Is MITM part of your culture?

Dewey

Minimalistic
I asked this question some time ago on the FOX forum, but only managed to generate two responses. I’m therefore posting it here in the vain hope that I am more successful this time. I have almost done a complete ‘copy and paste’ job from the other forum, so my apologies if you are not reading this for the first time.

It is quite possible to determine the success of a TV show in terms of the effect it has on its audience once they are away from their television.

I am very interested to know if MITM and its content have had any impact on youth culture. For example, is the word ‘Krelboyne’ now a common term that is used within school grounds? Is the ‘circle game’ as featured in the episode ‘Dinner Out’ a game you partake in regularly amongst your peers? I am sure there are lots of other examples within the show’s context.

I am basically interested to know if there are any aspects of MITM, be it verbal references or physical activity that you have adapted within your own lives, or have seen others perform. This can be within your domestic family situation or your social lives.

Simply put – is there something that you have seen on the show that you now do yourself, or have seen others do, as a direct result of it being on TV? I read an article in a periodical which looked at how after an episode of Seinfeld (The Slicer) first aired, youngsters across America went about sticking paperclips into plug sockets. Perhaps you were one of them? That is the kind of thing I’m looking for.

If anyone can provide some information on this subject, I would be very grateful indeed. I might use the evidence I collate from this to form a starting point for my thesis.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Hey! I answered that question the first time! It was a great question, too. Here's my original answer:

I have quite a bit to say about this, and I apologize I was going to reply on an earlier date, but I didn't have the time.

I began watching Malcolm on teh season finale of season 1, Waterpark. I became what might be referred to as an "MITM Geek" at the beginning of season four, and it has influenced me in some ways I think.

I'm about the same age as Malcolm, so it's very easy for me to relate during the ep's, but I also like to wonder if I'm in a tough situation, "What would Malcolm do?" and sometimes seeing how miserable he looks puts a better spin on my life.

Speaking of my life, weird as it sounds, I often compare myself to Malcolm, as well as Reese and Hal. Not looking for anything in partciular, just looking at what they do, or when they did something, and how my life might compare.

I like the show a lot, and it has become my mission to have every episode readily available on DVD. With it syndicating this season, I am often recording new episodes in a high-quality format (instead of downloading them in low quality) and then editing out the commercials and recording to disc. It's a time-consuming project, but I know that if noen of the other seasons are never released on disc, I'll still have my library. I have this dream that fifteen years in teh future I'll be sitting in my study watching an episode of Malcolm. I will have just put my kid to bed, and about ten minutes into an episode, Stock Car Races always comes to mind for some reason, I have this vision of the kid coming into the study and explaining a bad dream to me. I then comfort him and show him who he's named after--Malcolm.

I'm also deep in the process of constructing an MITM timeline, which meticulously places every episode in a month between January of 2000 and February of 2005. The ep's were aired in order, but, for example, we find out Lois is pregnant in season 4 in January, but although the premeire is in May, it must have actually taken place in September because it takes nine months to do--that. So I'm using clues like that, birthdays, anniversaries, etc, to amke a timeline.

And let me tell you somethign else. When I'm stressed out, or angry, or bored, or pretty much anything, watching a Malcolm episode always makes me feel better. Always. I have problems choosing an ep to watch sometimes, so I put all of them into an Excel spreadsheet, and had it randomly arrange them. Whenever I'm feeling like I need an MITM ep, I just open that spreadsheet and see which one is next on my list. Slick.

Finally, if you're looking for some more impact, definitely make a post on the MITM Voting Community Forums (www.malcolminthemiddle.co.uk and click on Forums on the left). There's some real hard core MITM geeks there--but they're all real nice people (mostly teens and college-age studnets) who probably have a lot to say about your question. Best of luck with your assignment.
 

NeCoHo

Retired Mod
I use some of the quotes, like "At least I know what the next two years of my life will be." and others I can't think of off my head. sometimes I think" I'm in a Dewey situation(or any one of the kids names in place of Dewey.)

I look foward to it. It relives some stress off of being Student Council President at my school.(sometimes I'm in the hall longer then I'm actullay learning.)

Malcolm and I have lots of simularites, like we're both smart, I take a forigen language, an advanced English class, and Algebra 1(now I'm in 8th grade, so yes they are pretty advanced, most kids are lucky if they get a language as an elective) Or to put it this way, we both take higher placement classes.

