Decoding the World of Portlandia
In the first episode of IFC's Portlandia, the critically-acclaimed comedy starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, we learn that the dream of the '90s is still alive in Portland, Oregon, "the Greenest City in America" known for its microbreweries, fine coffees, and organic produce. And, as we find out in the various characters Armisen and Brownstein play in this sketch comedy, there are plenty of righteous do-gooders here in Yuppie-ville, USA. The show makes fun of obnoxious yuppies and hipsters, yes, but what makes it so hilarious is that the people Portlandia is ridiculing really do exist. They're types we all know captured perfectly by the show: the person with a bazillion mobile and electronic devices (all from the Apple store, of course); the person who references in conversation the many culturally elite publications he reads, like the New Yorker, the New York Times, Mother Jones, etc; the person who pays one dollar more for that organic orange, and tells you about it; the person who dons his canvas grocery bag to the Trader Joe's.
The people that Portlandia is satirizing are all better than the rest of us, or at least they think they are (you can watch some choice clips here). As a personal anecdote, one time several years ago, I was at the beach with my younger brother, who was then a toddler. He had found some sand dollars in the water so we were putting them out to dry. But a young yuppie who saw us came over and said disapprovingly, "You know, those are living beings."
And there's plenty of moral opprobrium in the show. One of Portlandia's stock characters is a manic bike rider (Armisen) who dons a whistle, yelling at people and cars to get out of his way, cheering "Go Vegan!" from time to time, and bragging "I don't have a driver's license"---all from the throne of his bicycle seat.
In another clip, this one from the first episode of season one, a young couple goes to a restaurant and asks the waitress if the chicken on the menu is from a local farm. When the waitress presents the chicken's "papers," the couple decides to go to the farm to ensure that it is a humanely run institution. As it turns out, the chickens are as happy as they would be in a Disney movie. But the farm's owner is a creep who is running some sort of cult full of young blond girls. At one point, they all--including Armisen and Brownstein--get on their knees and pray together at the farm.
So this is the dream of the 90s. A critic at the Huffington Post describes it as "our niche-ification and our lack of perspective about the trivial things that we so often latch on to." But it's more than that. There's a distinctively moral element to this nichification. The characters of Portlandia---who are cut-and-pasted from the real world of young adults, like that woman at the beach---are inordinately interested in the markers of living "ethically" in the new politically correct way. This lifestyle possesses them like a religion, complete with its trinkets, icons, and all.
That reminds me of one of my favorite clips, which is about a man who is about to check out at a Whole Foods-type grocery store. In this type of grocery store, which only sells local and organic food and includes a whole array of super-vegan products, the customers usually bring their own enviro-friendly grocery bags because, you know, it's one small step to help save Mother Earth. Well this man forgot his own bag, so he asks the teller at the cash register (Armisen) to put his items in a plastic bag, a Portlandia faux-pas if there ever was one.
Armisen is dumbfounded so calls his supervisor (Brownstein) to the scene. The bagless man guiltily explains, "I forgot my grocery bag." The supervisor is unrelenting and icily explains: "It doesn't matter what you're doing. When I wake up in the morning, my eyes don't forget to open; my heart doesn't forget to beat." In other words, the grocery bag is part of who you are. And if it's not, there's something morally and existentially wrong with you. After a standoff, the man eventually leaves carrying his many groceries---watermelon and all---in his hands.
These external markers are not just accessories that you own, they are part of your very self. In another scene that illustrates this point, Brownstein is about to get into her car, but she drops her phone. It's not just any phone, It's her treasured iPhone. As it's falling, soon to hit the pavement, her cherished memories with her phone flash across the screen---the time she first bought it, the time it helped her locate the perfect brunch spot, the time she kissed it good night, the time she texted from her lap at a dinner out with friends. When it finally smashes on the pavement, the viewer sees an image of the girl smashing at the same time. She's nothing without her phone.
The iPhone, the grocery bag, the bike---these are all ways of literally wearing the new religion of moral hedonism on your sleeve. It's all very superficial, of course. A patina of ethics masking behaviors that are all about you and how you feel. But don't tell the characters of Portlandia that. They have created an entire world built around them themselves and their accoutrements---a world that we can laugh at, but that we are all, in many ways, part of too.
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Jan '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
Haven't seen the show but it does capture much of what I encounter. Plastic grocery bags banned; smug bumper sticker morality (new favorite: Hatred isn't a family value); aggressively slow Prius drivers; skittish smokers huddled together; large Obama artwork reproductions displayed in office windows ...
It's hilarious and creepy.
Dec '10
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
Misthiocracy
Just say yes. Anything is "organic" when one can simply make up one's own definitions for words. · 11 minutes ago
Everything is biodegradable if you're patient enough. Hippies are just in a hurry.
May '10
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
So Troy lives in an affluent beach-front community? Can we hold the next meet-up at his beach house?
Nov '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
Hahaha, This show is so spot on!!! I haven´t seen it before, but just by checking some clips I´m hooked..
It could be also shot at Barcelona or Stockholm by the way. All you would have to do is change the background.
Dec '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
I have a busybody neighbor up the block (complete with Recall Walker! sign in her yard). One day while I was out spraying our apple tree (so we could have tasty tasty apples in the fall) she screeched to a halt on her bicycle to ask if what I was spraying was organic.
