Didn't Charlie Brown have it rougher than today's kids?

It was the calming voice of his teacher…I can hear it now. “Woh-woh, woh-woh, woh-woh…”
(Okay-so I wasn’t sure how to spell this, lol!)

In order to truly understand Mr Charles Brown (who was really the alter ego of Charles Schulz, his creator)....you have to understand that Charlie Brown was, despite his lack of confidence, a good man. He was kind, loving and thoughtful…and he never “went postal” because he never, ever, ever lost hope completely. He just would never have thought to really “lose it.” It just wasn’t done in his world. He knew intrinsically that life had challenges and he wasn’t spoiled by his parents, either. He wasn’t wearing designer jeans at age 3, and didn’t throw a tantrum because he had to have an IPad because all his friends in Fourth Grade had one. His dog, his friend (Linus, especially) and Peppermint Patty always were there to make sure he knew his true value. So, despite his relationship with Lucy (who always snatched that football) and the Little Red-Headed Girl who rejected him…he had some good friends who loved him and cherished him even when they were at times( brutally) honest with him. I hope we all have friends like Charlie Brown did (even Lucy had some good qualities…she did dispense advice for 5 cents, remember?)

Charlie Brown’s self-effacing qualities are probably how he ended up with a lovely woman eventually…and one who always made sure he could kick that football. Or at least, that’s what I pictured. And he probably became CEO of Apple…:)

Here is the real Charlie Brown…as sung by his friends. I wanted to post the whole song, but Song Entertainment won’t give me access to it on YouTube here (sheesh)...so maybe someone will…meanwhile…here are the lyrics…a great way to understand the good man, Charlie Brown.

[LINUS]
I really don’t think you have anything
to worry about, Charlie Brown. After all, science
has shown that a person’s character isn’t really
established until he’s at least five years old.

[SALLY (overlapping)]
The only thing wrong with my big brother,
Charlie Brown, is his lack of confidence; his
inferiority and lack of confidence. His clumsiness,
his inferiority, his lack of confidence. His stupidity
his clumsiness, his inferiority and his lack of
confidence, his…

[SCHROEDER (overlapping)]
Did you know that Charlie Brown has never pitched
a winning baseball game, never been able to keep
a kite in the air, never won a game of checkers and
never successfully punted a football? Sometimes I
marvel at his consistency.

[LUCY (overlapping)]
Now Charlie Brown has what you call a
Failure Face, Linus. Notice how it has failure
written all over it. Study it carefully. You rarely
see such a good example.

[CHARLIE BROWN (overlapping)]
Some days I wake up early to watch the sunrise, and
I think how beautiful it is, and how my life lies
before me, and I get a very positive feeling about
things. Like this morning for instance; the sky’s
so clear and the sun’s so bright. How can anything
go wrong on a day like this?

I’m late!

[SNOOPY]
Woof!

[ALL (except Charlie Brown)]
You’re a good man, Charlie Brown
You’re the kind of reminder we need
You have humility, nobility and a sense of honor that is very
Rare indeed.

[SNOOPY]
Woof!

[OTHERS]
You’re a good man, CHarlie Brown
And we know you will go very far

Yes it’s hard to believe
Almost frightening to conceive
What a good man you are.

[SCHROEDER]
You are kind.

[OTHERS]
You are kind to all the animals
And every little bird
With a heart of gold
You believe what you’re told…

[LUCY]
Every single solitary word

[OTHERS]
You bravely face adversity
You’re cheerful through the day
You’re thoughtful
Brave and couteous

[LUCY]
And you also have some faults
But for the moment let’s just say

[OTHERS]
That you’re a good man, Charlie Brown
You’re a prince
And a prince could be king
With a heart such as yours
You could open any doors
You could go out and do anything
You could be King Charlie Brown
You could be king!

