08-05-2025
Mister Rogers, Sesame Street on PBS teach empathy. Trump wants to take that away.
Growing up in the 1980s, I watched three shows religiously: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, The Electric Company and Sesame Street − all on Channel 48. I was a PBS kid, and many years later, when I had kids, they were PBS kids. These television programs showed me empathy toward others, exposed me to different cultures, and enlarged my world beyond my Cincinnati neighborhood. They expanded my mind.
More: Trump signs executive order that aims to cut funding for PBS and NPR
I am a better human because of public television − a medium that the market would never support through advertising and that deserves federal funding. The things PBS taught me are exactly the things that President Donald Trump and his enablers don't want − an enlightened electorate that values and has empathy towards others, and that has an expansive view of the world. They dismiss these things as "woke." They deride enlightenment because they are incapable of seeing the light.
Welcome to the new Dark Ages.
Sean Suder, Hyde Park
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Trump cuts PBS because it educates on empathy | Letter
