Why Are The Losers And Average Joes So Popular?

[Mitch Henessey]

A lot of us are fans of many television shows(both past and present) and we all have our own favorite characters. But when it comes to popularity, the bulk of these characters aren't great admirable figures. Here are some examples:

Homer Simpson: He's a an alcoholic and an idiot, but a lot of us(myself included) love this guy. He is one of the most popular cartoon characters ever.

Al Bundy: Yeah, Bundy was a man's man, but he worked a shit job. He sold women's shoes, his family didn't respect him, and everyone(including Jefferson and Marcy) made sure to pick on this guy.

Roseanne: She was a loudmouth, and to be honest, she was a VERY unattractive woman. But Roseanne did care about her family, and she tried to be a good mother/wife.

Peter Griffin: He's another loser who isn't too bright. I can remember an episode of Family Guy where Peter was proven to be ******ed. Yeah, they actually did that.

Steve Urkel: Urkel was nerdy as nerdy can be. He didn't have to many friends, he constantly bothered the Winslow family, and he constantly chased the girl of his dreams Laura Winslow. Urkel was persistent, because no matter how many times Laura shut him down, he kept on trying.

Fred Sanford: He was a common junk man who spent most of his time sitting at home and insulting Esther. But Fred Sanford is one of the most beloved characters ever.

Archie Bunker: He was a hard working man, but he was just an average Joe who spent most of his time arguing with his son-in-law, and he was pretty hard on Edith.

Now there's a pretty lengthy list of TV characters, but the same thing can go for movies. There are a good amount of actors who can play the same type of role. Sure the popular studs and action heroes might outweigh the love for the common guys in the movie world, but there are still a good amount of them out there:

Seth Rogen: He always plays a guy who has nothing going on in his life. He smokes weed, and his characters usually go on these wild adventures. But I love Rogen. Pineapple Express is one of my favorite films ever, and I usually dig Rogen's movies. He can be very streaky as far as quality goes, but that's another discussion for another time.

Bruce Willis (John McClane): He was a detective, and McClane did have some action packed adventures, but McClane's personal life wasn't too great all of the time. He had problems with his wife Holly, and McClane wasn't the most disciplined detective. Still, McClane had this bad boy swagger. He was cocky, and his character always had a manly feel.

Adam Sandler: Sandler can be "the cool" guy sometimes, but he is more famous for his roles in Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore, and The Waterboy.

Jim Carrey: Carrey can play a serious role every now and then, but we all love him as Lloyd in Dumber & Dumber, Ace Ventura, and Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask.

Michael Cera: Just like Urkel, Cera usually plays a character who is nerdy and uptight, and he always chases some girl who's out of his league. A lot of people hate Cera, but I actually enjoy his movies most of the time.

Out of all of these guys, Al Bundy is probably the guy who I always rooted for the most. He could be delusional sometimes, but you had to feel for this character. He was always stuck in rough spot, and no matter how hard he tried, he could never achieve success. And when he did, Peggy, Bud, or Kelly would ruin his chances. You always wanted to see Al grab that brass ring, but it never happened.

A lot of us on this forum are die hard wrestling fans. The majority of the popular wrestlers have the perfect build. They have cool characters, and some of us admire these guys. When it comes to movies, the cool people tend to be more popular than television characters. Scarface(Al Pacino version) Ethan Hunt, and James Bond are just a few of the people who make the list.

Why do we go nuts for the Average Joes and losers? We're supposed to escape in the world of TV and Movies, right? Why do we want to see stuff that might happen in our daily lives? Shouldn't guys like Jack Bauer be more popular? I think a lot us feel a connection with guys like Stanley Ipkiss, Urkel, and Al Bundy. We can relate to these people, because they might share some of the same characteristics that we do. There are a lot us out there who might work jobs we hate, but deep down inside, we're still hoping for that big break. Some of us can be nerds, but we still have dreams of snagging the hot woman. Or some of us might not know where we're going with our lives. We sit around and do nothing productive week after week, and life just passes us by. And yeah, some of us might smoke pot and drink alcohol while doing nothing with our lives.

What are your thoughts? Who is your favorite Average Joe or loser?

 

[Trill Co$by]

Omg I LOVE Married with Children!!! And it's because of Al that it's so funny. Same with Peter in Family guy and Butters in South Park... I guess the thing that we can all relate to with these characters, and sometimes people, is that we all have either been there or could empathize the emotions that they go through. Like with Al Bundy... Any guy who's been married, or even in a relationship, can tell you that they drain you dry. Sure, his cases may be over exaggerated but in the end, it's still true.

 

[Alex]

To be blunt I think its to do with the fact in the late 70s and 80s you had all these bad asses kicking several amounts of ass and didn't do much in the way of sympathy, ala Dirty Harry.

Now, the majority of people are bored of testorone kicking badasses and want something different, cue Average Joe, Nerds and Losers.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

A lot of it I think boils down to the fact that most people can relate to those characters better. You watch a movie about a spy doing exotic spy things, it's cool yeah, but is the normal viewer going to feel any attachment to it? Hell no.

I like to use Married...With Children as the example because it was the beginning. Before that show there was nothing but shows like The Facts of Life, Family Ties, The Brady Bunch, etc where getting an F on a test would be that shows big dilemma. They all lived perfect little lives and everything always worked out in the end. That's not the way real life is. When the Bundy's moved in everything changed after that. Yes, they exaggerated most things, but they still made fun of the fact that life isn't perfect and EVERYONE can relate to that fact.

Now we've made way for guys like Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin. Yes, they exaggerate excessively nowadays (especially those two since they're animated), but it's still funny. But it still works because these are normal guys who can still have some crazy adventures. Maybe we can too...

 

[Attitude]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5cSHrA9PNM

This is a clip from Scrubs and I think it can sum up the point really well. It's because in real life there aren't cameras, tv stars, or models and we aren't perfect. These characters that the actors play are realistic and relate to everyday life. So we relate more to them.

So I guess my question back to you would be why not? And Why are the characters with perfect lives and no flaws so popular?

There's really nothing wrong with it. We all or at least most of us can relate to the lives that these characters portray. Although I don't think Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, or Bruce Willis fit in with the rest of the list (But that's my personal opinion).

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think the reason is that there are a hell of a lot of REAL Losers and Average Joe's out there, and these people make up a large percentage of cinema goers/TV watchers, therefore they can relate to the characters they see on the screen.

By seeing someone so unremarkable, such as Jim Carrey playing Stanley Ipkiss in The Mask, or any Seth Rogan character, the escapism of film allows the viewer to imagine themself in the role of the character they are seeing on the screen. A stoner will see a bit of themself in Seth Rogan in "Knocked Up" and it will give them hope that maybe one day they can end up with a girl like Katherine Heigl, or an Average Joe Bank Worker will see Carrey in The Mask, ending up with Cameron Diaz (who looks hotter than ever btw), saving the day and getting the girl and this will do the same for them. Maybe they can be a hero too, just like he was.

For other people watching these characters, they simply provide amusement. I enjoy Seth Rogan in many films, however he is becoming a bit stale. Jonah Hill on the other hand, a fatter funnier version of Rogan is simply hilarious however.

I enjoy watching characters like Homer and Peter Griffin for the funny escapades they have, or the stupid situations they find themselves in. Completely unrealistic, but excellent comedy.