<quote>I wanted to tell her it was none of her business.
I wanted to tell her it waspoison, and it would get into the ground water and all her hair would fall out.
I wanted to tell her to go away.
Instead I think I muttered something like "i . . . dunno . . . my wife bought it . </quote>
Thank you for that! I live in a pocket of the crazies too and the things I wish I had said could fill a book... or two.
I have two favorite Portlandia moments. First, when the CA duo hired Ami Mann (as herself) to clean their house and they accused her of stealing from them. Second, when they decided to make craft items to sell and sang a great song about how everything was art when you "stick a bird on it." Classic.
Oct '10
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
Portland is truly a unique city and the series does depict the flavor of the place. A simple trip to Saturday Market, then walk through downtown and the NorthWest corridor, this will be some of finest entertainment one can find. No need to watch the series with that experience, just live the moment.
There is an entertainment loop going on there. Lived there for 47 years and it got real old. Kind like living around little blue Smurfs.
Aug '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
I used to live in Ithaca, before the culture wars as we know them now really got going.
It was all there in Ithaca, though, the DeWitt Mall might have been the fountainhead of "the new religion of moral hedonism". It must be quite extreme now.
It so tickles me to know that there is a Ricochet reader amongst them quietly smiling at it all.
Jul '10
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
Well, they would know.
Oct '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
I discovered the show awhile ago, and was reminded of a friend of mine, an old school Texas Democrat, active in the party every election season, bumper stickers, t-shirts, yard signs, and all. He and I graduated from grad school together, and his first tenure track job was at Portland State. He was initially a star, because he was a minority whose work was about minority issues. But, he lasted 2 years--because, as he said, I was and am a liberal, not a nut case. He left as soon as he could, and now has tenure at a Texas state university not known for its liberalism (hint: the present governor is an alum). When I asked him about Portlandia, he said he found it painful to watch, not funny.
Feb '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
The restaurant scene described reminds me of a story I heard at a Mexican restaurant that serves vegetarian and vegan meals (which makes most Mexicans very wary of such a place). I was speaking to the waiter in Spanish to determine the bona fide of the meals i.e. the meat was really beef not some tofu confection and the waiter related a story where a recent customer had asked if the beef was from suppliers that practiced ethical slaughter methods. The waiter was at a loss of words since the thought never occurred to him and spoke to the manager. The manager was unaware of the slaughtering practices of their suppliers and was annoyed by the question. According to the waiter the initial reply by the manager was to jokingly say "just tell the lady that the cow was slapped to death", but on further reflection ordered the waiter to tell her they didn't know. I laughed as I heard the story and waiter said he frankly doesn't understand Americans sometimes.
Dec '10
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
wilber forge: Portland is truly a unique city and the series does depict the flavor of the place. A simple trip to Saturday Market, then walk through downtown and the NorthWest corridor, this will be some of finest entertainment one can find. No need to watch the series with that experience, just live the moment.
There is an entertainment loop going on there. Lived there for 47 years and it got real old. Kind like living around little blue Smurfs. · 4 hours ago
Spot on description WF. I live well out in the burbs and can only take the city itself in extremely small doses - as in I make it downtown about twice a year.
But! Portland can lay claim to Voodoo Doughnuts. Started by a couple of the aforementioned hipsters, it is simply a must. It is even worth a trip downtown.
http://voodoodoughnut.com/about.php
May '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
I lived in Kits Beach in Vancouver in 1990, this sound exactly the same, only Canadian eh....!
Now we run a retail liquor shop in downtown Tokyo, I LOVE it when a customer brings their own bag, saves me giving them a bag which, because of the price of oil, have started to get expensive! I have one customer who comes into my shop every night and buys a 2 liter bottle of water, he always "presents" his bag to me, like it is a holy symbol and I should kiss his ring or something. I just smile and think "yeah big deal, you bring you own bag, but if you just drank the water out of the tap, you would do a lot more to save the earth, that you thinks needs saving" I've never said it to him, but I'd like to. The tap water is Tokyo is of a very high standard, one recent test done at a university showed it was as good if not better than all of the national brands of bottled water, which are, mostly just bottled tap water anyway. Still, thanks for not using one of my bags!
Apr '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
My best friend's brother works in the department of land management in Portland. His job is to get rid of the intrusive laws passed by municipalities. This, I feel, is one of the greatest government jobs ever.
Oct '10
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
i'm glad carrie brownstein doesn't play male characters on the show anymore.
Aug '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
wilber forge: Portland is truly a unique city and the series does depict the flavor of the place. A simple trip to Saturday Market, then walk through downtown and the NorthWest corridor, this will be some of finest entertainment one can find. No need to watch the series with that experience, just live the moment.
There is an entertainment loop going on there. Lived there for 47 years and it got real old. Kind like living around little blue Smurfs. · 14 hours ago
I enjoyed the six years of my childhood that I lived in Portland and I have fond memories of the Saturday Market. Now I live in Olympia, WA, which has a very similar culture, albeit on a smaller scale. Thus, I can very much identify with Portlandia.
Edited on February 16, 2012 at 12:38pmMar '11
Re: Decoding the World of Portlandia
I loved a lot of the skits but I had to stop watching because the Sexual hummor got to me it was just to much for me to take, more than SNL.