It's The Great Pumpkinhead, Charlie Brown

The one thing that has always bothered me about the Charlie Brown Christmas special is that the other kids never admit to Charlie Brown that he was right about the little tree. They ultimately accept the tree, but no one ever says, 'Well, Charlie Brown, I guess you were right all along. We were idiots.'

That's "voice of his generation" scribe Chuck Klosterman, dissertating on the unacknowledged wisdom of poor Charlie Brown. But we couldn't help think, while we were reading it, that Chuck was using Charlie Brown as a stand-in for another character whose genius has gone unrecognized by a wider world even though the simple lessons he provides are obvious to all when examined closely and rendered in this sage's unique prose styling. Yes, it's pretty clear that Chuck is thinking about us, and our assertion that he's an asshole whose entire career is based on appreciating the lowbrow who wants to pull up the ladder. Thanks, Chuck. Happy Holidays!

The Lonely Tree: The Story of A Charlie Brown Christmas [PopMatters]