Characters and their character

    I had previously vowed to type a "why I hate Hank Moody" blog, I have decided the best way to make my actual point is to make a comparison between Hank Moody (Californication) and Dr. Perry Cox (Scrubs).

    Let me start by giving you a snap-shot view of my basic take of each character on the surface.
   
    Hank is the cool writer guy. He has this edgy vibe that says, I'm cool, and I just don't give a damn what anyone thinks. His relationships (if you can really use that word) are a mess. He is hopelessly in love (if you can really use that word) with his baby-mama Karin, but he can never keep his idiot reflex in check. At least not long enough to string together any real hope of keeping her at his side. As stated he is a mess, yet everyone seems to want to be connected to Hank in some way. Women want him, men want to be like him, young people idolize him, his peers look at him with some wierd admiration as if they wish they could live like him. He has a pretty cool daughter, a great baby-momma, and a bunch of friends that seem to gravitate toward him.

    Dr. Perry Cox is a self proclaimed narcissistic, emotional cripple, that seems to thrive on the suffering of others. He tortures those that admire him, he throws himself out in the open for those who don't like him, and would go to great lengths to take any, and every, shot possible at him (which is a long list of people). He has issues with authority. He has issues with mediocrity. He has issues finding a way to be social. Hell, he has issues with what the majority of us would term "normalcy" in general. He has an ex-wife that he secretly loves and adores, but prefers to trade insults back and forth with instead of sharing his true feelings. He has very few (if any) real friends because he refuses to let his guard down, and his peers, see him as a jerk that they only interact with when they have to. He struggles to have time with his son, his wife is a damaged mess at best, and he couldn't bribe people to hang out with him (he actually tried in one episode and failed).

    Long story short, Hank is admittedly damaged, but he is cool. He is "likeable". Perry on the other hand is also damaged, but not in that "cool way". He is a "jerk".

    So lets have a deeper look shall we ... Hank has left a wake of shattered hopes and dreams in his wake. He jumps from bed to bed no matter who gets hurt. There is a total lack of regard for everyone involved from his ever-patient daughter, to his frustrated baby-momma, to his friends who just want him to be happy and successful. He doesn't even have enough respect for himself to act like anything more than a childish jackass (on a good day). He has a child that loves him, she has begged repeatedly for him to grow up and stop hurting her, and everyone else around him. He has a baby-momma that left a decent man at the alter and has repeatedly turned her life inside out simply because of hope. Hope that he might just take a second to realize how much she cares about him and reciprocate. His friends see him squander opportunity after opportunity that falls into his lap.

    Perry on the other hand can't seem to get out of his own way. He is tirelessly dedicated to his work. He secretly does everything he can think of to make his ex-wife/baby-mama happy. He watches over all his co-workers/understudies (closest thing to friends in his life) when they aren't looking and quietly does everything he can to guide them to success. He does not give them answers to each and every problem, he gives them the tools to figure out the answer on their own. He teaches them without them even realizing they are being taught. He takes bullets for them when they don't even know they have been fired. He listens to them and adjusts when necessary (even though he doesn't allow that to show either). He is man enough to admit when he makes a mistake, and he is wise enough to offer a piece of knowledge at just the right time to help clarify a murkey situation. He works harder that the rest, and takes the harder path and uses the knowledge gained to make the path easier for those that follow.

    To bottom line this these two characters are BOTH a mess. They each have glaring issues, but the key differance in the two comes down to a one thing. Hank is breathing, walking, talking selfishness. In nearly every situation he is faced with he chooses himself first, and then he expects pitty and forgiveness. Perry acts tough and pushes people away, but rarely fails them. He doesn't let anyone down, even though there isn't any kind of reward attached to the outcome. He is so unselfish that he doesn't even know how to put himself first when he should, which is his greatest torment.

    So we have Hank, who would walk on anybody at anytime to get what he wants, and he is "embraced" and "celebrated" for being cool, and edgy, and hip. Then we have Perry who gives more than he should, and goes out of his way to shield others from lifes arrows when necessary, and light a fire under their ass when needed to help them reach their potential. Perry isn't embraced as anything more than a jerk or a jackass. When did the balance shift, and society decide that mocking and thumbing your nose at honesty and effort was a good thing, while embracing laziness and selfish behavior?

    I have two questions ... Why is the default setting to "like" a Hank, and "dislike" a Perry? ... and secondly ... Who would you rather be if you could choose? ... would you be the cool rockstar-like Hank Moody, or would you be the tireless workhorse/teacher Dr. Perry Cox?

    I think the honest answer is that most would by far choose the Hank path, and that makes me sad, because imagine a world full of Hanks and what a mess they would create, and without the Perry-types to clean their messes who would accomplish anything? So they are allowed to ride the coattails of those that do realize their potential and do choose to try and give something back, and they get applauded for it. That my friends is a head-scratcher.