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Did the people in the show seem happy to you? Did it seem like Bobby, Peggy, Hank, or Dale were satisfied human beings? Boomhauer is the only person that real

Did the people in the show seem happy to you? Did it seem like Bobby, Peggy, Hank, or Dale were satisfied human beings? Boomhauer is the only person that really seemed to accept their role in life without regrets, and that's only because I could never understand what he was saying. Note: I didn't watch the show religiously. We can agree that there were specific times when the characters were happy but I think we can also agree that there were times of deep sadness. Mostly the happiness was portrayed as being very superficial, and the sadness was generally existential and deep. In the episodes that I saw, this deep sadness was due to how the "traditional power structure" tried to mold them. It's a pity that they didn't break out of their molds, but as a show I think the zeitgeist was their deep dissatisfaction with their lives, punctuated with small insignificant victories. Think about Beavis and Butthead. Do I think that it glamorized(to some extent) acting like a jackass? Yep. Did it make me want to act or be like either character? Nope. Do I think it "convinced" any normal humans into acting like jackasses any more than the evening news does? Nope.

freshhawk 14y ago
Ok, I definitely think that viewing King of the Hill as an examination of existential pain from social convention is interesting. I need to think about that. Definitely brings some scenes to mind that I liked as well.
- tossacct 14y ago
  Note: This is only tangentially related to our thread. The word "agency" is often used to describe the ability of a human to act as an agent, or the ability of a system to act as an agent. Philosophers like Marx often focus on systems as agents, other philosophers (I am not well read) and sociologists commonly focus on individuals as agents. Debating agency is very fun, and can be done at all times in all places, since literally everything is an "agent" :) . How much free will does a given agent possess; how are an agent's choices constrained by the systems in which it exists and the tools it has available? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28philosophy%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28philosophy%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28sociology%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28sociology%29 Also there is an academic philosophy thread here that you might be interested in: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4891502 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4891502
  - freshhawk 14y ago
    Thanks for the pointer, that is an interesting discussion. > Debating agency is very fun, and can be done at all times in all places Yes it is and yes it can! I can't count the number of times I've had to backtrack and explain the concept of agency when having discussions where I brought it up.

freshhawk 14y ago

Ok, I definitely think that viewing King of the Hill as an examination of existential pain from social convention is interesting. I need to think about that. Definitely brings some scenes to mind that I liked as well.

tossacct 14y ago
Note: This is only tangentially related to our thread. The word "agency" is often used to describe the ability of a human to act as an agent, or the ability of a system to act as an agent. Philosophers like Marx often focus on systems as agents, other philosophers (I am not well read) and sociologists commonly focus on individuals as agents. Debating agency is very fun, and can be done at all times in all places, since literally everything is an "agent" :) . How much free will does a given agent possess; how are an agent's choices constrained by the systems in which it exists and the tools it has available? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28philosophy%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28philosophy%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28sociology%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28sociology%29 Also there is an academic philosophy thread here that you might be interested in: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4891502 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4891502
- freshhawk 14y ago
  Thanks for the pointer, that is an interesting discussion. > Debating agency is very fun, and can be done at all times in all places Yes it is and yes it can! I can't count the number of times I've had to backtrack and explain the concept of agency when having discussions where I brought it up.