Check out Kevin's web page at MTV at
http://www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/animation/daria/homepage/
Very funny. They've captured the very essence of Kevin. Why anyone would want to do that I'll leave to you. I'll bet you didn't even realize Kevin had an essence.
In article ,
Am I only the person who finds Kevin so annoying that I have to sit on my hands to stop myself throwing large objects at the TV screen?
Sarra
In article , [email] wrote:
Yes. You're the only one. <G>
Kevin's an idiot but he's a good-natured idiot who usually causes no harm to anyone. Considering how many idiots I've had to deal with who have gone out of their way to cause me trouble I think Kevin is fairly admirable. I'm considering making him my hero. It's between him and Jar Jar. <G>
Jar
No, I can't be the only one!
Kevin does cause harm - to my back molars. I just think that so far Series 3 has concentrated far too much on Kevin and Brittany (who I actually don't find actively offensive.) If they are meant to be one element of the show why are they in practically every freakin' episode?
Someobody back me up here!
Sarra
In article , [email] wrote:
who
fairly
episode?
You pretty much can't have a story without an antagonist. In Daria's case it's stupidity and Kevin is the personification of stupidity. He's essential to the story. You might hate the bad guy in a "shoot-em-up" action film and I've even seen people clench their teeth and tense their muscles to help the hero fight the bad guy. Apparently you can feel the same way about stupid Kevin. I'd guess it's evidence of a more intellectual outlook that you can react the same way to a character who is stupid as some other people react toward a character who wants to shoot the hero. In that case don't worry about it. That's how you're supposed to react. Just enjoy how Daria deals with him and try not to do too much damage to your teeth.
But from a different viewpoint you have to pity Kevin. He's just simply stupid. He misses out on so much that the world has to offer to people with the intelligence to comprehend and he probably will never rise significantly above his present level of intellectual development. He's the quarterback for the Lawndale Lions and as such has probably risen to the pinnacle of his life (In fact I wonder how he manages that). Try to have some compassion for stupid people. As long as they do no harm then there's no reason to hate them, just accept them and try to cope. You're going to be having to deal with stupid people for the rest of your life, you might as well learn to deal with them right now.
RKHenry wrote in message news:7k0fku$1c7$[email]...
I have to agree with Bob. Intellectual snobbery is just as unattractive as fashion snobbery, wealth snobbery, class snobbery, or any other sort. NB, Sarra, I'm trying to add something to the discussion, I'm *not* accusing you of intellectual (or any other sort of) snobbery! 8-)
Daria's attitude to people who are less gifted is mostly one of benign acceptance, perhaps amusement - but see after the spoiler warning below.
One of the irritating things about *some* very bright people is an intolerance with others who can't see things they can. Well, Daria knows she can see things others can't (TALD), but she doesn't act as if she believes that makes them less valuable than her. One of the admirable things about Daria's character.
Martin.
| \ / V
30
20
10
I said she mostly shows benign acceptance, but there's a hint of disdain in that exchange on the bed with Trent in Lane Miserables, where she laughs with Trent ("Loser!") at people who are joiners. Feeling a little bit superior, perhaps?
Martin.
RKHenry wrote:
Agreed. Witness this scene from "The Big House"...
Jodie - What did you do to get grounded? No offense. Daria - None taken. Especially since I'm just a bizarre experiment in parental justice. Mack - Experiment? On you? Daria - Yeah, they deliberately exposed me to jurisprudence. Kevin - Wow, that's a little twisted. Daria - Yeah, the sad part is that these are the people responsible for my genetic makeup.
At this point they all laughed, except Kevin. He had no clue what they were talking about, and from the sad expression on his face, I think he knew it and for one brief moment, felt like the outsider.
[email] wrote:
Well, yeah, they are in a lot of eps, but that's because they have a lot of comedic possibility. I mean, come on, a dumb cheerleader and a thick-headed jock? What better stereotypes to use to contrast anything Daria or Jane says, does, or stands for?
Sorry that Kev makes you want to throw things, but I've been around enough Kevins to be able to tolerate them pretty well, just so long as I 1) am not stuck in an elevator with them or B) have to exaplain anything at all to them. *shudder*
Besides, it's fun to watch Kevin and Brittany try to make Mr. DeMartino's head explode. Yeah, that's it! They must be Scanners-- just not very good ones. <g>
rich.
Brittany: Shut up, naked boy!
My problem is that I work in restaurant management and I *do* have to explain things to them. Oh well, School starts again in two months, then most of them will be gone, until next summer.
Lanie XFW#21
Amanda King: NO! I can't sleep here. I would feel like I was lying and sneaking. Lee Stetson: You are lying and sneaking. You're working for the government. .
