Knope We Can!

Credit: Mike Mitchell

I don't really get into shows. It's a statement I've been harping ever since I decided I'd never like another show quite the way I liked Nickelodeon's “The Adventures of Pete & Pete.”

So there's a new show out? Not interested. “Lost” kept you at the edge of your seat all six seasons? What a waste of time! And then very late into the game, I discovered NBC's “Parks and Recreation,” and with it came rolling in all the reasons that other people watch TV shows. Finally, I understood! With “Parks,” I had found a role model.

So why exactly is Leslie Knope my hero? Well, yes, I know she's fictional. But I've got a handful of reasons why I almost feel as if this woman is my mentor.

1. She reminds me of my aunt. Maybe that's weird — but she seems like just the type of lady you could call up and tell all the things that you probably wouldn't tell your mother.
2. Her dedication to the town of Pawnee is unwavering. She even wrote a book on it! It seems like every single person she works with agrees that Pawnee isn't the “greatest place on earth,” but Knope picks a stance and never falters.
3. She's career driven, and that's just the quality a (still) freshly graduated 23-year-old young woman needs to see.
4. She's aggressively nice. She doesn't get what she wants by being mean. In fact, she makes it her point to get what she wants by always playing, well, nice.
5. She wants to make a difference more than anything. Despite the failed attempts, the hardships and the overworking — in the end, she just wants to make a difference.

It's all these things and more that keep me watching. It also made me realize that perhaps discovering characters like this is the reason that people get hooked on television shows in the first place. They give you new role models and reasons to persist. It doesn't matter that they aren't real — all that matters is that they give us inspiration.