I remember “Mister Rogers neighborhood” from when my children were young. It was a very comforting show, very calming…I remember Mister Rogers would slowly put on his cardigan at the beginning of every show…He was a soothing presence, never threatening just a quiet loving person…
He passed away last February and his memorial service was last week. It was a large gathering of friends and family, both famous and ordinary who came together to share their love for this man.
I read the newspaper reports on it and it seems to have been a beautiful and touching ceremony. What upset me was the fact that there were protesters outside.
“A group of about a half dozen members of an anti-gay organization gathered to protest what they called Rogers’ failure to condemn homosexuality. The group held signs expressing their hatred of gays and, while standing on a torn American flag, their hatred of America.”
First of all protesting a memorial service is totally no class, no matter who passed away. Second, attacking someone for “FAILING to condemn” homosexuality makes no sense: the man was a children show host not a judge! Thirdly, and this is personal, expressing such hatred for fellow human beings, no matter what their personal choices are, is hard for me to understand. I have a hard time grasping why some groups are so aggressive in expressing their beliefs and forcing others to share them. I can respect that someone has beliefs and practices that differ from mine…I am not threatened by it, why can’t others do the same? If a group is convinced they are the only “right” ones…why attack others? Be happy that heaven will not be overcrowded…and leave well enough alone…If I had very strong religious beliefs and wanted to convert the world to them…I would use positive marketing techniques to do so…attacking does not sound like the way to go…
I know this sounds naive…I also know that this is only a very small part of the debate on tolerance and on rising conservatism …