2 types of average men
Antonio is UNLIKE anyone I've EVER met in one regard: he is the most average North American man I've ever known.
Shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons and King of the Hill were made to depict this type of guy, the North American median man. This angle is advantageous for high viewership, because people love what they relate to, and the kind of people to even watch that much TV are exactly the people they’re both showcasing and targeting, so it's quite a genius feat on behalf of the capitalist machine -- it's the most meta demographic targeting strategy ever.
When I think of Antonio and his Habitus, I think of fried chicken, greasy Chinese takeout, donuts for breakfast, family BBQs, watching sports (but not playing any...), 'all-inclusive' vacations in Vegas/Cabo/Miami, phrases like 'good times' and 'can't complain' and "it is what it is", beer bellies, Netflix...
Meeting him was like meeting a celebrity, in a way, it was like, "Wow I've heard so much about you, it's so nice to finally meet you!"
I told him I've never met anyone like him. He was surprised. He said everyone is like him.
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There is another type of average. That is the gentrified average. With this type I have significantly more experience. This is the guy who watches Parasite and thinks he's a connoisseur of world cinema. This is the guy whose hobbies consist of coffee, wine, photography (especially astrophotography), rock climbing, and going to indie/alt concerts and perhaps even the occasional music festival. His talents in these matters mostly include buying expensive gear for said-hobby.
Some of them can be seen writing books in Kava bars. They watch Portlandia with a half-amused half-embarrassed little smirk. They probably use Duolingo and have a 453 day streak in Japanese or Danish but cannot say one whole sentence in an actual situation when it comes down to it. They think they're special and cultured.
His favorite phrases are 'optimizing my routine', 'setting boundaries', and 'holding space'. He's a huge LGBTQ ally. He calls himself a feminist and he believes in women taking back the term 'slut'.
I know a lot of people like that.
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Compared to my usual average, the Antonio kind of average felt so delightfully charming, because he has the refreshing unpretentious quality of a man who does not brag, because he doesn't believe there is anything to brag about, because society told him he is just like everybody else, because TV depicts him as common, even though he works with his hands, in below freezing temperature, which is an admirable and inherently difficult thing, and much more immediately relevant to me than whatever bullshit these laptop men are doing.
He's the first of a new kind of human for me. I was simply enchanted.