Here's what I chose:
Kevin Arnold from the Wonder Years |
Hawkeye Pierce from M*A*S*H |
The Professor from Gilligan's Island |
I think one is not supposed to explain the choices, but, hey, since when have I ever followed the rules? One of my friends guessed that two of these characters never had sex, at least not on the show, and that was pretty close. Damn.
Ok, Kevin Arnold since he was the youngest kid of the family with a few siblings, and FOMO (fear of missing out) from not being able to participate in their stuff was a key dynamic shaping me for the long run. Also, Kevin got his heart broken on a regular basis when he was young. Check. He was not in any of the major groups, but seemed to be in the clique of the folks who were clique-less (at least, that is what I remember of the show). Finally, he seemed to over-think just about everything, or at least his voice-over did.
While Kevin Arnold was a character that kind of depicted the age I grew up (a bit early but close enough), Hawkeye Pierce was on a show that was on TV during my pre-teen and then teen years. A smart aleck who thought he knew better than most/all? Um, yeah. Rebelled against authority much of the time? Yes. Likes to drink? Well, I am not a cocktail fan as much as a beer fan, but sure. The womanizing part? Not so much. Plus that whole war thing.
The Professor from Gilligan's Island? Well, I had to find a prof and almost went with Professor Flitwick (I am not as brave or as resourceful or as rugged as Professor Jones, nor as smart as Professor Dumbledore, nor as lecherous as the profs in most movies. I am not as creative as the Professor on GI, but lots of stuff I try seems pretty inventive until it doesn't work. So, how about that? Also, since I consumed so much bad TV growing up, this character helps cover that part of my personality.
Of course, I could be wrong.
You should read M*A*S*H the book, I must have read it 25 or 30 years ago, but I remember quite liking it, although the author's politics were not particularly left wing, and Hawkeye was written very differently before being filtered through Robert Altman and Larry Gelbart.
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