[CHARLIE BROWN]
Everybody says to me:

[OTHERS]
You’re a good man, Charlie Brown

[CHARLIE BROWN]
Every voice in harmony

[OTHERS]
You’re a good man, Charlie Brown

[CHARLIE BROWN]
All I need is one more try
Gotta get that kite to fly
And I’m not the kind of guy
Who gives up easily
Wonder why they stop to say:

[OTHERS]
You’re a good man, Charlie Brown

[CHARLIE BROWN]
Never liked me, anyway

[OTHERS]
You’re a good man, Charlie Brown

[CHARLIE BROWN]
Trying not to rock the boat
Not to make a scene
A good man? Yes
But I confess
I don’t know what they mean

I wanna rise like I should
And do everything right
But I lie awake at night…

With questions in my ear

I want to join the dance

[OTHERS]
Oooh
Never sleep
Oooh
Loud and deep
Oooh
Take the leap

[CHARLIE BROWN]
But the answer isn’t clear.
Than I hear:

[OTHERS]
Charlie Brown… Charlie Brown…
You’re a good man, Charlie Brown
You’re a good man, Charlie Brown

[SCHROEDER]
Get on the bus

[LUCY]
Get on the bus

[LINUS]
Go ahead, get on the bus, Charlie Brown!

[SALLY]
Don’t wanna be late for school!

[OTHERS]
That’s right!

[CHARLIE BROWN]
Don’t wanna be late!

[ALL]
Don’t wanna be late for school!

[SNOOPY]
Woof!

[OTHERS]
You’re a good man,
Charlie Brown
You’re the kind
Of reminder we need
You have humility,
Nobility,
And a sense of honor
That is very rare indeed

[CHARLIE BROWN]
There they go again

Don’t know what they mean
I’m not good,
I’m not bad

I’m somewhere
In between

[SNOOPY]
Woof!

[OTHERS]
You’re a good man,
Charlie Brown

[CHARLIE BROWN]
I don’t understand

You’re a prince
And a prince could be king
With a heart such as yours
You could open any doors
You could go out
And do anything
You could be King, Charlie Brown
You could be King!

[CHARLIE BROWN]
“Nothing lasts forever”

[OTHERS]
You could be king

[CHARLIE]
“All good things must end”

I’ve memorized
That phrase by heart.
So tell me,
I need to know it…

[OTHERS]
Believe it

And you were born for this part

You’re a good man,
Charlie Brown!

[CHARLIE]
When do the
Good things start?

[LUCY/SCHROEDER]
You’re a good man,
Charlie Brown

[LINUS/SALLY]

Bravely facing
Adversity
You can open up

[SNOOPY]
Oh, You’re a good man

[LUCY/SCHROEDER]
You’re a good man,
Charlie Brown

[ALL]
You’re a good man,
Charlie Brown!

It was socially acceptable to get the crap beaten out of you because you didn’t conform. “It was your fault that you didn’t conform. You were asking for it.” At least that’s what my mother told my brother. It was his fault. He should just be like everyone else and not be different.

Well we do all have choices. I always wonder at these kids I see in the mall who have purple hair and black lips who glare at you if you look twice. Why the hell do they do that stuff if they don’t want others to stare.

I guess Charlie was simply of another generation, a free range kid so to speak, he didn’t expect his mom to fight his battles for him. I guess he just figured he might as well hang on until the pendulum swings the other way and it always does you know, just a question of when.

Maybe because he always made sure he had 5 cents where ever he went. And sometimes he’d use it on Lucy :)

I don’t think kids really go postal just because of bullying. As tragic as it is that Tyler Clementi committed suicide, I do not believe he was just a normal, well-adjusted kid right up until some jerks videotaped him. Normal, well-adjusted kids without serious underlying issues don’t handle a bump in the road like that by jumping off a bridge. Same for all the other kids who handled it the same way. I think it’s just much, much easier for everyone to blame it on bullying and be outraged over bullying than really digging into what happened there (and it really is a great story for the 24 hour news cycle).

@rooeytoo They do it as a test. They’ve been burned before; people will be nice to them right up until they find out the kid isn’t perfect – say, people not being friends with them because they come from a bad home, occasionally smoke a joint, grew up in a gang, have bipolar/depression/schizophrenia/PTSD/DID, aren’t virgins – and then people abandon them. So if they dress that way, then people know that that’s what they’re getting into. If you care that they dress that way, if you aren’t going to be friends with them because of it, then they don’t want your friendship anyway.

