The Facts Of Life......

[Brian37]

"A Cup Of Jo", By Brian37, (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB and @Brianrrs37)
 
A scrappy lady
Of the 80s
Took no guff
At the Eastland Prep school
 
I know it is a Fact
She was a character
But I desperatly wanted
Her to protect me
 
I had nothing but bullies
In real life
Need a cup of Jo
To escape my real life
 
To stand up to Blair
To make it obvious
The boys on my block
Stop beating me up
 
Men of the world
Even today
Need to learn
It really is ok
 
For girls  and women
To lead the way
I need a cup of Jo
To make my way
 
I lived in isolation
In the basement
Jo wouldn't have put up
With that harrasment 
 
Why should I care
If a female does dare
To protect a male
Or lead a nation?
 
Females make up
Half the world's population
A cup of Jo
Is fine with me.
(END)

Originally posted today 10/16/17 post #953 hosted here......

http://www.rationalresponders.com/forum/31771?page=19

[Brian37]

In this morning's rerun, Blair finds a tall guy handsome and hits on him, but does not know he is mentally handicap, back then in reality, the "r" word was used, and that was the word used in the script.

Anyway, Jo and Tootie are in the kitchen and Tootie says to Jo, " What is she going to do when she finds out, I hope she doesn't say anything stupid."

Jo responds, "We are talking about Blair."

[Crossless2.0]

I'll understand the ABBA thing long before I get this "The Facts of Life" fascination.

[Brian37]

I'll understand the ABBA thing long before I get this "The Facts of Life" fascination.

Really? So you never had any favorite shows growing up yourself?

I never understood Colombo. Never liked Friends. Other people liked those shows.

I like that show and others too. Night Court is another sitcom I liked. I also liked ALF. 

I simply liked the character Jo on that show, and I was around the same age as the characters back then and I liked her because she stood up to others, and that was at a time in my life when I had no friends on the street I lived on. 

I post about it now because I have a local channel that plays reruns of it in the morning when I wake up and I like some of her lines because I wished I could have been as tough as that character and wish I had had friends on my street like her.

Point is you like what you like, just like I like ABBA, and Metallica and other music.

[Crossless2.0]

I'll understand the ABBA thing long before I get this "The Facts of Life" fascination.

Really? So you never had any favorite shows growing up yourself?

I never understood Colombo. Never liked Friends. Other people liked those shows.

I like that show and others too. Night Court is another sitcom I liked. I also liked ALF. 

I simply liked the character Jo on that show, and I was around the same age as the characters back then and I liked her because she stood up to others, and that was at a time in my life when I had no friends on the street I lived on. 

I post about it now because I have a local channel that plays reruns of it in the morning when I wake up and I like some of her lines because I wished I could have been as tough as that character and wish I had had friends on my street like her.

Point is you like what you like, just like I like ABBA, and Metallica and other music.

I bust your balls for a sentence and get something like a defense of taste.

Lol

[Brian37]

Really? So you never had any favorite shows growing up yourself?

I never understood Colombo. Never liked Friends. Other people liked those shows.

I like that show and others too. Night Court is another sitcom I liked. I also liked ALF. 

I simply liked the character Jo on that show, and I was around the same age as the characters back then and I liked her because she stood up to others, and that was at a time in my life when I had no friends on the street I lived on. 

I post about it now because I have a local channel that plays reruns of it in the morning when I wake up and I like some of her lines because I wished I could have been as tough as that character and wish I had had friends on my street like her.

Point is you like what you like, just like I like ABBA, and Metallica and other music.

I bust your balls for a sentence and get something like a defense of taste.

Lol

Please, yes I gave you a long answer, sure, but no, this isn't a matter of national security no. I understood you were merely saying "I don't get it". 

Well, sure, you don't and that is fine. Really no different than humans have different tastes in food too.

You got a response because you commented. No, I am not going to hire a hit man to come after you because you not a fan of the show. 

[Athene]

Who Blair's about The Facts of Life, Brian? No one give's a Tootie. 
You may as well keep your fascination to Jo-self, cause no one give's a Nat's ass.
I know I couldn't Garrett less....that's for damn sure!  

I liked Natalie the most. 
And my brother's favorite was Tootie, on account of tig bitties.

[KevinM1]

I’ve actually been watching reruns off and on lately, and Natalie is my favorite, too. I appreciate good snark, and she had it in spades.

Jo is pretty cool, too, but Natalie was the best.

Also: 1980s fashion, hair, and design is equal parts terrifying and nostalgic as fuck for me. Especially the mid-to-late 80s when everything was gray, purple, and teal.

[Brian37]

I’ve actually been watching reruns off and on lately, and Natalie is my favorite, too.  I appreciate good snark, and she had it in spades.

Jo is pretty cool, too, but Natalie was the best.

Also: 1980s fashion, hair, and design is equal parts terrifying and nostalgic as fuck for me.  Especially the mid-to-late 80s when everything was gray, purple, and teal.

You and I are going to step outside see, see. (1940s Tommy gun, running board, gangster voice.)

Jo was the best!

---

Holy shit, this morning's rerun hits close to home. Natalie has a fight with her adoptive mom. Says she can't understand them and they cant understand her, even though she loves them. I can totally identify. I am adopted too. I love my late Mom, she was my hero always supported me. But growing up our personalities conflicted. It was not until I met my biological family in the mid 90s that I understood where some of my own behaviors were coming from.

I haven't watched this show in decades, but man the topics of that show really were tackling social issues.

[KevinM1]

Yeah, a lot of the family oriented sitcoms of the late 70s, 80s, and early 90s tackled social issues. Family Ties was notorious for it. All In The Family. The Jeffersons. Roseanne. Diff'rent Strokes (which The Facts of Life is a spinoff of). Shit, M*A*S*H. Growing Pains. Webster (which is about interracial adoption, if you haven't seen it), when it wasn't just focused on Emmanuel Lewis being goofy. I'm sure there's a lot of others.

It's pretty amazing to compare it to the drek that counts as sitcoms today. From a writing standpoint, the most popular sitcoms, like Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, etc. can't hold a candle to the older shows. At least they tried to have a purpose beyond lazy (and often misogynistic) hijinks. Even the fluffier shows of the day, like Cheers or Three's Company, exhibited far more wit and charm.