Profs & Pints Richmond: The Dao of Mister Rogers

Profs and Pints Richmond presents: The Dao of Mister Rogers, a meditation on Eastern wisdom as conveyed through a beloved childrens show, with John M. Thompson, a professor of philosophy and religion at Christopher Newport University and scholar and teacher of Asian traditions.

Its a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day for a lecture. Thats especially true if that lecture that will be given in a brewpub, impart wisdom from Chinese philosophy, and bring back memories of a beloved figure from our childhoods.

Come join Dr. John Thompson of Christopher Newport University, who teaches courses on Asian philosophy and on popular culture and religion, for a look at how the PBS series Mister Rogers Neighborhood resonated with aspects of Daoism, an ancient Chinese tradition.

To be clear, the shows host, the late Fred Rogers, wasnt a Daoist in any formal sense. Rather, he was a Presbyterian minister. Yet his show demonstrated Daoist notion while subtly challenging mainstream cultural norms.

Eschewing the special effects, product placements, and slapstick or cartoon violence found in other childrens shows of his era, Rogers instead spent most of his show talking directly to the kids (and adults) in American living rooms. He accepted everyone and encouraged all of us to delight in the everyday. His approach was one of playful simplicity, and it helped make him a unique and highly successful media figure and his award-winning show one of the longest-running in history.

Professor Thompson will use his discussion of Mister Rogers Neighborhood to help us grasp what Daoism is and how Daoist notions of paradox and play encourage constructive engagement with the world. Hell talk about how the show offers us ways of living that, if adopted and put into practice, could help us counter some of the more toxic dimensions of 21st century life.

You just might end up rethinking the shows impact on you, and thinking more about how what you watched as a child influenced how you see the world. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image: Fred Rogers and friends in 1984. (Wikimedia Commons.)