, and SCHOOLS.

Our kids are indoctrinated to believe that our nation, founded on and built by slavery after wiping an entire race of people off the map, is the greatest nation on earth.

We declare our national sports teams "World Champions" when the farthest they might go to play an opponent is Toronto. Hot dog eating champions are declared national heroes, for christ sake.

We are a nation of fat, arrogant, gimme-gimme consumer zombie whore slobs with more blood on our hands than we can wash off.



/

I think those flaming homo's, Bert and Ernie, are to blame...

Every generation thinks they can raise their children "better" than the last. Most think, "I'm not going to do it the way my parents did" because at some point in time they felt their parents were too harsh/not harsh enough or whatever.

This whole thing about a generation of kids getting into the real world and not knowing how to handle criticism because all the heard was, "it's not about winning, it's about how you play the game"...that's the parents' fault.

Personally, I don't think my mother did that bad of a job raising me and my sisters. Did she make mistakes? Yes. (See! I'm not excluding myself) Did she spank me when I was bad? Yes. Did she punish me for things I didn't do? Yes.

No parent is perfect even though they want to be. The only way you're going to be able to tell is when your children grow into adults and begin to make decisions on their own and where they end up in life. Yes, they're going to make mistakes too, but will they learn from them?

No, I have no children. Yet.

We are a nation of fat, arrogant, gimme-gimme consumer zombie whore slobs with more blood on our hands than we can wash off.

Now that's a great lead-in to a weekend!

Mr. Robinsons neighborhood was better.

There are too many "monkey's" on this tread. I thought I was special??

I wonder if anyone from the hatefest about welfare is going to dare make an appearance here.

Ugh, this article pisses me off. Somehow this professor's conjectures on the behaviors of his particular students are newsworthy. And he's taken that conjecture and made it into a myopic generalization of an entire generation. Even if I truly believed that this generation was more narcissistic than the past (like elders didn't think the same about teens in the 50s and 70s), pinning it on Mr. Rogers is spectacularly ridiculous.

I'm sure there are still going to be farkers that agree with this schmuck and think the current generation is worse than the last and that all parents of this generation are idiots.

How about the Tyler Durden Show?

"Hi Kids! You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. We are all part of the same compost heap. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else."

"Yeah, with enough permanent markers we can draw on just about anything."

"I am Jack's juice box, I spill and stain Jack's clothes."

I got a buddy who's 3 year old son thinks it is funny to take a dump on the carpet behind the door in the little tyke's bedroom. My friend explained to me that, while it was disgusting, when he opened the door, it smeared his son's feces into the carpet. That, combined with the random, yet routine urinations on the living room furniture, is why I never stop by at his place anymore.


I'd just smack him silly and tell him to wipe that shiat-eating grin off his face.

More like baby Boomers having fewer children, so more attention is paid to them. If you're one of two kids in the family, you'll probably feel more *special*

Wow, I'm amazed.. Who knew Mr.Rogers was the Anti-christ?

LoHung_Dong: We are a nation of fat, arrogant, gimme-gimme consumer zombie whore slobs with more blood on our hands than we can wash off.


That's every nation. Except Canada we only killed natives.

Who knew that constantly elevating children onto an imaginary pedestal and telling them how amazing and wonderful they are would breed narcissistic tendencies?

MonkeyChrist: I have heard that Mr rogers was a trained sniper. He always wore the sweaters because he had full sleeves of military style ink. Does anyone have any links to documentation of this?

Yeah, it called the you're a farking idiot documentation.

The author is probably full of crap on the Mr Rogers thing. Being a brit I have no idea who he is though.

He does, OTOH, hit the nail on the head a little further in - the world is starting to revolve around children and it sucks. If it suckls for them as well as us that's no suprise.

Everything must be made safe, everywhere must be made child friendly, everyone must cater to children, parents are to be revered.

Well guess what? I like danger, I like scummy dives to drink in that don't have "family rooms", I don't think you're special because you pushed one out. Get on with it and please leave some adult things to adults without trying to sanitise the whole world.

AuralArgument: LoHung_Dong: We are a nation of fat, arrogant, gimme-gimme consumer zombie whore slobs with more blood on our hands than we can wash off.

That's every nation. Except Canada we only killed natives.

Baby seal blood doesn't count? :(

I blame soccer.

When soccer wanted to start a foothold in the US AYSO came along with two marketing strategies; first, it was cheap to play gear was inexpensive and the leagues didnt cost much, second was the "everyone plays" mentality. It was the only youth sport where, now matter how much of a spaz you were, you still where guaraneed game time. Also, it was the first youth sport that gave away a trophy just for participating. Everyone plays, everyone "earns" a trophy, everyone is special. Worst idea for teaching kids ever.

fark you AYSO and soccer.

I blame overly-indulgent parents living vicariously through their progeny to compensate for their own shallow lives ...

BTW: Mr. Rogers is still dead, right?

I blame Mr. Rogers for one thing, and one thing only.... Gays.

ricbach299

Yeah, it is the initial hook, but there are some things that are so sacred that they are above criticism. I have trouble thinking of anything else that is so pure and untainted by controversey and commercialism on ANY level that comes any closer to where Mr. Rogers stands.

