Alina Utrata explains why Parks and Rec’s Leslie Knope – and her lovely sidekick Ben – are the political characters we all need right now

Since we’re talking about Movies and Shakers, let me just make a pitch for the passionate, idealistic, and hilarious TV series about American politics that our society needs right now—no, it’s not The West Wing. It’s Parks and Recreation.

Let me start by saying that yes, like everyone who loves politics, I have watched The West Wing. But, like some American presidents from the ’90s, its treatment of women did not age well. I’m not the first one to point out that West Wing is a little, well, sexist. Or the first one to point out that its creator, Aaron Sorkin, is a little, well, sexist.

But you know, I’m also not the only woman who has to take short half-hour breaks from being feminist to just to enjoy a little TV. So, as much as I love West Wing, the truth is that if you’re a woman interested in politics, the show offers very little in the way of female role models or hope for a professional working environment.

But for nostalgic West Wing fans, Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation may just be the show you’re looking for. Poehler plays Leslie Knope, a passionate, over-eager employee of the Parks and Recreation department of Pawnee, Indiana. The show is a hilarious take on the absurdities (or realties) of a small town’s local government. Rob Lowe (West Wing’s Sam Seaborn) plays the hyper-health conscious city manager Chris Trager and Bradley Whitford (West Wing’s very own Josh Lyman) guest stars as Councilman Pillner.

For many young women, Leslie Knope has become something of a feminist icon. She careens between exhaustingly over-eager and ambitious to infinitely lovable, idealistic and loyal. Knope puts one hundred and ten percent into every activity ever, is constantly criticized and foiled by the very people she is working to help — and dreams big. As Knope once commented, it is sometimes difficult to tell whether she is annoying or inspiring. Is that not what it means to be a woman in politics these days?

The supporting cast is also incredible. There is the infamous Ron Swanson, a staunch libertarian and meat-lover who believes all government is a waste and works within the Parks Department to sabotage government work as much as possible (who can forget when he taught an eight-year-old girl on a school trip researching “Why does government matter?” “It doesn’t.”)

There is Chris Pratt as the lovable goofball Andy Dwyer (“Leslie! I put your symptoms into the computer and it says you might have “network connectivity problems”); Aubrey Plaza as the apathetic intern April Ludgate; Aziz Ansari as wannabe-entrepreneur Tom Haverford — they’re all so good, you just have to watch the show!

But my favorite character by far is Leslie Knope’s romantic co-star: Ben Wyatt.

I love Ben deeply — and that’s not just because he is a geeky man who loves numbers and politics and puns and did Model United Nations in high school. It is because he is the show’s most under-rated feminist, the man we all needed in 2016.

On television, the moment when the boy finally realizes he loves the girl often takes place at prom, when she walks in (late) in a beautiful dress and wows the audience with her sudden ability to use contact lens. Not with Ben and Leslie.

The moments when Ben falls in love with Leslie Knope are the moments when she is her most passionate, and wacky, and intelligent, and ambitious, and amazing — when she was on stage giving an amazing speech to the chamber of commerce. When she ate an absurd amount of waffles. When she read a surprising number of political biographies. That’s when we see Ben’s goofy little smile, and we know how much he loves Leslie.

TV often teaches us that it is OK to be strong women — but maybe in love we should take it down a notch, because guys might find it threatening or intimidating to be with a woman who is more successful than they are. Our passions might be cute and quirky to men, but they don’t take them seriously. Similarly, it’s OK for guys to sometimes be sweet and understanding to women. But those are just exceptional moments — there are very few examples of men who take a supporting role to the careers of the women they love, while also feeling empowered and fulfilled.

But throughout Parks and Rec, Ben Wyatt is Leslie’s number one partner in crime. He understands when they break up so she can run for city council. He sacrifices his job to save hers. He always does his best to support her plans and ambitions, and he never tries to make her doubt herself.

Ben Wyatt knows how to fall in love with a woman, and it’s not because she learned to straighten her hair or bought a cute dress (hear that, RON WEASLEY?). Together they support and love each other’s ambitions and quirks — and they know when to prioritize each other and their relationship over their careers, and how to talk about making trade-offs to support each other.

Ben Wyatt is honest, and kind, and authentic. He tells Leslie when he thinks she’s amazing. He respects her. He supports her. He is supported by her. He is upfront and communicates his feelings. He can be vulnerable and he can be strong, and he knows how to support Leslie when she is vulnerable and she is strong. And he never, ever stops believing in Leslie Knope.

Ben Wyatt knows that proving to women that you can be there for them is not about how many saber-tooth tigers you can fight off with your bare hands or how much money you can provide — it’s about supporting and empowering women, and being supported and empowered by women. Ben is the feminist we all need right now: a man who fell in love with a woman not in spite of, but because she is going to be the president.

(Oh, and if he was real, Ben would definitely be the love of my life too.)

So, in my book, Parks and Rec: Best. Political. TV. Show. Ever. Thank you Amy Poehler for this gift, two feminist icons that we need more than ever.

And, as an extra treat, who could forget that time Leslie Knope freaked out about meeting the actual, the one and only Joe Biden.

 

What’s your favorite political TV show? Let us know on Twitter @NorthernSlant

Also published on Medium.