Millennials and Gen Z are often criticized as being “snowflakes” by those who occupy more senior generations, but I tell you, I think a lot of what us old timers mistake for their (over) sensitivity is an acute awareness of which behaviors they find intolerable and where their boundary lines are drawn. Truth be told, I’m more than a little envious of the precocity of their emotional intelligence.
I’m here to say, though, that I don’t believe we are wholly to blame for our namby-pamby natures, at least those of us in Generation X, because on November 20, 1973, Charles Schulz began the annual brainwashing delivered in the form of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” in which Charlie Brown became the poster child for pushovers and subversive influencer of a whole generation of people pleasures.
The options for seasonal cartoons were few nearly fifty years ago and so I never missed the rare treat of one being aired on prime-time network television, although the Charlie Brown features never failed to leave me with a sense of free-floating unease, especially the one devoted to Thanksgiving. For thirty minutes I watched as Chuck was torn between making it to Grandmother’s house in time for dinner and preparing an impromptu meal for his frenemies who have invited themselves to his house, despite being told by their reluctant host that he already has plans. Furthermore, as he (along with “help” from Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock) hastily prepares the only dishes he can— toast, popcorn, pretzel sticks, and jellybeans—he must simultaneously contend with beratement from the very guests who blasted through the boundaries he weakly tried to establish regarding his availability that day.
What were the takeaways for a child of the 1970s at the conclusion of this low-key stress inducing family-friendly cartoon? Several life lessons come to mind. At the beginning of the show Lucy taunts Charlie Brown to kick the football she swears she’ll actually hold still this time, baffled by his hesitation to take the bait despite her never having kept her word not to yank it away in the past. What I learned from this exchange is that I should ignore my gut as well as my own recollection of events in the face of relentless gaslighting. Furthermore, when I relinquish my integrity to the bully only to be disappointed yet again, I should submit to the subsequent mockery of my gullibility and belief that maybe, just maybe, this time will be different. Next, I learned that even if something matters a great deal to me and even if I have given my word to others, I should be prepared to prioritize someone else’s wishes even at the risk of disappointing myself and letting down those who are important to me.
Despite the emotional respite provided by frequent commercial breaks, I still find myself all these years later holding my breath from the moment Charlie Brown answers the call from his “friend” Peppermint Patty, hoping that this will be the year that he finally speaks up and shuts her down before she can orchestrate a house party on his dime. I’m not usually one who enjoys remakes of classics; for better or worse, I’m a purist when it comes to anything about which I’m nostalgic. With “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” however, I’m willing to make an exception; I’d happily sacrifice the original crowd favorite for the chance to hear Charlie Brown tell this band of interlopers to hit the bricks…just as long as the epic battle of Snoopy vs. lawn chair remains untouched!
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