Arguing with my husband

If you're in a relationship, you know that you and your partner probably have the same three arguments over and over again.

Jonathan and I are no different. We've been together for twelve years and about half of our arguments can be traced to either his complete and utter thoughtlessness (read: his inability to read my mind) or my alleged incapacity for empathy. But there is one argument that we have been having a consistent basis for the past few months: Curious George vs. The Man in the Yellow Hat.

For those of you who did not have the "pleasure" of living with a two year old, you may not be familiar with the PBS reboot of the Curious George franchise. It's basically like the books: TMITYH takes his pet monkey somewhere, his monkey gets into trouble because he's curious and a FREAKING WILD ANIMAL ILLOGICALLY KEPT AS A PET, but then things work out somehow. The TV show expands on this. TMITYH, obviously an eccentric and wealthy man with no discernible occupation, has a park side apartment in the city and a cottage in the country. As the two travel between these enviable venues, they engage with a host of characters, most of whom are slightly offensive stereotypes. (Example: the Italian guy, Chef Pisghetti, whose excessive passions often cause him to declare that he will never cook again!)

So here's the argument: Jonathan can't stand Curious George. We'll watch the show, and he'll make comments like, "What's this guy gonna mess up now?" Or, "Look at the shit he pulled, and he comes out smelling like a freaking rose!" He basically views CG as a menace who never takes responsibility for his actions or receives the retribution he so rightly deserves. CG is like the asshole Jonathan went to high school with who got drunk, proceeded to smash all of J's CDs, but then refused to apologize because he'd been drinking.

Whereas my take on the situation is, what about the TMITYH? Who has a pet monkey that they let wander around unsupervised and undiapered? If I let MH stay at home alone (and let's be honest: toddler = monkey = feral wild animal), and I came back to a trashed house, would it be her fault? So then what does TMITYH expect? He leaves his monkey alone--or even in charge of something as precarious as a dinner party or a space mission--and then is surprised when shit gets messed up? What kind of a moron is he? You know what, I know exactly what he is. He's the rich eccentric guy who doesn't think the rules apply to him, which is why he dresses like a clown and has a pet monkey. And someday, when he's visiting George in the animal sanctuary where he will eventually be housed, and George or some other animal rips his face off, I won't be surprised.

Of course, this argument always ends with one of us reminding the other that this is a cartoon for toddlers.

Or, we'll send the other person a picture like this, and then we'll both agree that this show is fucked up.