When I think about it, I marvel about how something so simple could have such a profound effect on millions of children.

There are other ways this hook could have been made. Mr. Rogers is above criticism on this subject in my book.

Mr. Rogers says no to rising beer prices.

MonkeyChrist:

From snopes.com:

Fred Rogers served as a sniper or as a Navy Seal during the Vietnam War, with a large number of confirmed kills to his credit.

This same rumor has often been applied to boyish country singer-songwriter John Denver (among others), and it's just as false when told of Fred Rogers. Not only did Fred Rogers never serve in the military, there are no gaps in his career when he could conceivably have served in the military - he went straight into college after high school, he moved directly into TV work after graduating college, and his breaks from television work were devoted to attending the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1963) and the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Child Development. Moreover, Fred Rogers was born in 1928 and was therefore too old to have enlisted in the armed services by the time of America's military involvement in Vietnam.

Fred Rogers always wore long-sleeved shirts and sweaters on his show to conceal the tattoos on his arms he obtained while serving in the military.

As noted above, Fred Rogers never served in the military, and he bore no tattoos on his arms (or any other part of his body). He wore long-sleeved shirts and sweaters on his show to maintain an air of formality - although he was friendly with the children in his viewing audience and talked to them on their own level, he was most definitely an authority figure on a par with parents and teachers (he was Mister Rogers to them, after all, not Fred), and his choice of dress was intended to establish and foster that relationship.

I used to love watching Mr. Rogers' show. It was great at the time. My boyfriend told me that the reason Mr. Rogers always wears long sleeves is that his arms are covered in anti-Nazi tattoos because he was in the army or some shiat. Which wikipedia does not mention so I think he's full of it.

"They felt so entitled," he recalls, "and it just hit me. We can blame Mr. Rogers."

How do even you respond to such a broad and impenetrable wall of stupid?

My friend explained to me that, while it was disgusting, when he opened the door, it smeared his son's feces into the carpet.

Wow, I read that first as "he smeared his son's face into the carpet"

BTW, whatch this video of Mr. Rogers if you feel like crying (SFW and show your friends). This is why this man is a saint and will always be one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a41lJIhW7fA

I_Can't_Believe_it's_not_Boutros

Sarcasm

I actually was inspired to work with kids by the man.

Oh and I see the topic has already been adressed. I should read the thread first.

I'm about as liberal socially as they come but I know the value of discipline,respect and responsiblity being taught to children.
Of course I'm probably older than most of you here (48) and my parents were in their mid 30's when I was born. So I'm probably a generation behind most of you. But I raised my kids like I was raised.

1. corporal punishment is necessary early on to establish consequence. Once a child is up big enough to crawl around you can start training it. If it reaches for something it's not supposed to have tell it no. If it continues to reach smack it's hand. If you're consistent with the discipline and the boundaries you set you'll not have to do this very often. Sure every once in a while they'll test their boundaries but you must be consistent.
I'm also a firm believer in chores and allowances.
the concept of reward and consequence is something you must teach as a parent. It may save your child's life one day.

marine sniper. wore cardigans to cover his tattoos.

/joking

From TFA:

"The world owes you nothing. You have to work and compete. If you want to be special, you'll have to prove it."

Truer words have never been spoken.

Also blame parents who constantly tell their kids that they're special and unique and smart and witty when in fact they're farking idiots.

If your kid is a moron, don't tell him he's smart, it's cruelty.

/had parents who pushed hard and didn't accept half-measures
//Thanks Mom and Dad

You leave Mr. Rogers alone. That man was a gift from God.

Some things you may not have known.

Maybe not, but it certainly had something to do with Carter getting elected.

This is good news for the pilot I'm pitching: I stand in front of the camera telling kids how stupid and worthless they are and that it's their fault mommy and daddy can't get along and/or died.

I agree 100% with you, hobodeluxe. But hang on tight: you're about to get flamed to Alaska and back.

Double posted for reinforcement:

Mr. Rogers testifies before congress in regars to PBS funding

Ennuipoet: This message brought to you by the Bill Hicks Society for People Who Hate People


"Gee! What are the odds?"

Here here hobodeluxe...my parents did the exact same thing and while at the time I thought they were complete jerks, i thank them for it now.

How appropriate that a man who lived by and promoted the ideals that Jesus himself espoused is now being attacked by the right wing "christian" fascist fruitcakes.

Also blame parents who constantly tell their kids that they're special and unique and smart and witty when in fact they're farking idiots.

Or you'll be like this guy:



/surprised nobody brought him up yet

Jeff Zaslow? Is that the same Zaslow that wrote an advice column for the Chicago Sun Times? He's now with the Wall Street Journal? Wow, talk about failing upwards.

WSJ is threatened because Mr. Rogers was a liberal Christian, and actually cared about people, unlike the "compassionate" conservatives who want to fark everyone over for their own greed.

Any chance they get to discredit him is good, because they don't want good people of upstanding morals to be respected; they have to be seen as "weak" and "unrealistic" so that amoral scum like Cheney can get into office and do as they please.