[email] (Lanie Sparks) wrote:
You have my deepest sympathy. Just remember, cool thoughts, a river flowing to the ocean.... ;-)
rich.
Jane: Do the names Beavis and Butt-Head ring a bell?
Daria: Ding-Dork.
Thanks. That actually has a calming effect. :)
Lanie XFW#21
Amanda King: NO! I can't sleep here. I would feel like I was lying and sneaking. Lee Stetson: You are lying and sneaking. You're working for the government. .
I do find Kevin not so much annoying but funny. His stupidity amuses me... besides he's one key elimate of Daria. There is one of his kind everywhere. I think this is kinda like those characters you love t hate (although take out the hate part cause i don't hate him.) Oh, just ignore me, i dunno what i'm saying.
DeVitoFreq (Christina) "Oh Daria,don't be shy.Show me your boobs"--Jane("Too Cute"),"I can't shoot my own mother.Not with paint,anyway."--Daria("The Daria Hunter"),"I'm not miserable,I'm just not like *them*"--Daria("The Misery Chick")
On 13 Jun 1999 07:56:06 GMT, some letters randomly coalesced from individual pixels, claiming to be from [email] (DeVitoFreq), and it said:
No, I understand perfectly. There are only two "types" I cannot tolerate. One is the type that goes out of their way to make trouble for others, usually for their own percieved gain. Such characters include Ms. Li, Ms. Barch, Sandi, Grahm, the modeling recruits, maybe Cory (his comments during "Esteemsters" along with his friend), possibly Upchuck, and does _not_ include Kevin.
The other type that infuriate me to no end are those with the capability to understand, but who refuse to, usually because they've been sufficiently brainwashed to think this way, that no other can be right. Such includes Quinn, Staci, the Gupties (parents), Ted's parents, Ms. Barch (again), Mr. O'Neil, I almost forgot Val!, and possibly Brittey (though she's made some encouraging strides).
Kevin, I believe, is genuinely unintelligent. He even seems to have suffered some brain damage. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he is generally good natured, and not at all afraid to admit he's not too bright, and knows it, and doesn't resent anyone else for that fact. Kevin is, overall, a cool guy. :)
On Sat, 12 Jun 1999 22:32:24 GMT, some letters randomly coalesced from individual pixels, claiming to be from RKHenry , and it said:
Now I _know_ you're kidding! ;)
In article ,
anyone
sit on
fairly
Jar
I wondered if anyone would get that.
No you're not the only one. I feel that way too. I often feel that way about Brittany also. She reminds me too much of the teens I have working for me who can't make change without a calculator.
Lanie XFW#21
Amanda King: NO! I can't sleep here. I would feel like I was lying and sneaking. Lee Stetson: You are lying and sneaking. You're working for the government. .
On Sat, 12 Jun 1999 20:12:03 GMT, some letters randomly coalesced from individual pixels, claiming to be from [email], and it said:
Yes. ;p
It's not like I think Kev is the anti-Christ or anything just really, really irritating. And yeah I know he's one element of the show and there are stupid people in real life and I shouldn't be judgemental which I'm not - even when I worked in local government yada yada yada. All I'm saying is that a) he makes me want to scream b) Kevin and Brittany seem to crop up in the show (who I actually really like - she has a good heart and a sense of pathos buried beneath that hair) far more than any of the other supporting characters c) He reminds me of all those 'salt of the earth' sports boys who made my adolescence absolutely torturous. d) And it's just as well that Daria kicks his oblivious ass because he's arrogant, egotistical, says hurtful things, wears those stupid weights all the time, has a really annoying voice, relies on fairly obscure cross-dressing references to make himself interesting... but I digress.
I don't know - I'm really surprised that there aren't more people who share my abhorrence of Mr Thompson. Hmmm, must be a guy thing, she said contentiously!
In article , [email] wrote:
people
I
Well he should elicit some kind of reaction. Laughter is my personal choice. Screaming might be a little extreme. Maybe you need to let out some of that tension. <G>
really
Brittany is becoming a much more complex character. She and Jodi two of the most honest and honorable people in the show, excluding Daria of course. Brittany represents a soft, feminine, nurturing aspect to Daria's life that would otherwise be lacking. There are lots of interesting things that can be done with this character.
Only minimally. He's into sports, and little else, but I've never seen him intentionally do anything mean. He's quite capable of doing something thoughtless, since he seldom thinks, but I don't think he would take any special effort to hurt someone. A worse example would be Robert from "The New Kid", "We gotta get over there...To hassle that Darcy chick and her date." Kevin is an essential element in the show, you have to have at least one jock in a show like this, but based on real life personal experience, they could have drawn a jock character that would have been orders of magnitude worse than Kevin and would not only have you gnashing your teeth but possibly tossing a brick through your TV screen. I think they got Kevin just about right: just enough of a jock to portray the species but not so much of a jock to be unbearable. Of course there's bound to be some individual variation in how audience members react�apparently.
he's
digress.
