Community/Recap/S1 E06 Football Feminism and You

Troy and Annie have been bonding through Annie's helping Troy with his astronomy homework but their friendship is threatened by the Dean's latest scheme to improve the perception of Greendale, which involves attempting to convince Troy, star player of his high school football team, to join Greendale's less prestigious outfit. Since Troy has no interest in doing so, this would normally be a non-starter, but the Dean has incriminating photos of Jeff — specifically, ones depicting him attending the school attached to posters and mailers — which, much to Annie's horror, provides sufficient incentive for Jeff to use his powers of charm to sway Troy's mind. To mark the renaming of the football team into the Human Beings, the Dean enlists Pierce's help in designing an ethnically and gender-neutral team mascot; however, no one foresees the eventual result.

Attempting to bond with Britta, Shirley invites her to be her bathroom buddy, but soon discovers that Britta will need some serious coaching in the mysteries of the Wondrous Ladies' Room.

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The Community episode "Football, Feminism and You" contains examples of:

• Chain of Corrections
• Completely Missing the Point:

Annie: We should totally study astronomy later. Maybe over some Milky Ways? Or Mars Bars? Troy: Or pancakes.

• Foreshadowing: Troy tells Jeff that he needs to accept where he is and stop fighting it. He recommends taking a pottery class. Later in the season, Jeff does just that.
• Golden Mean Fallacy: Jeff tries to invoke this.

Jeff: I just think we were both wrong. Annie: Really? Because I'm an eighteen-year-old girl and you made me cry in public. Jeff: Hmm. Okay, maybe I was a little more wrong.

• Hannibal Lecture / "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Jeff delivers a really nasty one to Annie after she discovers his role in persuading Troy to rejoin the football team:

Annie: Britta's right; you're the most selfish person alive! And all that is going to end right now, because I'm telling him what kind of friend you really are. Jeff: Maybe you should tell him you're hopelessly in love with him. [Annie is stunned] High school must have been tough, huh? Waiting for a superstar to notice you. But here, he's all alone, and he needs so much help! Did you enroll in all of his classes, or were you worried that might freak him out? The important thing is that you are there for him. The important thing is that you are the only one there for him. And you don't really care what he wants, just as long as you don't have to share him with the rest of the world. Because really, you're just as selfish as I am. You're just not as good at it yet. Annie: [Hurt] You're right. I could never be as good as you. Probably because I actually care. Jeff: [Flippantly] Profound, but ultimately meaningless. [Upset, Annie storms off] And don't bother trying that thing that women do when they walk away and make the guy feel like crap because it's not going to happen! Yeah! [Guilty] Damn it!

• Hypocritical Humor: The science teacher starts ranting when someone's phone rings in her class... until she realizes it's hers, and proceeds to interrupt the class to chat up the guy on the other end. She then asks to borrow a pen off someone, clearly not having one of her own, and then chews out the person she asks when they also don't have one.
  • This exchange:

Jeff: I'm saying, you're a football player. It's in your blood! Troy: That's racist. Jeff: Your soul! Troy: That's racist. Jeff: [Uncertain] Your eyes? Troy: That's gay. Jeff: That's homophobic. Troy: [Casually] That's black. Jeff: [Indignant] That's racist! Troy: Damn.

• Political Correctness Gone Mad: Parodied; the Dean and Pierce's efforts to make a politically correct 'human being' mascot crash right back into the realm of racism through judicious use of racial profiling. And the resulting creation, while (maybe) not racist, ends deep in Uncanny Valley.

Jeff: Wow. I think not being racist is the new racist.

• Serious Business:
  • The Dean considers Troy joining the football team this.
  • Shirley considers the Wondrous Ladies' Room this.
• Similar Squad: The security guards who very closely resemble Troy and Abed.
• Uncanny Valley: The Greendale Human Being plummets right into this, as it is completely ethnically neutral, having no traits that could possibly belong to any human ethnic group. However, this just serves to make it incredibly creepy instead.
• White Man's Burden: Parodied; having created the race-neutral (and incredibly creepy) Human Being mascot, Dean Pelton is heard to happily chirrup "Well, we've solved racism!"
• Wondrous Ladies' Room: Shirley considers this a sacred space. Britta initially seems quite aloof to it, but later finds herself tearfully admitting that "I've peed alone my whole life!"