Charlie Brown and Me

I’m not sure if it’s a sign that yes, I actually am getting older, but my right eye seems a touch fuzzy. Hope it’s just lack of sleep…

I’m trying to have ‘tummy time’ with Victoria, scratch Ginger with my right foot, and eat a cheese stick with my right hand - A true master of multi-tasking. But, I’m drawn to A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV. I’m not watching it, it’s just on.

I don’t get it.

This is going to be a very unpopular thought on a beloved staple of Americana – perhaps even un-American… but I don’t get it. And truthfully, I never have. Oh sure, as a kid I remember thinking I liked it. I remember getting excited when I saw that it was on, but I think that’s mostly because that’s what I thought I should do…it was a cartoon so it must be good, right?

Well, between you and me, I don’t think it is.

I guess for me, it’s just a show of a bunch of mean little kids. I know that Charles Shultz was making a social commentary portrayed through the eyes of children. But they’re mean.

Let’s take a look:

The ‘hero’ of the show, Charlie Brown, is an utter loser. No one sees Charlie Brown’s redeeming qualities, other than his cute round head. No one likes him, even Man’s Best Friend, Snoopy, laughs at him. His own dog?!?! How sad is that?! Charlie tries hard. He’s friendly, he tries to participate, he tries to be involved, he tries to make friends; even at the risk of trusting the wrong people, and he always gets dumped on.

As I look down at Victoria, I find myself thinking. “If she turned out like Charlie Brown I’d be SO disappointed!” Who wants a child who can’t stand up for themselves, can’t even see their own self worth and whose sis and dog won’t even back you up? Not me.

Of the whole cast of little characters, one of the most popular is Lucy. Why? Why do all the other little kids like her?... or maybe they’re just afraid of her? She’s awful! She’s mean to basically everyone. She’s shallow, she’s narcissistic, she’s a know-it-all, she’s selfish and she’s mean, mean, mean. Again, a great disappointment if Victoria or my nieces turned out like Lucy.

I’ve always thought this about Charlie Brown. So tonight I watched it with fresh eyes to see if I’ve been wrong all these years. Turns out, I haven’t been.

Here’s my biggest beef: No one redeems themselves at the end of the story. Charlie Brown goes and gets the littlest, scrawniest Christmas tree – the only character who can see any good in the ‘underdog,’ the ‘weakest link.’ Of course the chorus of “Geez Charlie you suck!” begins. They all talk about how lame Charlie is, he agrees and leaves.

Only when he’s not around do they decide they’ll take a second look at the tree and decorate it. They never apologize for being so mean, they never tell Charlie to his face that he’s alright after all, he never tells them to buzz off and no one ever tells Lucy to SHUT UP!!

The Grinch has a change of heart at the end. We all learn something and the lesson is uplifting. Same with Rudolph - We learn not to judge, to love everyone and especially those who are different from us.

Not so with Charlie Brown. Everyone just goes on being the same crummy person they were in the beginning of the show.

So I’m sorry Mr. Shultz, and I’m sorry America, I just don’t get the love affair and I never have.

But I love apple pie and… well I don’t really love baseball either. But I love figure skating, that’s American, right?