http://new-slang.com/2010/03/douche-vs-douche-close-encounters-with-the-third-kind-of-douchebag-as-illustrated-by-my-so-called-life/ Because X is the new Why Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:42:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 http://new-slang.com/2010/03/douche-vs-douche-close-encounters-with-the-third-kind-of-douchebag-as-illustrated-by-my-so-called-life/comment-page-1/#comment-222 bellestar Thu, 25 Mar 2010 06:14:27 +0000 http://new-slang.com/?p=1078#comment-222 i guess there's always something about the elusive that makes it so attractive. hence, our perennial fondness over the jordan catalanos of this world, at whatever phase we are in our lives. i guess there’s always something about the elusive that makes it so attractive. hence, our perennial fondness over the jordan catalanos of this world, at whatever phase we are in our lives.

]]> http://new-slang.com/2010/03/douche-vs-douche-close-encounters-with-the-third-kind-of-douchebag-as-illustrated-by-my-so-called-life/comment-page-1/#comment-221 paolo Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:35:54 +0000 http://new-slang.com/?p=1078#comment-221 I feel obligated to play Brian Krakow's "social defense counsel", given how much I personally identified with the character, in high school. I won't attempt to defend the Krakows that Carina has personally encountered, but the "actual" Brian Krakow (from MSCL) had his fate sealed as a character, from the moment the network canceled the series. I won't deny that he was consistently douchebaggy throughout season 1 (perhaps even more so than I care to remember). However, had the show been allowed to continue, viewers may well have seen him outgrow that mentality; to start treating people like individuals, and not just chess pieces in his little game of self-aggrandizement. But that is never going to happen outside of fan fic (which i'm not up to writing or reading, frankly). <BR /> And really, I'd argue that insensitive, wishy washy behavior might well be an unfortunate byproduct of the kind of social circumstances that make the Brian Krakows of the world into underdogs, in the first place. It's wholly inconsiderate, I agree, but does that put him beyond redemption as a character? <BR /> I'll readily concede that not all underdogs are worth cheering for (a point that has been recently <B><a href=http://jezebel.com/5492742/sorry-cosmo-geeks-can-be-jerks-too rel="nofollow">discussed on Jezebel</a></b> as well). But I think Krakow's faux pas with Angela, Delia, and Ricky are relatively trivial, compared to decidedly more extremist underdog behavior, both real and fictional: <B><a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Tech_massacre rel="nofollow">school</a> <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbine_High_School_massacre rel="nofollow">shootings</a></b>, <B><a href=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1192732,00.html rel="nofollow">date rape</a></b> (warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for <I>Veronica Mars</i> season 2 if you haven't seen it yet) and, um, <B><a href=http://www.drhorrible.com/ rel="nofollow">becoming a super-villain</a></b>. I feel obligated to play Brian Krakow’s “social defense counsel”, given how much I personally identified with the character, in high school. I won’t attempt to defend the Krakows that Carina has personally encountered, but the “actual” Brian Krakow (from MSCL) had his fate sealed as a character, from the moment the network canceled the series. I won’t deny that he was consistently douchebaggy throughout season 1 (perhaps even more so than I care to remember). However, had the show been allowed to continue, viewers may well have seen him outgrow that mentality; to start treating people like individuals, and not just chess pieces in his little game of self-aggrandizement. But that is never going to happen outside of fan fic (which i’m not up to writing or reading, frankly).

And really, I’d argue that insensitive, wishy washy behavior might well be an unfortunate byproduct of the kind of social circumstances that make the Brian Krakows of the world into underdogs, in the first place. It’s wholly inconsiderate, I agree, but does that put him beyond redemption as a character?

I’ll readily concede that not all underdogs are worth cheering for (a point that has been recently discussed on Jezebel as well). But I think Krakow’s faux pas with Angela, Delia, and Ricky are relatively trivial, compared to decidedly more extremist underdog behavior, both real and fictional: school shootings, date rape (warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Veronica Mars season 2 if you haven’t seen it yet) and, um, becoming a super-villain.

]]>