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3 months ago
1
Elmo may get all the fanfare and merchandising, and Big Bird may have been named a Living Legend by congress, but Oscar’s outlook on life lifts him above them all!
I would love to take credit for this, I really would, but this amazing theory was inspired by a friend of mine. It came about as he explained to me why his father had chosen to name him after a Sesame Street character, rather than any of the other notable Oscars such as Oscar Wilde, Oscar Hammerstein, or Oscar Peterson.
It’s taken me a little while to get my head around this, because from what I recall of Oscar the Grouch he isn’t what I’d typically identify a role model to be…
- He lives in a trash can
- He complains, about everything and anything, and takes pleasure in it
- He focuses on the negatives
- He’s a compulsive hoarder, collecting garbage
- He doesn’t bathe, his original orange colour now hidden by the green ‘slime and mould’ that has accumulated
So far, not a guy I’d be inclined to emulate!
However, once you look past these surface details, you’ll find there are some character traits of Oscar the Grouch that are pretty inspiring…
- He’s radically different from all the other muppets (or was, until other ‘Grouches’ were eventually added), and he’s okay with that!
- Even though others don’t understand (and are sometimes even disgusted by) the way he lives, and what he calls his treasures, he doesn’t care
- He highly values his family and his friends, and will go out of his way to help them if the need arises
- Above all else, he is true to himself and proud of who he is
I wrote a piece a while back about standing out, not being afraid of stepping away from what is considered ‘normal’, and instead becoming the person you ultimately want to be. Oscar the Grouch, unexpectedly, epitomises this.
Oscar has the greatest fortitude and strength of character of all of the muppets on Sesame Street. He embraces the things that he loves and holds dear, and he never lets anyone convince him otherwise.
It’s not that Oscar rejects ‘normal society’ (he still lives on Sesame Street after all), he simply chooses to live his life against the grain. Others may not understand his lifestyle, they may voice their concern and confusion to him, but he continues unfazed. He is ultimately comfortable with who he is, and nothing can make him betray his sense of self.
Oscar teaches us to embrace who we are, to live the way we desire even if others try to steer us away, and to have courage against such adversity. This actually goes some way towards explaining why the creators of Sesame Street hoped Oscar’s tastes and manners would be a metaphor for racial and ethnic differences; his choice of lifestyle may not be one that we can readily identify with, but it’s his and we should respect that.
He’s also big on recycling; can’t argue with that!
For some of us, it may have been a long time since we’ve considered ‘the Street’, but I think we’re due. Specifically, take another look at a character you may not have fully understood the first time around.
Look past his superficial traits; his appearance, his desires, his tastes.
Look instead at what dwells within; strength, courage, and confidence.
Can you honestly say you don’t want to be a little more like Oscar the Grouch?
Perhaps he’s not such a poor role model after all…
