Why does everyone hate Hank Hill?

Can't stand the show (Seriously, how do people stay awake watching it?), really don't care about the leads.

Once you get into the show, it's hilarious.

Well, Lyndon Johnson was considered by some conservative. Liberal pundits at the time even called him "Machiavelli with a Stetson".

Who is Hank Hill?

A fourteenth century English King.

The main character in Goodfellas.

edited 13th Dec '11 1:13:22 PM by Buscemi

I'll say this, I don't get the huge hatred of Lucky.

...okay, I won't say I don't get it, I just don't understand why it's so vehement. I really don't mind the character at all. He had his moments.

^ I think it has to do with Lucky's relationship with Luanne. Earlier in the series, she was trying to escape from her redneck upbringing (The incident that lead to her staying at the Hills' residence being the driving force), yet along comes Lucky and drags her back into the trailer park, theoretically speaking. That's what I think, anyway, he's a Scrappy because of that fact alone. That's not counting the fact he thinks he doesn't have to work anymore due to the Costco settlement. Plus there's the fact he's voiced by Tom Petty.

Personally, I think he's okay, all things considered. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders in some regards (Like not wanting to marry until he has his GED), plus he's not as annoying as other characters on the show, let alone other Scrappies in general.

As for why people hate Hank, it's been said time and time again, but I feel like giving my two cents. He comes off as a huge stick in the mud who has daddy issues and only cares about propane, sports (Most importantly, Football), cars and home maintenance. In other words, "manly" things. Hence why he constantly gets on his son's case about whatever fad of the week caught his eye. Plus Hank seems too old fashioned, distrusting things like the internet without giving it a fair shake. Anything that seems to exotic or weird instantly earns his ire. Whether or not it's justified depends on the person.

Other times he's a designated hero, against some true sleezebags that decide to set up shop in Arlen (Like the reality show producer for Dusty Hill's show, the author that tells Peggy she's a bad parent, etc.), other times against things, like I said, that are too new or weird to him (Like the Christian Rock episode that rubbed many viewers, including myself, the wrong way).

(Not bad for a first post from a long time lurker, huh?)

People actually hate Hank?! Wow this is news for me, I thought he was really popular or something!

He's quite realistic compared to most tv (let alone cartoon) characters out there. He almost never gets into over-the-top situations like Peter or Homer do, and for the most part he's quite relaxed and laid back, only barges into peoples affairs when they're being dicks about it. And as for the "holier than thou" part? Honestly, what tv show character doesn't show that trait at times, let alone been accused of it?

I only hate him because he has such a hard on for propane. Seriously his obsession with it is freaking creepy at times, why does he love a gas so much?

Rule of Funny. Man's devoted to his craft, dude!

I like Hank because it's not often you see a sympathetic Conservative character on TV these days.

Machiavelli wasn't really conservative though. And being Machiavellian has nothing to do with conservatism or liberalism.

But it was used to back up claims that Johnson wasn't very liberal. In fact, Kennedy chose him as his running mate to win in Republican strongholds.

Sometimes I like Hank, and sometimes I despise him.

Always love Dale though. And Boomhower, just for the way he talks.

Out of the four alley guys(Hank, Bill, Boom, Dale), Bill makes me laugh the most. Dale's funny but not when the episode revolves around him.

Because he's conservative and republican, and that is reason enough to be hated on TV Tropes.

Kennedy raised Machiavelli from the dead to be his running mate? Man, american politics are awesome!

... On second thought, I think I might've missunderstood the conversation.

Because he's a weak-kneed putz.

Mike Judd considers himslef to be more of a social satirist than a political satirist.

It's largely due to the fact that Hank Hill, even before his Flanderization/Character Derailment/Whatever You Wanna Call It was depicted as a man who was out of touch with the modern day and viewed just about everything that wasn't pre-1970s or Dallas-related as revolting. Granted, a lot of episodes have him pitted against the entire town as the Straw Man (which is an episode formula that did get old), but there are instances where if he was a little bit open-minded would've made a huge difference.

I look at King of the Hill as one of the few shows in which the main characters (i.e. the Hill family) aren't rootable. Even a Base Breaker nutcase like Dale Gribble has more sympathetic moments during the series.

Hank is a realist, and the show tends to be "realistic" in how good or bad a certain idea is, although sometimes it backtracks against itself (like the episode where Hank's mom and her new husband make an RV into their new home, which Hank disagrees with but ultimately Tillie is proved "right"). The show is conservative in the small-C sense, in that it is not opposed to modern philosophies but wants to see them implemented in a way that is amenable to middle America. An example is the episode where Hank throws out his back and has to take Yoga as therapy. The Yogi is portrayed as a pompous jackass, and Hank hates the Yoga classes, but Yoga proves its worth in actually fixing Hank's back.

So the show delivers its Aesops in a far more balanced way, from the perspective of a man who is, again, small-c conservative, very much at home in the world he knows and grew up in, but not like many more Reactionary rightists who actively hate what has become of the world.

The thing with Luanne is not as bad as it appears either. Luanne ends up as a decently successful stylist, going through her Odyssey of going to beauty school, flunking out of beauty school and into community college, then flunking out of community college and just having Bill teach her how to be a stylist (which was one of the more understated triumphant moments that Bill experienced across the entire series). Though she does marry Lucky, she has a house and a job and is far away from her trailer-trash roots.

I like Hank Hill. But his sucky moments are way to low a bell curve for me to not notice. Like when he took away Kahn's medication for his mood swing.

edited 25th Jan '14 12:36:58 PM by NoName999

I don't hate Hank Hill.

He just bores me.

Whut is this non-sense? How can anybody hate Hank Hill? He's a stand-up guy with common sense, I tell you whut.

This thread just ain't right.