Seeing him struggle, it relates to me a lot, no body really likes "that Student Council kid" or "the wierd one who's really smart". I find refuge in his antics and it "cools me down" after a bad day(nearly every day). It's a nice way to relive stress and i'm pretty muh getting repetative, so i'll stop now.

In conclusion, Malcolm kinda is a part of me, a part of my essence. I go through the same thing what he did.(all this goes to the early episodes, and some later one).
 

tjpeople

Site Administrator
Staff member
appanah said:
Is the ‘circle game’ as featured in the episode ‘Dinner Out’ a game you partake in regularly amongst your peers? I am sure there are lots of other examples within the show’s context.
arhh! the cirlce game :eek:

well yes it sadly effected someone of my friends - and is still in very acassional use. However im not sure if it originated from mitm and that maybe it came from else where, i dunno i mitm made it up or wat?:confused:
 

admin

Retired Administrator
Its interesting, but really the answer is going to have to be no. No one I no, nor myself has really had their culture affected by MITM. What I do on the internet has changed slightly, but in the "real world" I am still the same person. I really don't think MITM has the same "culture changing" aspects as other sitcoms such as Friends, I think the Friends may have even changed the way I talk :D. Really, when you look at it, MITM has no specific areas, which are constantly shown, it is nearly always different, they never wear their clothers much more than once, they have no distinct language or flaws in their language (except stevie, but stuff like that will never get incorporated into a language) they never repeat tricks, or the stupid things they do. So really the cultural indent can't occur, simply because there is not enough repetitiveness in MITM :D
 

NeCoHo

Retired Mod
I think if people like it, they will do it to. think Reese joins the Army was an army recruiter? i'll try to resurect the circle game at school. I'll give the results in a couple days as a "culture experiment". :D *evil laugh*
 

Wemboy

New member
I have to agree with admin, i don't really think that MITM has had much of an impact on wider cultural life. Maybe it's because the show is more "cult" viewing. God,I hate myself for using that word but, in the UK at least, it just doesn't have the same mass audience as Friends or The Simpsons. (Of course the people who don't watch are the one's missing out but there you go!) The circle game was the only thing which people really picked up on but thankfully it only lasted about a week; i was in sixth form so i guess people didn't get off on punching each other as much as they did at school!:D It's true what you say about Friends and it's impact on language, i mean i don't know anyone who said "that's so not cool" or "that's so not true" etc. before the show aired in the UK. And MITM is never going to influence fashion, i can't see the "Lois" haircut ever becoming as ubiquitous as the "Rachel" did in the 90s. But screw that, because the most successful shows are often the ones that suck most anyway (Only Fools and Horses is a good example for UK members) and the best shows are those which don't pander to the tastes of the masses and hence they can avoid becoming mediocre rubbish. Check me out, this post makes me a real member, yeh!
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Oh, you certainly are a member, Wemboy.

To all our members: I really am enjoying the deep and long thoughts that you guys have posted. It really makes the forum interesting. Keep up the fantastic work!
 

arach

New member
appanah said:
I am very interested to know if MITM and its content have had any impact on youth culture. For example, is the word ‘Krelboyne’ now a common term that is used within school grounds? Is the ‘circle game’ as featured in the episode ‘Dinner Out’ a game you partake in regularly amongst your peers? I am sure there are lots of other examples within the show’s context.
The word Krelboyne isn't in use, but that's probably because I live in a German-speaking country. The circle game circulated (hehe) here too, but that was primary school stuff. We did that before MitM first aired, long time ago. It's "out" and "childish" now because everyone knows it and has done it.
But the "boopy boopy boopy" dance of Dewey is already classic around here, and a fancied joke within my pals.
I often catch me going somewhat like "I have to go and... do the ... thing", like Malcolm said to his teacher in "Home Alone 4".
And a friend of mine really is like Hal. They have so much in common, it's really astonishing. But he was like that before MitM, so maybe the writers have observed and studied his behaviour and made Hal out of it. :D
Sometimes I try to walk through the world like Dewey: Put on the happy face, swing the arms and look around in the sky and so on. Try it, it makes you feel better sometimes. ;)

But what happens VERY often is that when something happens, you look at each other and start saying "hahaha, that was like in 'Malcolm'...".
 

