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Mack Mackenzie: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:mack.jpg|frame|Mack Mackenzie]]
Michael Jordan Mackenzie is "Mack" to everyone except [[Kevin Thompson]], who calls him "Mack Daddy," to Mack's eternal annoyance. An African-American classmate of [[Daria Morgendorffer]] and [[Jane Lane]], Mack attends school at [[Lawndale High]] with his girlfriend, [[Jodie Landon]]. He is known as the captain of the [[Lawndale Lions]] football team.
We know little about Mack's family, though in "[[The Misery Chick]]" he reveals his name was originally "Michael James Mackenzie, but Dad went to a Bulls playoff game when I was twelve and then he changed it."
==General Notes on the Character==
Mack is the only recurring male character of Daria and Jane's age at [[Lawndale High]] who acts with courage, intelligence, and integrity, and as such he enjoys their respect. Ironically, in interviews with [[Kara Wild]], both [[Glenn Eichler]] and [[Anne Bernstein]], two of the driving forces behind the show, stated that this was because Mack was never developed fully, as the show's staff never cast
Subtle references are made in the series to Mack's high intelligence, though one wonders if it is high only in comparison with 95% of his fellow students, who often appear to be (generously speaking) morons. With help from the school Computer Club, he and Jodie [http://web.archive.org/web/20010618230754/www.mtv.com/mtv/tubescan/animation/daria/lhs/about.html designed the school's website], according to an extinct MTV webpage. He knows Shakespeare at least as well as Daria Morgendorffer ("[[Cafe Disaffecto]]" comments about the skull in ''Hamlet''). Being a football player, he has an extensive knowledge of the sport and its history, making numerous references to the same in a short written speech that appears in ''[[The Daria Diaries]]''.
Though Mack is portrayed as being a competent football team captain and a good leader, he is not as competent at actually playing the game. He is unable to successfully perform in the quarterback role when Kevin is knocked out of action by a leg injury in "[[A Tree Grows in Lawndale]]." An extinct webpage on an MTV ''Daria'' site gave Mack's position as RB (=Running Back).▼
Mack is quite popular at [[Lawndale High]]. Aside from being the football team captain, he has been elected several times running as the Homecoming King for the school's homecoming parade, with [[Jodie]] always as the Homecoming Queen ("[[I Loathe a Parade]]"). When serving as a football game announcer, Upchuck calls Mack "Mad Mack" (a play on Mad Max of ''The Road Warrior''), which might be his team nickname ("[[A Tree Grows in Lawndale]]"). Though Jodie says everyone at school calls him "Mack" ("[[Gifted]]"), he signs his class papers as "Michael Mackenzie" ("[[Murder, She Snored]]").
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The one exception to his popular standing is Ms. Barch, the misanthropic science teacher. For reasons unknown, Janet Barch appears to have marked Mack as her favorite whipping boy. References to this decidedly ugly conflict abound: "[[The Lab Brat]]," "[[Gifted]]," "[[Fair Enough]]," ''[[The Daria Database]]'' ("I will not show Ms. Barch fear, no matter what she does to me," and being made to write "I am male, therefore I suck" repeatedly on the blackboard during study hall). Mack's level of self-control is astounding, given episodes like these and his list of frustrations as the football team captain (''[[The Daria Diaries]]''). His New Year's resolutions in ''[[The Daria Database]]'' all involve attempts to control his irritation with other people, including Jodie. It is significant that the only time in the entire show that Mack loses his temper is in a fantasy episode, "[[Murder, She Snored]]," inside one of Daria's dreams.
===Drawbacks===
▲We know little about Mack's family, though in "[[The Misery Chick]]" he reveals his name was originally "Michael James Mackenzie, but Dad went to a Bulls playoff game when I was twelve and then he changed it." Jodie in "[[Partner's Complaint]]" describes him as being "bad with money," being overdrawn on his allowance since third grade. (Mack finally pays his father back during ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]]'', and also has enough money from his summer job to take Jodie to [[Chez Pierre]] "once.")
Jodie in "[[Partner's Complaint]]" describes him as being "bad with money," being overdrawn on his allowance since third grade. (Mack finally pays his father back during ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]]'', and also has enough money from his summer job to take Jodie to [[Chez Pierre]] "once.")
The only other vaguely negative aspect of his character is a tendency to be cynical to a strong degree when referring to the school, Ms. Li's policies, and some of his classmates and football team members. "I'm the only one on the team who can count by halves," he tells [[Ms. Li]] in "[[Fizz Ed]]." His sharp-edged sarcasm is completely missed by most of those listening to him, particularly Kevin Thompson. An example from "[[I Don't]]":
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Mack is clearly and specifically portrayed as coming from a lower socioeconomic class than Jodie, though the details are not known. (Being in a lower socioeconomic class than Jodie Landon is not difficult.) In ''[[Is It College Yet?]]'', he states that he can get into Vance University only if he gets a scholarship, which he does. In ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]]'' Mack drives an ice-cream truck for a summer job, while Jodie works at a congressman's office, takes golf lessons, etc.
▲Though Mack is portrayed as being a competent football team captain and a good leader, he is not as competent at actually playing the game. He is unable to successfully perform in the quarterback role when Kevin is knocked out of action by a leg injury in "[[A Tree Grows in Lawndale]]." An extinct webpage on an MTV ''Daria'' site gave Mack's position as RB (=Running Back).
[[Image:saintmack.jpg|frame|"Saint Mack" ("[[Write Where It Hurts]]")]]
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