# Parks and Recreation Oct. 6, 2011 - Born and Raised **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899 "2011-10-07T14:49:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/21 "2011-10-08T21:02:25Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Great episode! Y’all do know that book is a real [thing](http://www.amazon.com/Pawnee-Greatest-America-Leslie-Knope/dp/1401310648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318088594&sr=1-1) right? > > I haven’t gotten yet but I ordered it. I don’t see Joan’s Book Club sticker on it. How am I supposed to know if it’s any good? I’ll wait and see what Perd has to say about it. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/22 "2011-10-09T13:38:21Z")
> [@quixotic78](#): > > I don’t like April because her one-note pseudo-Goth hipster pessimism isn’t very funny There is more to being a hipster than disaffection and pessimism, and I don’t understand the goth reference at all. In what way is she a goth? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/23 "2011-10-09T15:47:09Z")
I think April’s great. Despite her personality, they’ve shown she does have a heart, she’s just quirky and odd about it. That’s why her and Andy make so much sense. Plus, she’s like the daughter Ron never had. My least favorite character on the show is Ann Perkins. I like how her and Leslie are friends, and how she’s the most normal person there, but I don’t find her all that funny. That said, I wouldn’t want her to leave the show. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/24 "2011-10-09T16:26:24Z")
But I think it’s deliberate that Ann Perkins isn’t funny; she’s basically playing the straight man role. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/25 "2011-10-09T19:30:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But I think it’s deliberate that Ann Perkins isn’t funny; she’s basically playing the straight man role. The show has consistently had two straight man characters - Ann and Mark/Ben. It works brilliantly because you can work at least one of them into virtually any situation, thus providing the contrast that makes the zanier characters work. Much better than latter seasons of “The Office,” for example, in which every single character was so weird that it often devolved into a contest of who could out-zany everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/26 "2011-10-09T19:35:31Z")
The problem, I think is that Mark/Ben works well for showcasing office zany and Ann worked more with Leslie’s personal life. Now we have Beslie and Ann’s left in the lurch. They tried to fix it by bringing her into the government office but there’s not enough overlap and we’re left with these weird vignettes of her trying to get Ron and April to talk to her and last week’s health PSA with Chris. It’s a shame because I enjoy both the actress and the character. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/27 "2011-10-09T21:49:49Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Jerry came back into the office – he had been traveling all over northern Indiana confirming the facts in Leslie’s book. He even missed his daughter’s birthday for it. > > He was so enthusiastic about it that Leslie couldn’t bring herself to tell him that there was no need for it, and she let him go ahead with his plans to tackle the rest of the state. I saw a more negative aspect to that - Jerry went off on his task, nobody really noticed he was gone, Leslie saw an opportunity to keep him “gone” for longer and went for it. And at least being from Eagleton’s not as bad as being from Wullerton (_ptoo!_). ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/28 "2011-10-09T22:11:36Z")
> [@Ephemera](#): > > There is more to being a hipster than disaffection and pessimism, and I don’t understand the goth reference at all. In what way is she a goth? People less hip than you sometimes equate “deadpan, gloomy, and dark hair” with goth. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/29 "2011-10-09T22:54:44Z")
Do you think you’re making a point by trying to imply I’m a hipster? It was a sincere question. Save the snark. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/30 "2011-10-09T22:57:42Z")
Someone’s got their outrage set on a hair trigger. Deep breath, he was paying you a compliment. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/31 "2011-10-09T23:08:12Z")
I’m not outraged. That said, if your interpretation is correct, I apologize. To me, it read as “we’re not all as hip(ster) as you” and I admit I have been growing annoyed at the critical mass of hipster derision the past couple years. It and various other subcultures are just a buzzword to most people, and though I’m not part of either of the two mentioned, I’m still familiar enough with them that the misrepresentation stands out. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/32 "2011-10-10T01:48:49Z")
> [@Ephemera](#): > > I’m not outraged. That said, if your interpretation is correct, I apologize. > > To me, it read as “we’re not all as hip(ster) as you” and I admit I have been growing annoyed at the critical mass of hipster derision the past couple years. It and various other subcultures are just a buzzword to most people, and though I’m not part of either of the two mentioned, I’m still familiar enough with them that the misrepresentation stands out. typoink was saying that there are people out there who blur the line between goth and hipster because they don’t know the nuances like you do, which to me seems a perfectly sensible statement considering the original quote about april being a pseudo-goth hipster. coincidentally i know for a fact hipsters hate being called hipsters because in their eyes, there’s a group of more hipster people who are the “real” hipsters and the halfway hipsters are just “quirky”. to me, any guy who thinks a scarf is perfectly sensible for mid-september is a doofus at the very least, and in my book - a hipster. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/33 "2011-10-10T02:43:24Z")
