Ron Swanson is one of the best television characters ever created. On Parks and Recreation, Ron steals the show as the stoic, monotone, and manly director of the Parks Department. Though he maintains a straight face at all times, that only helps to make Ron one of the show's funniest characters.
There are a lot of things to admire about Ron. He has great respect for nature and simplistic living. He maintains a diet that is the envy of every meat lover in the world. Finally, of course, he has a spectacular mustache.
Nevertheless, when it comes to his work, Ron is far from an ideal government employee and really has no business in that line of work. Here are some of the reasons Ron Swanson should have been fired a long time ago.
Intimidating Boss
A boss is naturally an intimidating position. They are above the other employees and delegate work, so it is only natural that a boss would be looked at with a bit of fear and reverence. This seems to be a quality Ron relishes and he likes any opportunity to make his employees fear him more.
In one particularly memorable display of Swanson's intimidating nature, Ron pretended to pull out his own tooth during a staff meeting with only a pair of pliers. While it might have made them respect him more, it also terrified them.
Disorganized Department
Another role of the boss is to ensure their department or the people they oversee are organized and efficient. In that sense, Ron is failing at his job. More often than not, the Parks Department seems to be a chaotic mess and Ron never seems to be all that interested in fixing this issue.
To be fair, it seems like most of the Pawnee government departments are in similar or worse shape, but the only reason that Parks Department functions at all is because of Leslie Knope. Ron is often part of or totally indifferent to the problem.
Employee Isolation
A boss by no means needs to be friends with their employees, but they do not need to avoid such relationships either. Ron, to his credit, seems to be to maintain a close rapport with his employees without showing favoritism or negligence. However, he also has a tendency to go too far in the other direction and isolate those close to him.
Ron doesn't like people to think he is their friend so he tries to deter such behavior. If someone is getting too close, he calls them by the wrong name to let them know he doesn't care about them. It's a cruel tactic that can really demoralize an employee.
Technologically Inept
Technology has become a crucial and necessary part of just about any industry. If someone wants to stay relevant in their job, they need to be willing to adapt to the times. Ron Swanson is not a man who has any intention to do so.
While being inept at technology is not a bad thing on its own, the fact that Ron makes no effort to learn even the basics is a problem. His stubbornness keeps him living in the dark ages and holds the entire department back as a result.
Unmotivating To Employees
It's bad enough that Ron doesn't care about his job or if any work gets done, but he also encourages the same level of commitment from his own employees. Ron has said that he will go to great lengths in the aid of someone not doing their job. Swanson will actually put in more effort to not get something done than the other way round.
Ron openly tells his employees not to try and rewards those employees who have the worst attitudes when it comes to their jobs. He hires April and mentors her simply because she shows a complete lack of interest in her work.
Unwelcoming To Citizens
Part of the job of a government employee is to be open and listen to the citizens they work for. This is obviously not something Ron is interested in, nor something he ever intends on doing. Even when he is forced to face the public, Ron refuses to do his job.
When Chris gets Ron a circular desk where he will be more accessible to citizens, he simply turns his chair away from them. He hires April as his assistant because she is effective at getting him out of such meetings. It is a poor attitude for a man in his position.
Uncaring To Employees
The citizens aren't the only people Ron refuses to listen to. When it comes to the complaints and problems of his own employees, their concerns fall on deaf ears. Ron openly tells his employees that he doesn't care about their problems and that they should deal with them on their own.
Ron does attend a mandatory monthly meeting in which his employees are allowed to voice their grievances, but Ron listens to Willie Nelson music the entire time, ignoring them. Hardly the type of behavior that makes for a happy work environment.
Violent Behavior
Ron is usually a very level-headed person and he is able to keep his emotions in check. He also demands that people treat each other with the respect they deserve. But in one incident, his emotions got the better of him and he punched Councilman Jamm in the face.
In Ron's defense, no one deserves a punch in the face more than Jamm, but that kind of violence has no place in a professional setting. Such action is inexcusable and should have resulted in Ron being terminated immediately, even if the person he punched is a total jerk.
Problematic Mentor
Ron has a lot of philosophies that he lives by. He also likes to share those thoughts with others, especially the impressionable youth. When meeting a young girl on a field trip, Ron decides to teach her about why the government is not important to society at all, leading her to write a rather lazy essay on the matter.
When coaching a young boys' basketball team, Ron imparts more of his wisdom on them. He insults them, cuts their hair, announces that crying is unacceptable, and introduces them to a very unhealthy diet.
Hatred For Government
Ironically, if Ron was told he was fired from his government job, he'd probably be glad. That is how much this man despises the government. Ron does not hide his feelings at all. He freely talks about the government being nothing more than an annoyance in the lives of American citizens.
When the Pawnee government is temporarily shut down, Ron giggles with glee. He talks about being glad when government officials die. Clearly, Swanson is trying to take down the system from the inside. Those aren't the best qualities for a government employee to have.