The miracle of low expectations
Aug. 11th, 2007 07:48 amDespite all the nastiness we see in the Foob's day-to-day life, they've managed to convince themselves that they're a pretty great bunch of people. That's because they have fairly low expectations. John is a damn good example. He thinks he deserves praise and hosannahs because he has never had extra-marital sex and he put a roof over his family's head. That's like expecting a gold medal for showing up, though. A husband and father is not just a meal-ticket who doesn't spread it around, no. The jackass we see is an emotionally distant and supercilious dunderhead who expects his wife to live his life for him while he plays with toys. Wanna know what John is all about? Go to the 'Toonopedia' website and look this strip up. You'll see an example of Classic Foob that explains Train Man better than I can. We see Elly, eleven-year-old Mike and eight-year-old Liz straining themselves pushing a go-cart uphill. The reason is, of course, that it's weighed down by two hundred pounds of grinning douche pretending to steer. Does he care that his family has to suffer so he can make a big, ugly, selfish, immature fool of himself by playing with a child's toy? Not so's you'd notice. Elly is much the same way in thinking she's an excellent mother. After all, she's always there with a hug and kind word when her children need it. It doesn't occur to her sometimes what they need is a harsh word or two. Mike, Liz and April have all picked up the lousy excuses their parents use as well as the same inflated self-image. That is yet another reason people hate dealing with these guys. Not only are they jerks, they think they're far better than they really are.