I know we’re talking nostalgia, but the new host of Reading Rainbow, Mychal Threets, is a fucking treasure and will hopefully inspire the next generation’s nostalgic posts.
For the millennials in the audience, he also taught us about recycling and care of the earth as the voice of Kwame on Captain Planet.
About a decade ago I saw someone, it might have been Hank Green or someone in his genre, talk about how Captain Planet was counterproductive, treating the executives of energy companies etc. as inhuman monsters bent on destruction for the fun of it rather than people trying to do the difficult job of meeting the ever-increasing demand from the public at large for energy, food and material goods.
Turns out they’re inhuman monsters bent on destruction for the fun of it.
More than struggling to meet energy demands, they were pressed on figuring out how they could squeeze more and more money out of everyone before the society melted away under the very preventable flame of climate change. And they buried climate research to ensure they had as long as they could to squeeze.
He was also an inspiration to me when I was a kid growing up watching Star Trek. He got to work on all the really cool stuff. Engineering basically solved every problem, and if they couldn’t sickbay did.
And let’s not forget that Geordi was created specifically to have a character with a disability on the show. He was also named in honor of a quadriplegic fan (I’ve heard the name referenced as Jordan LaForge and George LaForge).
We just need the Bell Riots to happen to get us back on the right timeline.
I never noticed that!!
He is a person, not a goat.
His shirt literally says “be anything”, don’t limit him!
And what do Bob, Fred and Levar have in common?
PBS
A common good in the USA.
My personal hero, and he never let me down. His enthusiasm as Geordi helped me embrace my passion for engineering early in school.
But you don’t have to take my word for it
Same.
All of reading rainbow is available for download as well as Mr Rogers. I put them on a Plex server and my 3 year old can watch them to his heart’s content, well kind of, but its wonderful that he asks for reading rainbow instead of the random garbage most kids watch these days.
Im not just being a boomer when I say modern kids shows are literally flashing lights and sounds. They must focus group them the same way fancy feast makes cat food with zero regard for what it does to a kid… its entirely about retention and attention so the kids will watch it and get programmed by the ads.
Next Generation is the closest my family got to a family TV show that wasn’t the news but somehow, this moment is usually my first LeVar Burton thought.
This whole bit is so funny.
YOU CAN’T DISAPPOINT A PICTURE!
Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high…
🎼Take a look, it’s in a book…
Wait. This is where the design for the “Baltimore, there’s more than murder here” bumper stickers come from?
The variety of human experience never ceases to baffle me.
I told Pearce a thousand times I never wanted to meet Levar in person! I just wanted a picture, you can’t disappoint a picture!
Butterfly in the sky
I can go twice as high
Take a look
It’s in a book
readiiing rainbow
All butterflies are glorious
And of course, there was a Star Trek episode of Reading Rainbow. I think Sir Patrick Stewart also read a book on a couple of episodes.
Michael Dorn comes out of his trailer in Worf makeup, and says to the camera “Stand aside. I take large steps.” which I’m still laughing at.
OMG I forgot about that! Thanks so much!
Ice cold, 3 Kelvin take: Reading Rainbow was an excellent idea for a children’s television show.
Some would say he was from:
“The Next Generation”
I will see myself out.
Reading Rainbow… Part of CahLeFarNeahs Gahold. RIP Huell Howser too.
