1/3/2016 - DG - MAYNARD - LINE OF WORK
Why did my friends and I LOVE Bob Denver's Maynard G. Krebs
character so much? (WIKIPEDIA: Maynard G.
Krebs is the "beatnik" sidekick of the title character in the U.S.
television
sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, which aired
on CBS from 1959 to
1963.)
In this snippet we see Maynard interacting with his
high school teacher, engaged in a short exchange about Maynard's
"future" (the central concern of all of us at that age) - In my day
(high school class of '66) American kids still believed that great things were
possible for them, that is IF they studied hard, got into a good college, and
then got a good job :) I know, I know, how naive we all were back then, but
these ideas were implanted in our heads from an early age through the medium
of oft-chanted mantras spoken with great authority by our parents, teachers, and
any adult who cared to share some life wisdom with us... In this bit of a
conversation Maynard explains to his sport coat and tie wearing, humorless
teacher that he won't become a professional bongo player until June (presumably
when he graduates).
Maynard wasn't even a minimally passing student (in another episode titled "I'm like
doomed" he explains that he got a minus two as a grade on a test by
incorrectly answering 2 questions that his teacher didn't even ask :) - He
wasn't a jock. He didn't have a girl friend (he like preferred Jazz to chicks)
and although he had no idea about what he wanted to do with his life, he was
kind hearted and charming in his own gauche, confused way. Why did we love him so? For
one thing, many of us, who for lack of the extraordinary insight and
courage it would have taken to extricate ourselves from the track laid down by
society for us to follow, had, at least, a bit of a Maynard side to our lives. Some may
have hidden it; but even while taking SAT cram courses, we knew - or at
least suspected - that 'cracking the books' in order to
become a successful accountant or sport coat and tie wearing high school
teacher was to do something other than to follow the call of our higher selves.
Maynard was like cool and that mattered somehow.
Maynard wasn't even a minimally passing student (in another episode titled "I'm like doomed" he explains that he got a minus two as a grade on a test by incorrectly answering 2 questions that his teacher didn't even ask :) - He wasn't a jock. He didn't have a girl friend (he like preferred Jazz to chicks) and although he had no idea about what he wanted to do with his life, he was kind hearted and charming in his own gauche, confused way. Why did we love him so? For one thing, many of us, who for lack of the extraordinary insight and courage it would have taken to extricate ourselves from the track laid down by society for us to follow, had, at least, a bit of a Maynard side to our lives. Some may have hidden it; but even while taking SAT cram courses, we knew - or at least suspected - that 'cracking the books' in order to become a successful accountant or sport coat and tie wearing high school teacher was to do something other than to follow the call of our higher selves. Maynard was like cool and that mattered somehow.
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