Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast

But this stuff about “there’s no way” that they aren’t biologically his is bullshit. Like, I almost never think about being adopted, but it’s moments like these that I have to. I’m like my mother because she’s my mom. Not because we get a DNA test that says we’re like each other.

Because really, in moments like this, it makes me ask. What’s so wrong with adopted kids being like their parents just because they’re their parents? Why can’t love be enough to shape us? Why do we always round back to blood? What’s so much better about that?

So anyway, I’m wondering how much more I’m going to read people being thoughtless. I love Batman being a dad because he chooses to love, not because there’s any sense of duty to it. It makes love be even more special.

The general consensus in the fandom seems to be that he’s a shitty dad and a Jewish stereotype. But I think that is a gross oversimplification. He isn’t greedy and money grubbing, he’s a poor business owner trying to survive on Skid Row. Yes Mushnik was being deliberately emotionally manipulative by offering to adopt Seymour just for the money, but he needed that money to survive, before the plant he had just officially announced he was closing the shop. The line before Mushnik & Son isn’t “man i really love money so i guess ill adopt him cause thats how much i love money” the line is “If Seymour left me, why then I’d be right back where i started which was broke and starving, close to bankrupt. Beset befuddled and bereft, thats what I’d be if Seymour left.” I actually equate his decision in that scene more to how Audrey acts towards Orin. He’s fawning to appease someone who he is now financially dependent on. In fact it’s also how Seymour acted towards Mushnik back when he was dependent on Mushnik.

It’s true that he doesn’t treat Seymour as well as he could, but it’s not because he’s an inherently bad person. His relationship with Seymour is complicated. As Seymour says: “he took me in gave me shelter a bed crust of bread and a job, treats me like dirt, calls me a slob which I am.” The first half of this line could be written off as Seymour making excuses for Mushnik, but taking in a kid and providing for him is not easy or cheap, even if he took the path of least resistance. And the meager living he provides can be attributed to his financial situation. He probably only gives Seymour “meatloaf and water” because thats what he can afford. Seymour refers to those as “nice things” because he wouldn’t be able to get them anywhere else. One could easily argue that Mushnik only took him in for cheap labor, but once again, everyone on skid row is in pretty extreme poverty, I wouldn’t expect that Mushnik had much of a choice.

The only problem here is the fact that Mushnik is mean to Seymour and yells at him. And yeah that sucks, but I don’t think it’s grounds to hate him altogether. I wouldn’t even consider him cruel, just strict and… kinda grumpy. Understandable traits for a man desperately trying to manage a failing business that’s his only source of income. Scolding Seymour for doing something like breaking a ton of pots is pretty understandable for someone who probably has to manage his finances extremely carefully, especially when not only Mushnik’s livelihood depends on the shop, but Seymour’s and Audrey’s as well. Im not saying its a stellar parenting technique, but it’s likely that Mushnik’s attitude comes from the frustration of struggling to provide for his employees as well as himself.

If Mushnik is really just greedy and mean, we would have to see him acting this way when he isn’t under extreme financial stress, luckily he gets some money so we can see how he responds. And the MINUTE they get a customer in the shop, the first thing Mushnik does is offer to buy Seymour and Audrey dinner. Not only does he suddenly become generous, but he calls them his “children.” Clearly his attitude is also based on his financial strain. Also when the shop isn’t on the line, Mushnik is consistently caring towards his employees. He goes out of his way to look out for Audrey’s safety even when she tries to avoid the conversation.

Also the movie did him dirty and portrayed him as greedy by having him try to take the plant from Seymour, where in the original he’s trying to help him and Twoey drives Seymour to paranoia.

Okay I wrote a huge response to this and my computer just straight up deleted it, but im back and im gonna try again.

Heres my theory on Mushnik & Son. I think the reason its not as popular is simply because most people don't understand it. A huge part of the appeal of the song, arguably its main gimmick, is all the little references and inside jokes for the Jewish audience.

The whole thing is a sort of over-the-top jewish farce (depending somewhat on the production you watch). Dont get me wrong, its a fantastic song on its own. It's cute, It's catchy, it endears us to Seymour and Mushnik while still highlighting their character flaws. But the cultural aspect is really important to understanding the vibe of the song. A lot of it is not even a joke, just hearing words like "boychik" and "mishegoss" made me laugh because I usually only hear them from my grandmother. If you know the kind of music they're referencing, that "I've held pent up in SIII-YAYAYA-YAYAYA-YAAAAIDE" is a very silly joke, and if you don't, well, it's not. Those are a few examples off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are tons of other details in there that I don't even know yet.

And if you think "well it cant have that big of an impact, most people at least get some of the jokes," I need to inform you that at least FOUR of my castmates did not know that Seymour and Mushnik were jewish.

Point being, yeah that song absolutely rocks, it sucks that it doesn't get so much recognition, and I think it's somewhat because of all the references that a large portion of the audience wont get, but then again, it really is such an amazing song on its own that there's no good excuse for how underrated it is.

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