This was a good read and it gave me a bit of a chuckle, but the fact that Frasier (93-04) ran for almost exactly the same time-frame as Friends (94-04) kind of disproves its whole premise.
Interesting how uninteresting things can be interesting...... sounds kinda trollish but was Ross ever really victimized? I think the show's appeal was the tightness of the clan. Each one was an imperfect kinda nerd, even Joey, the good looking one, he got more ridiculed than all of them.... and Phoebe, god bless her singing. This was a fun article to read but didn't quite stoke the injustice empathy that the author was reaching for. Actually I always felt most uncomfortable for the rudderless Rachel.
I always had a soft spot for Rachel as well. Chandler was my obvious affinity point, but it was Rachel I rooted for. For me, the core problem with Friends isn't anti-intellectualism, but the reductivism that reduces any person to his or her most easily identified and labeled trait.
Such a fun read! I thought Ross was annoying, and now I feel guilty :) Phoebe was obviously the best. Love his solutions. I'm going to start a new book today!
Loved it...feeling a little guilty about letting my kids watch it, the intellect bashing sounds terrible. I agree Ross should have picked better friends. I love D. H's solutions....especially #3, Stop buying so much shit....So true.
This is a funny, silly, enjoyable piece and a good kick in the pants to be a better thinker and better person. I'm not sure if the "year 2004 was when we completely gave up and embraced stupidity as a value," but I do notice, on an almost daily basis, how intellectualism gets shamed and degraded by those who feel threatened by it.
But that's almost a rite of passage. Good art, good music, good literature is always getting trashed by people who don't know anything about anything. The trick is to ignore people who are below you. I'm sure that sounds arrogant, but it's also an important defense mechanism. This used to be harder for me. Now I have no problem smiling and nodding at people rather than stooping to superficial arguments with people who have no clue what they're talking about. At the same time, I'm also trying to be more open about what I don't know about - which is almost everything!
Ross's friends aren't the problem. The problem is that Ross didn't pick better friends.
This was a good read and it gave me a bit of a chuckle, but the fact that Frasier (93-04) ran for almost exactly the same time-frame as Friends (94-04) kind of disproves its whole premise.
This is great. I love when an article approaches an actual societal issue with levity and still makes a point. I bet this author was a good teacher.
+1
Interesting how uninteresting things can be interesting...... sounds kinda trollish but was Ross ever really victimized? I think the show's appeal was the tightness of the clan. Each one was an imperfect kinda nerd, even Joey, the good looking one, he got more ridiculed than all of them.... and Phoebe, god bless her singing. This was a fun article to read but didn't quite stoke the injustice empathy that the author was reaching for. Actually I always felt most uncomfortable for the rudderless Rachel.
I always had a soft spot for Rachel as well. Chandler was my obvious affinity point, but it was Rachel I rooted for. For me, the core problem with Friends isn't anti-intellectualism, but the reductivism that reduces any person to his or her most easily identified and labeled trait.
I wonder if Rachel's vulnerabilities made her the most successful 'post Friends'. Or was it the hair!
Such a fun read! I thought Ross was annoying, and now I feel guilty :) Phoebe was obviously the best. Love his solutions. I'm going to start a new book today!
Loved it...feeling a little guilty about letting my kids watch it, the intellect bashing sounds terrible. I agree Ross should have picked better friends. I love D. H's solutions....especially #3, Stop buying so much shit....So true.
Yes! I'm a total Ross, so of course I loved this.
This is a funny, silly, enjoyable piece and a good kick in the pants to be a better thinker and better person. I'm not sure if the "year 2004 was when we completely gave up and embraced stupidity as a value," but I do notice, on an almost daily basis, how intellectualism gets shamed and degraded by those who feel threatened by it.
But that's almost a rite of passage. Good art, good music, good literature is always getting trashed by people who don't know anything about anything. The trick is to ignore people who are below you. I'm sure that sounds arrogant, but it's also an important defense mechanism. This used to be harder for me. Now I have no problem smiling and nodding at people rather than stooping to superficial arguments with people who have no clue what they're talking about. At the same time, I'm also trying to be more open about what I don't know about - which is almost everything!
Ross's friends aren't the problem. The problem is that Ross didn't pick better friends.