Now, many superfans of Parks and Recreation have a deep love for the government workers of Pawnee, Indiana. Even at their worst, they're not as bad as other crooks and thieves, right? Well, no matter how perfect Leslie seems or how put-together Chris Traeger is, everyone has their mean steaks. There was even an entire episode dedicated to how Leslie steamrolls everyone in her life — something many of us pushed aside until it became big enough of a problem.
No matter how much we love the Parks and Rec. Department of Pawnee, these 10 characters have done some pretty careless things over seven seasons.
HOW LESLIE WANTED MARK TO PROPOSE TO ANN TO BOOST THE TELETHON'S RATINGS
The problem with Leslie Knope is that she wants so many good things for her friends that she acts irrational and does some outlandish things just to make it happen. Is getting what she wants worth breaking the law or being selfish?
In one episode, in particular, Ann is confused if she sees herself being with Mark longterm. On the flip side, Mark knows Ann is the one and is planning on proposing to her. However, during a 24-hour telethon, Leslie decides it would be the perfect time for Mark to propose to air to boost ratings — not even thinking if that's something Ann would want. If Leslie actually took the time to listen to Ann, she would have never tried to orchestrate such a proposal. Luckily, it never happened.
RON STRAIGHT UP DOESN'T CARE ABOUT HIS FRIENDS
It's obvious Ron doesn't care about the government. As a libertarian, he thinks the government is full of money-taking imbeciles. Forgetting that he, in fact, is a government employee, he was ecstatic when Pawnee's government was shutting down to reorganize its finances.
Not even thinking about his friends and co-workers, he was also pleased to find out he would have "cut expenditures by 32%." He even said he would round the percentage up to 40%! Not many bosses are excited to fire a lot of their team, but it appears Ron DNGAF.
WHEN BEN COULDN'T MAKE HIS MIND UP ABOUT THE ACCOUNTING GIG
Oh, sweet Ben. It's hard to think of the crummy things Ben Wyatt has done during his time on Parks and Recreation. We can't fault him for breaking up with Leslie, because it was for the good of her career. We can't judge him for trying to move on with Shauna Malwae-Tweep to men his broken heart. And we can't be mad at him for being the "bad guy" at work, because he's just doing his job.
However, the one thing that was pretty messed up of Ben was when he applied for the accounting job, got the job, and then turned it down... multiple times. Each time he showed up to the office the manager was ecstatic to have someone of his caliber there, only for Ben to crush his dreams time and time again.
WHEN APRIL CROSSED BEN
When Ben got the chance to work in DC for a few months to further his career after Pawnee, he decided to take April with him. Besides Andy being there, she had no real ties to Pawnee and seemed bored with her job. It was a really nice thing of Ben to do.
However, once April was in DC, all she did was complain about missing Andy, how dumb her new job was, and how horrible the interns were. To make matters worse, she defied the man who got her the job by drawing a crude caricature of him for the office, which made it okay for the interns to defy him as well.
WHEN ANDY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ANN
Andy gets a pass for a lot of the dumb things he does because he's Andy. He's not the brightest, he's selfish, and he does a lot of things with little drive. The only thing we saw him truly go after in life was April, his music, and his desire to become a cop.
In the earlier seasons though—when he was still dating Ann—Andy was a real tool. He took advantage of Ann's kindness and made her do EVERYTHING for him when he broke both legs. He even pretended to still be injured because he loved how Ann did everything for him. It's no wonder she broke up with him after two years.
AND WHEN ANN LITERALLY KICKED ANDY OUT ON THE STREET
Following on the point above, Ann isn't as perfect as she seems. She may be one of the most eligible bachelorettes in Pawnee, but she's not incomparable.
After she broke up with Andy, she literally threw him out on the street. Sure, what Andy did was lousy but did she expect anything less from a dude who eats food from a frisbee? After being with a person for two years—and living together—Andy deserved a little more respect when she broke up with him. He had no place to go, no clothes, no job, and yet she didn't care. Ann was betrayed, sure. But to leave a man you once loved homeless? That's pretty ruthless.
WHEN TOM TOOK THE SPOTLIGHT AWAY FROM LESLIE
Is Tom Haverford the worst character on Parks and Recreation? He's misogynistic, selfish, and uses people to get what he wants. He's also horrible at his job (when he actually does it).
One episode, however, showcases the worse thing he's ever done. In "Meet 'N' Greet," Leslie ran an event to do a meet-and-greet with local business when she was running for election. Tom promised to help with the event and all he did was promote his new brand Entertainment 7Twenty. Leslie worked so hard for this moment and it was gutting that he ruined it for her to promote a business with absolutely no backing to it.
THE FACT THAT CHRIS IS TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH HIMSELF
Oh, Chris Traeger. He's a man that's hard to hate but does so many head-scratching things. Fans applaud his dedication to health and love his upbeat personality, but he takes it to the extreme sometimes. In one selfish move, he was asked to bring a wedding cake for April and Andy's impromptu wedding. Excited for some cake, Ron was beside himself when he found out Chris brought a vegetarian loaf instead.
Sorry, Chris, but it's not YOUR wedding, so why are you trying to push your beliefs on someone's big day? He also does this when he promised to cook Ron a couple of steaks after his favorite steak joint closed, only to find out he was grilling mushroom "steaks," not meat...
WHEN JERRY LIED ABOUT BEING MUGGED
Jerry does a lot of dumb things but they're not on purpose. He's just a clumsy man with a good heart who no one listens to. Sigh. However, there were two things Jerry did that was downright cold. For starters, he forgot to vote for Leslie when it mattered, and he lied about being mugged.
After being told to fill the park's bird feeders, Jerry slipped into the lake after trying to retrieve his burrito and broke his arm. Embarrassed by what his co-workers would say, he lied about being mugged in the park. This then led to Leslie taking a stand for safer parks, putting Jerry's lies in the spotlight.
WHEN JEAN-RALPHIO GOT HIT BY A CAR ON PURPOSE
Remember how we said Tom Haverford was one of the worst characters on Parks and Recreation? Scratch that — Jean-Ralphio is. He'd do anything for money, including scam people. Remember when he made a fortune by getting hit by a Lexus? He later furthered this point when Tom was in need of cash and Jean-Ralphio told him he could totally get hit by a car to make a few "dollars and cents."
He also jeopardizes Tom's business opportunities by simply being himself. From Entertainment 7twenty to Rent-A-Swag, Jean-Ralphio flies by the seat of his pants, not really caring how it affects his supposed BFF, Tom.