Kevin's arrogant egotism is part of the jock persona. He wouldn't seem real otherwise. In my experience, jocks often exhibit self-esteem out of any proportion to their actual worth. They win a few games and they think they're demigods. They lose a few games and the coach pep-talks them back to feeling like demigods. That's fine if they could only leave those attitudes on the field. Out here in the real world a few of us hold a somewhat different opinion of them.
As I previously mentioned, I don't think Kevin intentionally says hurtful things. He's too stupid to know the difference.
The cross-dressing references and other sexual innuendoes are a reference to sexual insecurity. I'm speculating here but I suspect that Kevin holds a secret fear that he might actually be gay. I've noticed similar behavior among guys of his ilk. They can't permit themselves to exhibit any trait that might be construed in any way as effeminate or gay because they would lose status among their jock peers. I suspect that's the basis of the gay-bashing that seems to be pandemic these days. A bunch of sexually-insecure jocks see a gay man or someone who "looks" gay and secretly feeling "there but for the grace of God go I" or something like that attempt to demonstrate their non-gayness by beating the crap out the avatar of their insecurity. For my part, I'll state that I don't really understand homosexuality, it just doesn't make sense to me, but I hold to the view that I don't care what these people do as long as they don't do it to me. I don't even want to know about it.
FYI, those aren't weights, they're pads. They're worn to prevent injury on the field when the opposing teams slam into each other like a couple of rams butting each other. The absurdity of the character is that he wears his jersey and pads off the field. I suspect he even wears them to bed. Mack is undoubtedly similarly accoutered when on the field but you'll notice that Mack is able to keep football in a more reasonable perspective. I remember there was a character in the comic strip "Doonesbury" (back when it was worth reading) who used to wear a football helmet all the time indicating his attitudes but that character never seemed quite as inoffensive as Kevin. Football is imagined by many to completely represent the American male character but I can promise you that we American males are far more complex and diverse bunch than that. Some of us don't give a damn about the game of football. And some of us are Daria fans.
said
Honest disagreement reasonably presented isn't contentious. That's how we do things here at a.t.d. It takes all kinds of people to make up a cosmos and some of them don't like Kevin...well, at least one of them doesn't. <G>
RKHenry wrote:
Suddenly I'm reminded of the woman who had seizures every time she heard Mary Hart's voice. (For those of you not from the US, she hosts a nationally-syndicated daily show called Entertainment Tonight.) ;-)
rich.
Jane: Usually when I have this dream I'm wearing pink taffeta.
(snippage)
I think your analysis here is right on target. Of course, these jocks would beat the crap out of someone who they think is gay, based on looks or appearance only. I read reports that at Columbine HS, some of the jocks there taunted the two killers and their group of friends by calling them "faggots" among other things, yet there was no evidence that any of them were gay.
And I daresay that if you encountered me on the street you wouldn't be able to tell that I'm gay.
Nor should it make sense to you...in the same way that heterosexuality doesn't "make sense" to me. We still don't know why a person is attracted to one sex or another, or both for that matter.
<reaching out to pinch Bob's butt...heh heh heh>
I assume you mean things like sexual positions (and I don't want to know *yours* either) and not someone stating the fact that they're gay.
And some of us are football fans AND Daria fans.
In article , [email] wrote:
because
weights
obscure
seem
out
they
talks
few of
that
noticed
themselves to
or
God go
by
looks
know
Exactly. What consenting adults do behind closed doors is no business of mine. Let's just try to keep it off the streets and out of the view of those with delicate sensibilities. Otherwise, knowing someone is gay, well�I guess I'd just as soon not know that too but if you insist on telling me, and in this context it is relevant, then I can deal with it.
and
game of
Oooh. Very complex.
I'm told that homophobia is on the psychology A level syllabus. Not sure about that, but if it is it should be interesting as the worst homophobe I know is taking psychology next year... ;)
I found out the other week that this guy I was friends with in primary school is bi... Admittedly I hadn't spoken to him in 5 years, but it was still mildly surprising. :) I don't think I really know anyone who is openly gay (irl), but I know a few bi people. I think people of my age are more willing to admit to bisexuality than homosexuality, not sure why that is.
My friend got his butt pinched by this bloke who works in the pub the other week. Then on saturday he (my friend, not the other guy) was there with his girlfriend and the guy came over and asked him out... I wasn't there but I'm told the look on the aforementioned girlfriend's face was hilarious. :)
Only because you talked him into it I bet...
