Commentary publishes something I can unreservedly endorse:
For decades, comedy writers have puzzled over a mystery: Why is Mickey Mouse more famous than Bugs Bunny? Mickey isn’t funny or interesting. He cannot produce an anvil or a Carmen Miranda hat out of the air. All in all, his “good mouse” act is a toothless, nice-guy bore.
But Bugs, on the other hand, can do accents, knows how to use basic weaponry, and looks terrific in drag. He’s a gender-bending gun nut who makes gleeful and hurtful fun of people with disabilities (Elmer Fudd—speech impediment). About the only respectable thing about him, from the perspective of the academic and cultural policemen, is that he appears to be a vegan.
Why indeed. The propounder (Rob Long) never quite answers his own question, but at the risk of being tedious, I offer a thought: it's the same reason why the most boring characters on TV have the greatest staying power: Perry Como, Alex Trebek, Pat Sejak, Regis Philbin. We like in-your-face but we want something quiet and reassuring to come home to.
