YouTube – Fred Rogers Acceptance Speech – 1997

YouTube – Fred Rogers Acceptance Speech – 1997.

Up and down the television dial, almost to a person, we have bloviating, self-important, loud-mouthed “personalities” who we allow to invade our homes without a second thought. They tell us how to think, how to act, what to be angry and outraged about, what to buy and who we should be. Very little of it is positive and very little of it is worthwhile, yet we don’t think twice.

As a young kid, Mr. Rogers scared me. I can’t really remember why, but I’m very sad now that I felt that way. We need more decent, caring people like this on television. People who aren’t trying to sell something, aren’t trying to push a product that they made or own, but people who see the good in everyone and simply want to make sure that we do, too.