Your Administrative Persona

Which TV or movie character best matches your administrative persona?, asks Clancy at Culture Cat. Her pick is Dr. Cuddy from House. Dean Dad, meanwhile, says he sees himself as Bob Newhart, Kermit the Frog, or Geoffrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love:

The screamingly-obvious one is Bob Newhart. Particularly in his 60’s albums and 70’s TV show, he did a great job of engaging absolute absurdity while maintaining surface calm. (“The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back.” Exactly.) If there’s a better description of the role of dean, I haven’t seen it. …

Kermit the Frog, from his Muppet Show days, is close, too. The need for the show to go on, no matter how insane Gonzo’s stunt or how cantankerous Statler and Waldorf were, rings true. I also like the obligatory, if strained, public enthusiasm for weak performers, the shoestring budget, and the light melancholy in quiet moments (“It’s Not Easy Being Dean”).

Geoffrey Rush’s character in Shakespeare in Love has a similar quality. “It’s a mystery” how the show will go on, but it will. He’s surrounded by creative types, everything is chaotic or insane, yet he somehow manages to get the show staged. He doesn’t pretend to understand how it will all come together, but he has faith that it will, and it does. …