I agree with you. I’m 29 and didn’t go to college, so the hipster movement passed me by, but a number of my friends are three to four years younger and either still in college or recently graduated, so I’m familiar with the hipster blame game that they play. No one admits to being one, yet they’re always pointing out other ones to the point where my own working definition of hipster is “someone who points out (other) hipsters”. Anyway, I was just confused by the conflation of goth and hipster. I can see why someone would think April’s a hipster, but she’s not anything like a real goth, or even the stereotype, e.g. pale skin, black clothes, leather, BDSM paraphenelia, etc. This wound up being a much bigger issue than I meant it to be. Sorry for the hijack. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/34 "2011-10-10T04:34:37Z")
> [@Ephemera](#): > > I agree with you. I’m 29 and didn’t go to college, so the hipster movement passed me by, but a number of my friends are three to four years younger and either still in college or recently graduated, so I’m familiar with the hipster blame game that they play. No one admits to being one, yet they’re always pointing out other ones to the point where my own working definition of hipster is “someone who points out (other) hipsters”. > > Anyway, I was just confused by the conflation of goth and hipster. I can see why someone would think April’s a hipster, but she’s not anything like a real goth, or even the stereotype, e.g. pale skin, black clothes, leather, BDSM paraphenelia, etc. > > This wound up being a much bigger issue than I meant it to be. Sorry for the hijack. I didn’t say she was goth; I said she was pseudo-goth. She’s dark, gloomy, pessimistic, thinks life is shitty (or at least wants us to think she thinks life is shitty). Annoying, in other words. Put whatever label to her you deem appropriate, and that’ll be the one we go with, since you’re the self-appointed Label Guru. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/35 "2011-10-10T12:59:25Z")
Goth, shmoth. In my day, we called people like her “too cool for school.” ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/36 "2011-10-10T13:48:07Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Goth, shmoth. In my day, we called people like her “too cool for school.” Works for me! ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/37 "2011-10-10T17:16:12Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Oh my god, that was the best parody of a public radio show I’ve ever seen – > > “Please enjoy a song from the lesbian Afro-Norwegian funk duo Nefertiti’s Fjord” > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > “Yes, they’re awful… but they’re lesbians, so…” I had to pause the DVR I was laughing so hard. God that was just about perfect. My only regret is that Leslie and Ben broke up. So damn cute! I hope they continue with the sexual tension. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/38 "2011-10-10T19:48:14Z")
Paraphrasing, but I loved this exchange: “And that guy Mike over there - I went to school with Mike since Kindergarten!” “That’s right - she did.” “Remember when you pooped your pants and then came to school with them on?” “Why are you saying that? I just agreed with you.” And the aforementioned “Silence” line from Ron and then playing the whittled recorder - hysterical. Also liked April dropping the book like a hot potato and leaving the room the second Ron announced that they didn’t have to fact check anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/39 "2011-10-10T21:19:04Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > My least favorite character on the show is Ann Perkins. I like how her and Leslie are friends, and how she’s the most normal person there, but I don’t find her all that funny. That said, I wouldn’t want her to leave the show. I am thrilled that I am not the only person who calls her “Ann Perkins”. I was talking about the show with my roommate and she commented that I sounded ridiculous talking about Ann Perkins because I always use her full name. I swear I never did that until Chris showed up. This episode was all around hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899/40 "2011-10-11T01:14:12Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Great episode! Y’all do know that book is a real [thing](http://www.amazon.com/Pawnee-Greatest-America-Leslie-Knope/dp/1401310648/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318088594&sr=1-1) right? > > I haven’t gotten yet but I ordered it. Mine came in the mail today. Man, Leslie sure put a lot of work into it! [QUOTE=Leslie Knope] Why would I want to walk through a field of mud and bees to look at wildflowers when I can just go online and look at every flower in the world? [/QUOTE] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parks-and-recreation-oct-6-2011-born-and-raised/598899.md?page=1)