#138. or, Who's MacGyver?

 So, the other evening, we were sitting watching TV. But we weren't really watching. Because honestly, I can't seem to find anything that holds my attention on the TV anymore. And I think that's the case for most of our family, as more often than not, while we ARE there, and the TV is on, my wife is usually playing some sort of video card game, Little Son is on his ipod, (or new phone now) and I'm trying to catch up on missed blogs and commenting on my phone. (or new tablet now!)

  Anyways, I don't remember why, but on this particular evening, my wife and are are just chatting, as the TV plays in the foreground, and at some point in the conversation, I mention MacGyver. This prompts Little Son to look up from killing zombies on his ipod, or whatever the heck he's playing, and ask, "who's MacGyver?"

  OH. MY. GOD!

  Who's MacGyver? Are you kidding me? I know that I don't have to explain who MacGyver is to you, but if any of my kids has to ask, "who's MacGyver?", then I think that I may have possibly failed at being any sort of father figure to them.

  MacGyver is possibly the coolest, mulleted, TV character to exist. EVER! Even though the show ended over 20 years ago, he is permanently ingrained into our culture. Even today, if anyone finds a way to make something broken, work using things other than what you would use to fix that thing properly, it's considered MacGyver-ing it. And for a dude, it's like a badge of honour to be able to do that. MacGyver made duct tape, paper clips, and chewing gum into things greater than what they were originally intended to be. He's the reason that at almost 45 years old, I have a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket. And when I use that knife to do something like tighten the screw on a loose handle on a drawer or something, the MacGyver theme song plays in my head while I do it.

  But then, that might just be me. If I have to squint to see something off in the distance I still hear the, doot doot doot doot, Six Million Dollar Man, bionics are now operating, sound effect in my head. It used to be that way when I lifted something heavier than I had any business lifting as well. But, doot doot doot doot, CRICK!, ARRRGHHH, MY BACK!, is not all that manly. I try to avoid the heavy lifting now.

  I think that TV is pretty influential. When I was a kid, my dad and the neighbour put up our new TV antenna, which meant we got 3 channels instead of 2, and I got to see Star Trek for the first time. I probably spent 6 months walking around all stoic, quoting Mr. Spock. I'm not sure why, but those shows stirred my imagination and molded me, in a way, into who I am. I suppose its the same for the generation my kids are growing up in, If you ask them who Steve Austin is, they say he's a wrestler. To me Steve Austin will always be an astronaut/test pilot/bionic man.

  I worry for my kid. The popular shows today seem to be, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which I refuse to watch, or Duck Dynasty. Now I've never claimed to be anything but average. I need a calculator to do long division, and it takes me at least 6 months to read a novel. (which is more a time thing than an inability to read thing.) But in the portion of the Duck Dynasty episode that I did try to watch, it felt like my brain cells were beginning to liquefy, slide down through my nasal cavity and form on the corner of my mouth as drool. I just don't see the appeal of those shows.

  I am tempted to buy some episodes of McGyver to educate Little Son on how he should be proud to fix things in an "off the cuff, half-assed" manner. But I'm a bit scared, that if I watch an episode now, it may be completely idiotic, and the magic of MacGyver may be destroyed.

  ..........That being said, I did YouTube a clip from The Six Million Dollar man last night, and old Steve Austin still looks pretty manly with his hairy chest, doot doot dooting across a grassy field in shorty shorts and white knee high socks. Of course the Bionic Woman was running beside him, so she may have stolen the bulk of my attention.







This week, I'll be joining up with the other Dudes at Dude Write, with this post. I encourage you to pop over and read what the guys bring to the table. You can get there by clicking on THIS LINK

Just a note to add here. I'd like to thank the fellows at Dude for voting me into the Members only Diamond Club for this post for the week of 1-8-13. Thanks Guys!