Hoosiers

My husband and I were both born in Indiana. His parents, however, were not from Indiana. His childhood was not one of Hoosier indoctrination. My parents and all of my grandparents were born in Indiana and died in Indiana. Plus, when I say Indiana, I am not referring to just any where in Indiana. I am talking about the Tri-County area where the three rivers meet----the Maumee, the Saint Marys, and the Saint Joseph. For example as children, we (meaning myself, my sibling and all my cousins) were told that we did not have to worry about tornadoes touching down near Fort Wayne because Indian lore said that tornadoes did not touch down where three rivers meet. Imagine my trepidation my first Spring attending Purdue University during tornado season. I only had the Wabash and the Tippecanoe Rivers to protect me.

Of course now my worldly self understands why people laughed when the writers of MASH made the home town of Frank Burns be Fort Wayne, Indiana. You know the city named for a “Mad” general. I even understood why it was humorous for the writers of FAMILY AFFAIR to have the twins, Jody and Buffy, be retrieved from Terre Haute to live with a sophisticated, rich uncle. David Letterman has always used his Hoosier roots to evoke laughs. But where does this new slamming of Indiana come from? What makes shows like THE MIDDLE and PARKS AND RECREATION so widely appealing and funny? Does America laugh at these two shows because the characters represent the stereotypical people living in flyover country? Considering the way Hollywood views Indiana, it is a good thing that Mitch Daniels decided not to run for President of the United States, but instead became President of Purdue University. He might have suffered the same fate as Dan Quayle.

I have to admit that I do enjoy and laugh at THE MIDDLE and PARKS AND RECREATION. There are times though during an episode when I stop. Hey, I know why a particular reference is funny, but why would someone who has never experienced Indiana think that reference was funny? For example, the names assigned to the children of the Hecht family from THE MIDDLE. Each name has a definite Hoosier connotation. Axle is for Axle Rose, Brick is for the Brickyard, and everybody in Indiana has a Sue in their family. Has the media and Hollywood targeted Hoosiers to be the poster children to represent what it is like to be “blue collar,” “three bedroom,” “factory worker”Americans?