"Oh Scott, *please* do Psychology with me, I'll do anything! I'll even put on lipstick and blue nail varnish for you!" "Oh alright then, but it has to be sparkly blue nail varnish." "Damn, I lent that bottle to Jessica!" "It's ok, you can have mine - I've had to stop wearing it as all these gays kept asking me out." "Oh Scott, you're my hero!"
-Shez.
:P He's not a homophobe *ahem*, the blue nail varnish was a birthday present from another friend of mine, and it was Chemistry I've been trying to make him do. :P But he has been known to wear nail varnish. ;) The homophobe is a rather enormous rugby-playing guy, who (oddly enough), gets along quite well with Scott.
In article , "endless, nameless" wrote:
Hmmm. Classes in homophobia.
If you take classes in French it's so you speak French better. If you take classes in Electronic Engineering it's so you can Electronic Engine better, so classes in homophobia must be... :)
[email] writes:
I don't like Kevin either, or at least I would stay well clear of such people in real life. On the show it's not so bad because we can laugh at his stupidity. It's a bit like Jerry Springer - most people watch it so they can laugh at morons making fools of themselves, but it's an acquired taste.
BTW is J-17 a very fat magazine? I heard someone trying to ram something large through my letterbox yesterday morning but by the time I'd woken up properly they'd gone and there was nothing there. I just wondered if it might have been the postman trying unsuccessfully to deliver the magazine.
-Shez.
I like to think of it as phat rather than fat! It's sort of Select sized but a bit unwieldy - depends on the size of your letter box. Hope you get it soon.
Sarra
I'm trying to think of someone I know who is like Kevin, but amazingly I can't. That has got to be a good thing. I know people like Ms Barch and Mr DeMartino (sp?) and I know about 15 people like Jody. I can think of a Brittany or two and a Quinn and a few Stacies but nobody like Kevin. I don't know anyone like Daria, either, although Shez will no doubt claim that's me. ;)
Jerry Springer is depressing. It's on like, every five minutes on ITV, isn't it? It always seemed to be on every time I got bored enough to watch TV while I was in hospital. That show is enough to give you a fucking psychiatric disorder, I tell you...
Nott unless it's got some enormous free gift thing with it this month. FWIW I always avoid buying magazines with free stuff on the front: makes you look like a skit and there's never anything good. :)
can't. That has got to be a good thing. I know people like Ms Barch
of a Brittany or two and a Quinn and a few Stacies but nobody >like Kevin. I don't know anyone like Daria, either, although Shez will >no doubt claim that's me. ;)
Hmm... I know a Daria - in a way that sorta makes me a Jane. I do actually know quite a few Kevins - though wierdly no Brittneys (lots of Quinns) - and aforementioned daria-person's parents just ARE well... daria's parents. Don't know any Trents tho.
my life is an eerie parallel to Daria's. I went to school with "Kevin and Brittany", I had a "Mr. DeMartino" as a history teacher, I have a "Trent", and his sister is my "Jane". Spooooky!
Jess "Morgendorfer"
Daria: Do you believe everything adults tell you? Gupty Kids: Yes Daria: What if 2 adults tell you totally opposite things?
Spooky... my life is full of Jodies and Macs, although they're generally not African American, generally Dutch American (is that a term? anyway that's almost everyone here)
Such is the thing with all my classes, full of these obsessive studiers like Jodie who think they have to be absolutely perfect all the time...
I know one "Jane" who's a good friend, a particularly annoying "Quinn" in my Econ class...
Dagny- cynic, general loony
http://urbanspacemen.arecool.net
"I'm not different for the sake of being different, only for the desperate sake of being myself. I can't join your gang: you'd think I was a phoney and I'd know it." Vivian Stanshall
I have a "Jane" working for me who is probably the best worker I've got even though she hates people. Then I've got a couple of "Quinns" and way too many "Brittanys" who go "EWWWW" if they have to break a sweat. I've also got a "Kevin" who is a good worker when he chooses to be but more often than not chooses to try to get away with doing as little as possible, much like Kevin getting out of taking tests.
Lanie XFW#21
Amanda King: NO! I can't sleep here. I would feel like I was lying and sneaking. Lee Stetson: You are lying and sneaking. You're working for the government. .
I only have one friend who's anything like Jane, who has an older bother who is nothing like Trent: he's a nerd, has probably never picked up a guitar in his life, and FWIW has only one friend: a weird guy who stalked the aforementioned nerd's younger sister (ie my friend) and shoots cats.
my "Trent" is a nerd too, he took calculus his freshman year of HS and had a triple major in college. *turns dark dark green with envy* He says he wants to learn to play guitar though.
Jess "Morgendorfer"
Daria: Do you believe everything adults tell you? Gupty Kids: Yes Daria: What if 2 adults tell you totally opposite things?