Questionnaire

Hey guys, I found this on the MTV NG. I think we need to help this kid out.

In article , [email] wrote:

I sent mine in.

Should we all post our responses?

• Don

Kennedys wrote:

Stop. THINK. Is this something Daria would do?

Seriously, folks... I'm curious about our demographics myself, but I'd think long and hard before disclosing ANY personal information over the Web to a person I do not know.

If there's a way to help out while guaranteeing a reasonable level of individual anonymity, I'll go along. - - Jonathan Sachs Sand River Software, Inc. To email me, replace the 'x' with an 'a'.

In article , [email] wrote:

I ask myself this question every day. Which is really scary when you think about it, seeing as how I'm a man in my thirties. Much as it pains me, I have to admit there are lots of things I do every day that Daria wouldn't do.

Come to that, I'm not at all sure she would contribute to a newsgroup devoted to a cartoon show on MTV. Though alt.tv.sick-sad-world might be another matter...

The questions don't strike me as personal or intrusive. Some may balk at disclosing their ages or genders -- but if knowing that my favorite Daria episode this week is "I Don't" gives someone else an unfair advantage over me, I give up!

This survey is ostensibly to help a student at Columbia University research a term paper on Daria for her Sociology of Youth class. (Talk about things Daria wouldn't do...) You might simply e-mail your response to Donna Spillane at and delete any information you consider too personal.

For my part, I have no problem with posting my survey answers to the newsgroup, as Bonus Sock suggested, if anyone else is interested in seeing what we wrote. Somebody else go first?

RAB

In article , [email] (Richard Bensam) wrote:

<snip>

ROTFLMAO!!!

<snip>

Fuck it, I'm brave....

39

Male

Long since got my BA

B

No

Search often sometimes.

A couple of hours whenever I'm inspired.

Planet Daria.

No.

Probably...it's been a while for me!

"The New Kid" because Daria falls a bit in love with a contemporary and actually BLUSHES!

No.

She's everything I would have wanted in a girlfriend in high school, so I can enjoy her vicariously now.

It's just brilliantly done and the writing is fabulous. Most of the support characters are outstanding, and the show rarely misses a beat.

• Don

In article , [email] (Bonus Sock) wrote:

I like this answer MUCH better than mine.

Anyway, in hopes of sparking further interest in the survey, I'll follow the path blazed by Don and reprint my own answers here. Remember, if any of the rest of you want to join in the fun and help a struggling college student, you can answer the following questions yourself and send your completed reply to Donna Spillane at [email] -- and if you want to complain about my answers, do it here so we can all join in.

• Age

35

• female or male

male

• Are you in school? What grade are you in?

No. None.

4) How would you characterize your involvement in Daria: a) watch it occasionally b) never miss an episode c) tape them all & watch them over and over d) totally and completely obsessed

(d)

• Have you ever purchased any Daria themed merchandise? If so, what?

Yes. The Daria Diaries, by Anne D. Bernstein.

6) Do you search Daria web sites often, or run such a site yourself? If so, how much time do you spend doing so? What is your favorite site?

Yes, no, way too much time, alt.lawndale.com and Planet Daria.

• Do you identify with a specific character on the show, and if so, whom?

In my nightmares, I sometimes dream I've turned into Mr. O'Neill.

• Does Daria accurately portray life at you high school?

Pretty much. I went to a special high school for academic overachievers, so the students were a bit more intellectually snobbish...but we still had cliques devoted to fashion and sports, and we still had embittered loners who didn't fit in.

• What's your favorite episode and why?

"I Don't" is a strong contender, but there are really too many to choose from.

• Are there any other TV shows you like as much? Which ones?

I also like King Of The Hill a lot, but not quite as much.

• (long answer) Just what makes you like Daria so much?

Do you mean Daria the character, or Daria the program?

I like Daria the character because she questions authority, maintains her skepticism, and refuses to give into all the pressures which try to push her into social conformity. She has a pointed sense of humor, a deft way with sarcasm, and a detatched perspective on the foolishness around her that I wish I'd had when I was that age. But at the same time Daria is not invulnerable, nor is she perpetually cool and ironic like so many of the mock symbols of hipness which other television and movies and books continually perpetuate. Her rebellion means something because she has real values -- she doesn't constantly make mindless pop cultural references to show how clued-in she is.

I like Daria the program because it's about Daria the character. Also, it gives me a chance to look back on my own experiences as a teenager from the safety of my living room.

• any other comments that would be useful

It might be useful to mention that a youth-oriented show on a youth-oriented channel like MTV has a large following among people who are much older than the target audience. This may be related to the fact that the producers and writers of Daria are themselves much older than the characters. I get the feeling that rather than patronizing or talking down to the audience, the creative team is putting a lot of themselves and their own experiences into each story. These experiences transcend any particular generation or target group.

RAB

Have you been reading the stuff that's in the press now about identity theft? Really scary! Guys have been arrested because somebody else got in trouble with the law and then skipped bail, leaving somebody else's name behind. One man was fired from his job, couldn't get another, and ended up homeless. After years of misery, he learned that he had a criminal record that should have belonged to somebody else.

The chance that someone could take my answers to a survey and use them to steal my identity are vanishingly small, but the potential consequences are pretty horrific. This is one case where I think paranoia is prudent.

I don't feel nearly so nervous about emailing answers to one individual, and I'll probably do that.

For public consumption, I don't mind disclosing this much: I'm a male in my late 40's, and in high school I *was* the male version of Daria, except that my tongue usually wasn't so sharp. - - Jonathan Sachs Sand River Software, Inc. To email me, replace the 'x' with an 'a'.