You can’t judge a book by it’s cover and you can’t judge a hero by his name. After watching a few Literal Trailers by Tobuscus or “If _____ Were Real” videos by Smosh it’s obvious that taking things literally or realistically can give it a whole new meaning. Heroes with names like “Ant Man” make people laugh their socks off. They laugh at this hero by simply hearing his name, and not witnessing his incredible powers. Just like Smosh and Tobuscus, people take the literal meaning of the name as a joke instead of actually seeing the hero for who he is (Not shooting down Tobuscus or Smosh, I’m subscribed to both on YouTube). Now the butt of all the ‘everyday superhero’ jokes isn’t even recognized as a hero. But then again, before you read my blog how many of my everyday heroes did you actually recognize as heroes?
This hero however is literally the butt of all jokes, there’s even an app for it. If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m taking about Plumbers. If you’re a kindred spirit of my dad’s than you probably bought the app “Plumber’s Crack”. While this app is funny for certain audiences, it sends a shameful image to the Plumbers audience.
Now a lot of you are probably thinking, “How’s a plumber a hero? At least heroes cover up their rears and save more than my pipes!” Well, that’s where you’re wrong.
My family has been friends with another family for about 16 years now, it all began when their oldest son Drake and I went to preschool together and became friends. Now his younger brother Nick, that I’ve known since before he was born, is working as a plumber. My younger brother jokingly asked if his butt showed when he was working. Nick laughed and told him no, he actually was supposed to wear an spandex like suit that prevented exposure of his rear. He actually would lose a great sum of money from his daily pay if he was exposed.
I’m not entirely sure where the plumber’s crack jokes started. Maybe in the ‘Old Days’ Plumbers would sometimes have their posteriors exposed since they primarily worked while bending over and their heavy utility belts would pull their pants down. I don’t know about you but I would be devastated if that happened to me while I was on business. It’s kind of like in Phineas and Ferb (yes, I watch that show, love it!) when Doofensmirtz had a video from college of him rollerblading in a superhero cape and underwear into a toilet. It didn't take long before the video went viral. He was so embarrassed he couldn’t leave his house, let alone his bathroom, without being laughed at. He was so devastated that he built an inator to erase it from everyone’s minds and all records (universal). Unfortunately his scheme didn’t go as planned, but this is very similar to what is happening to plumbers. Perhaps a few plumbers accidentally expose themselves and suddenly become a universal joke in the corporate world.
Did you know there is an actual plumber hero in the superhero world? He fights fire breathing dragons, saves princesses, rides dinosaurs, and eats mushrooms that give him superpowers. That’s right. I’m talking about the world’s favorite Italian Plumber with the catchphrase, “It’s a me, Mario!”
This Italian Plumber has captured the hearts of the world since 1981 his début in the classic arcade game “Donkey Kong”. Since then this superhero has appeared in over 200 games and become the face of Nintendo. And not one of them, I might add, does he expose his rear.
Just as Mario is a vital part of the video game and superhero world, Plumbers are an important part of our world. Just like garbage men and janitors, plumbers do the nasty jobs that no one else wants to do. (Even if it means constantly saving a Princess from a psychotic dragon without receiving any thanks.) Plumbers do the dirty jobs and clear the way for us bystanders that normally just stand by. So before you make another plumber crack joke or buy that new app update for your iPhone, make sure you take a moment to realize that Plumber’s aren’t a joke.
Next time you get the chance, thank your plumber for his hard work and determination. Even if you don’t agree with my philosophy, do you really think you should be teasing the guy that has power over your toilet? Some nasty stuff goes down in there, and you don’t want him dropping your tooth brush in there while your back is turned, do you? ;)
