Everybody knows a Fred

I love to go people watching. Mostly I do this while grocery shopping or running errands. I’m not a crowd person, so I know my data is skewed!

Think back for a moment…how far back depends on how old you are. Fred Flintstone, Wilma, Barney, Betty. Hanna/Barbera hit the nail on the head with these characters. I’m sure you’ve got a Fred in your neighborhood. One of those loud, large, guys. Thinks he knows everything. The king of the castle. My personal best example of this is a former brother-in-law. Very tall, iron worker, booming voice. Wanted dinner on the table when he got home, often wanted to be served in his chair, expected my sister to wait on him hand and foot. He was a hard worker, loved his kids and did his best, but he was a Fred. Enough said.

Freds always seem to have the requisite Wilma and Barney by their sides. I don’t know if Wilmas and Barneys are attracted to Freds in an unhealthy, co-dependent way. Or is it the opposites attract rule? But I’ll bet if you know a Fred, you know a Wilma and a Barney. My sister was a Wilma for sure.

Now think about the characters from Winnie the Pooh. A. A. Milne also was a master at creating characters we could relate to. Eeyore stands out the most to me. You know the gloomy gus, pessimist. Nothing ever goes their way. “I lost my tail again, oh woe is me”, “Thanks for noticing me” type. Don’t you just want to slap them?

Of course there is Owl. Another know-it-all (like Fred) who really doesn’t know much. Although Owl comes across very refined and educated. And there is Tigger, Eeyore’s alter ego? What about Rabbit? Cantankerous, work-a-holic? Of course there are a few Poohs out there. The head in the clouds kind who you can’t count on for anything except maybe a snack in an emergency (if he hasn’t already eaten it all himself).

If we fast forward a generation, we have the Simpsons. I pray that none of us really know a Homer (but I know they are out there). I do know a few Marges, Barts and definitely Lisas. Again, I think the writers have captured the essence of the co-dependent relationship.

There is also the Family Guy characters. Peter, like Homer, is just too awful for me to relate to. I avoid people like this and like to believe (and thus remain deluded) that basically the human male is way above their level of crudeness. It’s funny, but God help us!

Next time you are out and about, look around, listen and smile. See which character you notice and relate to! Scary, isn’t it? Who are you?