--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But that's crazy, \" George said. \"How can…" description: "\"“But that's crazy, \" George said. \"How can I be the Average American Man? I'm only five foot eight and my name is Blaxter spelled with an \"l\", and I'm ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/robert-sheckley-14086_america-today_but-that-s-crazy-george-said-how-can-i-b_209130.jpg" --- # But that's crazy, " George said. "How can I be the Average… ![“But that's crazy, " George said. "How can I be the Average American Man? I'm only five foot eight and my name is Blaxter spelled with an "l", and I'm of Armenian and Latvian ancestry and I was born in Ship's Bottom, New Jersey. What's that average of, for Chrissakes? They better recheck their…” quote by Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/robert-sheckley-14086_america-today_but-that-s-crazy-george-said-how-can-i-b_209130.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/robert-sheckley-14086_america-today_but-that-s-crazy-george-said-how-can-i-b_209130.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35e/robert-sheckley-14086_america-today_but-that-s-crazy-george-said-how-can-i-b_209130.jpg) > ““But that's crazy, " George said. "How can I be the Average American Man? I'm only five foot eight and my name is Blaxter spelled with an "l", and I'm of Armenian and Latvian ancestry and I was born in Ship's Bottom, New Jersey. What's that average of, for Chrissakes? They better recheck their results. What they're looking for is some Iowa farmboy with blond hair and a Mercury and 2.4 children." "That's the old, outdated stereotype," the reporter said. "America today is composed of racial and ethnic minorities whose sheer ubiquity precludes the possibility of choosing an Anglo-Saxon model. The average man of today has to be unique to be average, if you see what I mean." The Shaggy Average American Man Story”” [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical monologue mocks the idea of a single “average” American male, highlighting the nation’s diverse makeup and the absurdity of a universal stereotype. **In simple terms:** The “average” American man is a myth; diversity makes any single definition impossible. Key Takeaway Reject stereotypes; embrace individuality. Themes identity diversity stereotypes culture humor Mood ironic critical playful Type satire social commentary philosophical When to use this quote - political commentary - social critique - personal identity - media analysis Key Concepts average man racial diversity media expectations Questions to Reflect On - What does “average” mean to you? - How do media portrayals shape self‑image? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can be harmful and overlook personal complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-today/) [Average american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-american/) [Average man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-man/) [Uniqueness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniqueness/) ## Related quotes > [“- Joey, no situation is entirely unworkable. People have gone through worse bad-rapping than that, and come up smelling like roses. 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What matter most is the impact you can make with your inner resources and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/the-latent-abundance-of-your-inner-most-resources-matters-less-what/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [Averageness is a quality we must put up with. Men march toward civilization in column formation, and by the time the van has learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/averageness-is-a-quality-we-must-put-up-with-men-march-toward/) [Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/) > [The white American man makes the white American woman maybe not superfluous but just a little kind of decoration. Not really important to turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-white-american-man-makes-the-white-american-woman-maybe-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [As soon as an American man loves a girl he wants to marry her. 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His mother says he was born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/in-afghanistan-u-s-troops-are-now-holding-an-american-man-who-has/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“Because this is another thing your average American man in crisis does: he tries to go home, forgetting, momentarily, that he is the reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-clarke/because-this-is-another-thing-your-average-american-man-in-crisis/) [Brock Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-clarke/) > [A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American. And the man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/a-man-who-thinks-of-himself-as-belonging-to-a-particular-national/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [All men are alike. If you ask any American man, 'How are you?' he'll answer 'Fine,' even if his mother just had a heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-hackett/all-men-are-alike-if-you-ask-any-american-man-how-are-you-he-ll/) Joan Hackett > [“He could almost have been an American, he was so tan and had such good teeth, but I could tell straight away that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/he-could-almost-have-been-an-american-he-was-so-tan-and-had-such-good/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Except for the woman, nothing interests the eye of the American man more than the automobile, or seems so important to him as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-h-barr-jr/except-for-the-woman-nothing-interests-the-eye-of-the-american-man/) [Alfred H. 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He is not his skills, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/you-must-realize-mr-blaine-that-a-man-is-not-his-body-for-he-receives/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I knew I was doing something right because it was selling so I didn't want to interfere with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-knew-i-was-doing-something-right-because-it-was-selling-so-i-didn-t/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [“She was an extremely attractive woman if you liked the type, which could best be described as homicidal schizophrenic paranoiac with kittenish overtones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/she-was-an-extremely-attractive-woman-if-you-liked-the-type-which/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I'm not too fond of the hard work and the constant battle with self-doubt that goes on when I write, but I figure that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-m-not-too-fond-of-the-hard-work-and-the-constant-battle-with-self/) [Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/) > [I sell well now in Russia. 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