Jimothy the Raccoon Is the GenX Hero We Didn’t Know We Needed

A misshapen raccoon in Seattle is having main character summer. Everyone’s covering the virality. Nobody’s covering why he’s actually one of us.

From the Seattle Times — A raccoon dubbed “Jimothy” that was seen trotting on long legs across a patch of grass may have short spine syndrome, a rare congenital disorder. (Courtesy of Kiana Hall)

By now you’ve likely seen him.

Jimothy isn’t a Seattle secret anymore — the Instagram video racked up hundreds of 1000s of likes, and the wire services have already run the story in Boston, Pittsburgh, Spokane, everywhere.

Jimothy is a raccoon with a spine so short his body reads almost spherical, wandering backyards in the Ballard neighborhood in Seattle, drinking out of a dog bowl like he pays rent there. Within days he had a nickname, a subreddit, a vet on the local news, and — reportedly — a city proclamation in the works.

Every outlet in the country has told you Jimothy is strange-looking and viral. Fine.

I need to tell say this: Jimothy is a GenX hero.

Here’s why.

He looks wrong by every conventional standard, and he does not care

Jimothy was not built the way raccoons are supposed to be built. His legs are too close together. His torso is round in a way that shouldn’t…