Nancy and fans, I LOVED Mr. Rogers, and should have been more careful about implicating him here, even if only by association. It's just that he created the "you're special" concept, which was much, much needed at the time, but was perverted by this narcissistic generation. I know he was a wonderful person who offered a great deal to children who needed his gentle kindness. (Including my own children, who loved him.)
I'm reading an interesting book that addresses this idea, called The Pursuit of Attention: Power and Ego in Everyday Life, by Charles Derber. It's a quick read and addresses the "Enough about me...what about you? What do you think about me?" generation. Apologies to Fred Rogers' memory. Mea culpa. Beth Benoit Granite State College Concord NH ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 6:04 PM Subject: [tips] Re: In defense of Fred I don't think for a moment that Fred Rogers would have countenanced the use of the idea that each person is special and deserves respect as an excuse to bend the rules and avoid responsibility. From everything I know about him - he was too hard working and ethical for that. This would appear to be more a by-produce of our general cultural bend toward narcissism. This is an American problem. We keep reading the Declaration of Independence as promising the "right to be happy" instead of the right to "pursue happiness. Nancy Melucci Long Beach City College Long Beach CA -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, 8 May 2007 2:58 PM Subject: [tips] The "I am Special Generation" (was "The Things Students Say") Here at Granite State College, we just held our annual Faculty Day, where we discussed, among other things, the idea that many of the students in this generation have the idea that they are "special." Lovely idea, but some interesting - and sometimes unsettling - ramifications. It sometimes translates into the idea that regular rules don't apply to them, and that they're deserving of exceptions. The "Mr. Rogers Philosophy" is lovely when it comes to convincing everyone that he/she is important, and helping improve flagging self esteem, but unfortunately it seems to stop short when it comes to the idea that they shouldn't have to conform to the rules that govern other people. (Like coming to class on time, handing in assignments by the assigned date, etc.) Have we created a monster with this "I am Special" talk??? Beth Benoit Granite State College Concord NH --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com. --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