@MyNewtBoobs – Isn’t that a bit of a sweeping generalization? I would guess there are as many different reasons for dressing odd as there are people who do it. But if you are right and it is a test, someone ought to tell them that they are alienating themselves from the majority of the population by looking like that and thereby setting themselves up to fail the “are you a decent human being test.”

I still say we all have choices and if you make a strange one, you have to expect consequences that you may not like. So don’t expect me to feel sorry for you because your life was not like a fairy tale, not many humans have a fairy tale life really.

@rooeytoo People do tell them. And I would argue that people who feel the need to patronize them like that are, again, probably not the type of friends they want anyway. And I didn’t tell you that you have to feel sorry for any of them, or be friends with them, all I did was offer an explanation.

Maybe ‘test’ is the wrong word, ‘warning sign’ is a better phrase. And no, it’s not a test. It’s a form of character expression. They’re still discovering who they are & what’s important to them. If there was more mutual respect for one another. We wouldn’t need to express ourselves in polarising manners – there’d be more middle ground. Everyone has their issues, just with some of us, you can see them more.

I am confused, you say they are testing me to see if I am worthy of their friendship. Because if I look at them, and by choosing to stick out like a sore thumb, you are asking to get looked at, then it means I am not worthy. Or it is patronizing? I wouldn’t tell someone I don’t like the way they dress unless they ask me what I think. But if you want to stick out, I will look, like the people of wal-mart, you look weird, I will smother a chuckle and move on. If you think I look odd, you do the same.

I have always chosen to blend in, I don’t like calling attention, be it positive or adverse, to myself, low profile, all that. If someone chooses not to blend in, but to stick out, it is inviting sideway looks from the majority. You want me to respect them for that choice. I don’t think either choice commands respect in and of itself.

I don’t remember a Peanuts strip that involved Charlie Brown cutting. I also don’t remember anyone in the strip being molested, though that might explain Linus’s need for the security blanket.

I saw a great quote the other day that went something like:

True courage does not always roar like a line. Sometimes it is that small voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.

Yes,he did.
He didn’t get babied like today’s kids.
He was a good man,damnit! XD

@lucillelucillelucille….Lurve you, Lucille!!!

Why would anybody kick the shit out of you when you were a kid, unless you were the big BULLY.

@Garebo . . . did you ever attend a public school?

My husband said when he was in school on your birthday, they’d ALWAYS threw you in the bush. I can just imagine the poor son of a gun, he’d be running around the school all day. They’d even get you in the neighbourhood & I’m sure that once wasn’t enough :D

@Garebo – I attended American public school during the great social experiments of the 1970’s where they bussed in a bunch of very angry ghetto kids from across town who really didn’t want to be there. Playing kick the shit out of the brainy kid was their favorite sport!

I did, and I got Bunks elbow smashes daily, and the star quarterback of the football team loved to sit behind me and my friend on the bus after standing in -20 degrees and flick our ears and call us ‘fag”!!! It was bad when I was growing up, but I had it easy compare to others.
Toweled analgesic balm on the scrotum in the hot shower after soccer practice ( we were naked back then) will make any man wince in pain.
I didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers.

@Garebo . . . actually, that last one ruffled my scrotum a bit . . .

I just said you are a big bully because you seem super confident and I have watched your shows and you come across as a guy in your younger days that would f with people. (perceptions are often delusional)
The bully thing must still be pervasive in WI because everybody’s brain is pickled-I am just kidding-being a bully again.

@Garebo . . . <insert surprised laughter here> You’re mistaking a desperate need for attention as super confidence. I’m a giant, hot mess that should never be referenced in any bibliography nor taken seriously in any way. My self-esteem thanks you for the vote of confidence.

in my younger days i learned to fuck with people.

I don’t think so, I came from “every day I need attention” high school.
I will try and control myself. I know I shouldn’t be playing in the Land of Giants.
Anyway you want to take it, you entertain me.