For the past two days, I’ve quietly enjoyed my friends analyze themselves with the “describe yourself in three fictional characters” game that has spread across the internet. Instead of cleaning house for my in-laws’ arrival this weekend, I pressed myself to answer the question.
1. Connie Souphanousinphone, King of the Hill
Watching King of the Hill as a preteen was the first time I realized how underrepresented Asians are on television. I instantly found solace in Connie and her familial pressures to maintain straight A’s. This exchange between Connie’s father, Khan, and Hank Hill has a special place in my heart:
Hank: “So, are you Chinese or Japanese?”
Khan: “I lived in California for the last 20 years, but I first come from Laos … ”
Hank: “So, are you Chinese or Japanese?”
At least once a year, strangers ask me where I’m from, and I defensively assume the question is a veiled attempt to ask about my heritage (Filipino American). I smile and say Tennessee. Seventy percent of the time, the stranger blinks and repeats, with special emphasis, “But where are you from?”
2. Daria Morgendorffer, Daria
Everyone should respond to the “three fictional characters” game with Daria. She’s sarcastic and appreciates the healing power of junk food.
3. Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation
Of these fictional ladies, I relate to Leslie the most. Her passion for local government is infectious and sometimes irritating, but that’s how I feel about journalism. Despite her faults, Leslie knows she wouldn’t be as successful if it weren’t for her friends and family supporting her along the way.
