You ever watch the show Community? My guilty pleasure because of the brilliant writing and the fact that I dropped out of more community colleges than anyone you know. The show’s off the right air now but it’s coming back in two weeks as a Yahoo online production.

In the episode “Digital Exploration of Interior Design” (Season 3 Episode 13), John Goodman plays Vice Dean Robert Laybourne, the head of Greendale College’s air conditioning repair school. In a pivotal scene, he drives a wedge between friends Abed and Troy (Dani Pudi and Donald Glover), in his never-ending quest to get Troy, an HVAC savant, to enroll in the air conditioning school.

Using a comparison to Troy and Abed’s favorite show, “Inspector Spacetime”, Vice Dean Laybourne fuels their argument over the building of their pillow fort. He suggests that Troy cannot appreciate Abed’s vision, because he is like Inspector Spacetime’s loyal but unremarkable sidekick Reggie. This dialogue caused me to sit bolt upright on the couch, as if the frigid overflow of a leaky air conditioner had dripped down my neck…

Abed: “Goodbye PillowFort. You were a beautiful dream.”
Vice Dean: “More than a dream. It’s here.”
Abed: “Who are you?”
Vice Dean: “Someone who understands dedication to craftsmanship in the face of mediocrity. This world is run by the Unremarkables. Don’t do what you always do – don’t corrupt the host to pacify the parasites. Ask yourself, what if I stopped worrying about their acceptance of me? What if it fell to the Reggie’s of the world to keep up with the Inspectors or perish?”

Vice Dean: “Now please, turn your head while I crawl away. I’m going through some stuff right now – I’m very insecure.”

Holy crap that’s deep, the advice for Manics in there. When we allow the judgement of others, especially the “Unremarkables” to prevent us from producing our creativity, it’s like allowing parasites to consume and destroy us. Fight the judgement of the Unremarkables, all you Manics out there. They are not qualified to judge you. Accept their scorn, their ridicule and their “tsk tsk” denouncement as a sign that you are on the right track. You are about to challenge the status quo, to go further and deeper than those around you in defining what is possible.

And if need be, when you’re insecure, ask them to turn around before you crawl away. Because yes, it’s true, that outfit does make your butt look fat. I’m just sayin…