NeCoHo

Retired Mod
arach said:
But what happens VERY often is that when something happens, you look at each other and start saying "hahaha, that was like in 'Malcolm'...".
all the time. my friends get bored of me reciting everything that happened in that one particular episode that led up to the situation we were in. then they ask how i knew all of it and i say something like i don't know, maybe the photographic memory of mine kicking in, as it does every once in a while.
 

arach

New member
J. said:
all the time. my friends get bored of me reciting everything that happened in that one particular episode that led up to the situation we were in. then they ask how i knew all of it and i say something like i don't know, maybe the photographic memory of mine kicking in, as it does every once in a while.
Photographic memory. Yeah, of course, Malcolm. :rolleyes: ;)
 

NeCoHo

Retired Mod
:D it's true, i don't lie! it's not like his. i can't instantly memorize credit card numbers(Krelboyne picnic) but it's small stuff normally it's only stupid things, or things that make me laugh. those things, i kind of instant memorize and people will ask like"thats so stupid, how did you know that?" i'll say"it's my photographic memory, it annoys me." but at school, the kids ask "did you study?" i say no, then they ask how'd you get a 98 on that test then?" it just says in my brain.


But it's annoying, it all depends on which ego is controling me at the time.
 

Amigo22

Super Moderator
You know in Red Dress how Lois plays the "Nice is Good, Mean is Bad" song up real loud to torture the boys, often when someone in my family p%^#s me off, I play What's New Pussycat up really loud 5 or 6 times in a row. Nobody else likes it because when I first downloaded it I played it all the time.

Also how Lois punishes Malcolm for reasons as pathetic as tracking mud in the house and coming home late after doing schoolwork, I had this teacher at school who used to give me detentions for ridiculous reasons like falling off my chair!
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
Then again, it's ridiculous that you fell off your chair!

I think that whether we realize it or not, if we're posting on this board, then MITM is one of our favorite shows, and if it's one of our favorite shows, it's probably become part of our culture. We may allude to it and not even realize it. For example, we might not sing the toothpaste song (Reese, Stupid Girl) to clear our minds or eliminate our nervousness, but more likely than not, we probably have our own method, which we may or may not realize we do, and may or may not connect to the show.
 

Amigo22

Super Moderator
yardgames said:
Then again, it's ridiculous that you fell off your chair!
You might think that, but life at school for me was like being a Krelboyne in a school full of Spath's and Reese's! I was bullied nonstop the WHOLE time! What did you guys think of the bullying you saw in "The Bully?" Bad? NOTHING compared to the crap I suffered!

Now I just feel stupid for mentioning that in the first place, even though something as small as that is nothing to warrant being punished for, which was my original point.
 

Hendrix

New member
I have recently started thinking in my head as if I'm talking to the camera. I always start off my thoughts with "I...followed by a complaint. And during this I look at the direction where the camera should be. I don't why I'm doing this. The show must be seeping into my subconscious or I've been spending too much time here.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
My, me too. Before this site came up, I enjoyed Malcolm each Sunday, and once in a quote crept into my real life, but primarily, things were pretty separate.

Lately, the only things I think about are MITM and the MITMVC. I think I need to take a week off and force myself to not think about MITM. The only problem is that I quite honestly don't know what else I would think about.

If I'm bored, I try and figure out what Malcolm would do (or idle around at the VC). If I'm doing homework, I remind myself that's all Malcolm ever does. If I see my dad running around the neighborhood in his underwear, I remind myself of Hal trying to catch Jellybean in Convention.

Like I said, out of hand just a bit. It's spring break, and I've wanted to do something exciting and fun, and maybe even take my mind off MITM, but there's no one to do anything with since everyone else is on vacation, and I really can't think of anything to do myself. Hence I'm trapped in this constant circle...
 
In my life. Malcolm has definetly affected me. Ever since I started watching it in 2001 I have become obsessed and have almost all of the episodes on video tape or DVD. Quotes creep in my head all the time. Every time I'm sad or upset or in a bad mood I pop in a malcolm tape and it makes me feel so much better. I'm in the process of getting funny MITM quotes from every episode.
 

Garbage Kills Megan

parties with your mom
I don't really know very many people that watch Malcolm in the Middle, so it's hard to bring up the little references. I did watch one episode with two of my friends: Experiment. "Then I saw something shiney, and I put it in my shiny box..." We loved the shiny box. And blellow. Soon after we saw that episode, we were watching my friend play the newest Resident Evil game. Everything that you can pick up in that game shines, so we kept talking about putting the things in our shiny box. Also, you get herbs for health, and you can combine the herbs, and when you do it looks like a little vile with green liquid. When he first did that he said "Blellow!" I should make my friends watch with me more often.
 
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