http://dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] dr-jwilsonmd.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2006-10-24 11:17 am
Entry tags:

The Best Medicine: Humor - Period 6 - Class #8 [10/24]

After grabbing a quick nap in his office Wilson came in to Humor about the same time the students did. Sorry guys, no yummies today, professor is tired.

“All righty then. In case the chuckling I was doing wasn’t evidence enough, you all did very well on your tests. Except for you Mr. McKnight, I need to see you after class to talk about why you missed the test last week.”

Taking a healthy swig of some wickedly strong smelling coffee, Wilson pushed away from the desk, least he give in to the urge to curl up there and go back to his nap.



“Today, we’re going to talk a little about Macarbe or dark humor.”

Thus began the lecture on the delicate art of satirizing otherwise untouchable societal taboos. A few of the taboos were quietly omitted due to it being a high school setting, with Wilson leaning heavily on the idea of Medical and EMT humor, which was definitely dark and at times disturbing.

Finally making his way back to the front desk, Wilson withdrew a small file folder and flipped it open.

Class Participation:

[warning, dark humor ahead, do not click if you are easily grossed out] “Okay, you might be an EMT if….” [warning, dark humor ahead, do not click if you are easily grossed out]

Reading through the list, he nodded at a few of those, obviously having experienced them himself, paused to arch a brow at a couple and chuckled at a couple more, then he finished up the list and set it off to the side.

“As you can see from the comments, there is a tendency to take a situation that would otherwise distress our sensibilities and twist it on its head to make it something our minds can handle. Some of these examples I’ve listed might seem positively cold or harsh to you and well to be brutally honest, they are. They are examples of what would otherwise be considered inappropriate humor in a general setting.”

Sliding down off the desk, Wilson began to fiddle with the remote.

“But we’re not talking about a general setting. We’re talking about the mind being forced to face down the unthinkable and coming up with a coping mechanism to deal with the impossible and still remain functional.”

Clicking the remote up towards the back of the room where the DVD player was set up, Wilson pulled down the white screen for the recorded to play against.

Homework:

“One of the most famous examples of dark humor was a show you all might or might not have seen called, Army Surgical Hospital Able to Move or A.S.H.A.M. The rest of the class I’m going to show you an episode of A.S.H.A.M and for homework I want you to write a short essay about the underlying theme of the show and the episode. Obviously, you’re going to see the ‘socially’ acceptable jokes but I also want you to think about the situation these people are in and how they are using dark humor or what would otherwise be inappropriate humor to remain functional in their circumstances.”

Hopefully, as he dimmed the lights and set up the projector, Wilson himself wouldn’t fall asleep in the middle of the episode.

[ooc: OCDs are on the way! up! Class is in session.]

Re: Sign In

[identity profile] like-a-sponge.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
Greg Sanders

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[identity profile] strongestgirl.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Pippi is doodling.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[identity profile] bigfat-peter.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Peter remembered that he didn't have a partner and was about to get up and ask around. Then he remembered he had a half-eaten Snickers bar in his bag and decided to eat that first.

Re: Talk Amongst Yourselves

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Um. Yes. Safe to say Conner had completely forgotten about the project. This would be his panic face. He's got such a good icon for it too.

Re: Class Participation

[identity profile] strongestgirl.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
"Two pirates are hauling a line and one of them says, 'Arrrr, Did ye meet the new Quartermaster with the wooden leg named Jim?' And the other pirate says, 'No matey I did not. What be the name of his other leg?'"

Re: Class Participation

[identity profile] like-a-sponge.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 02:09 am (UTC)(link)
Greg snorted. "I like that. Mean, but great."

Re: Class Participation

[identity profile] strongestgirl.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
"I got another one." Pippi grinned. "Wanna hear it?"

Re: After Class - Talk to Wilson

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 04:13 pm (UTC)(link)
This was Fandom, Conner kept reminding himself, but it didn't quite take all the edge off of having to explain this to his teachers. Well, at least he wasn't the only one who had to explain it much to his player's chagrin because it's getting hard to come up with creative rephrasings already. "I'm really, really sorry about being out last week, Doctor Wilson. I swear I didn't mean to miss the test. I was kind of not exactly here at the time, like, here here."

Re: After Class - Talk to Wilson

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Conner kind of stared at him for a while and his player was kind of seriously envious of the dream and worked his jaw soundlessly before he spoke.

"No, I think you win. I just -- I got stuck in a comic book on Friday the thirteenth" -- huh, maybe that explained it right there -- "and didn't get back out until Thursday night."

Re: After Class - Talk to Wilson

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 05:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"When this sort of thing has happened to you twice, it's kind of not that funny any more," Conner said. You'd think he could afford to be a bit nonchalant about the whole thing given that it had happened twice, but there was a certain level of trauma involved in suddenly becoming flat and papery. "And no, it wasn't. It was all like . . . interpersonal relationship drama."

Re: After Class - Talk to Wilson

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 05:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Funny how Conner could swear he heard his beloved four-day weekend disappear with an audible *poof*, even while internally railing at the cruel fate that couldn't even make his misadventure useful for class. "No," he admitted reluctantly.

Re: After Class - Talk to Wilson

[identity profile] connernotconnor.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
You know that silly little musical tremolo that gets used in cartoons to denote a sudden sense of impending doom? That was probably pretty audible too. If Conner were an anime character he'd be sweatdropping about now.

Suddenly very, very glad that the recital didn't coincide with Parents' Weekend, because lord only knew Kira had enough dirt on him as it was, Conner took the note, gulped, and nodded. "Ten minute skit? Ten minutes. Whew. Okay, I, uh, I can do that. I'll go check with him."

So avoiding comic books for the rest of his life. Oh yes.

Re: OOC -

[identity profile] lovechildblair.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Awwww. Lookit the pretties!

Re: OOC -

[identity profile] a-phale.livejournal.com 2006-10-24 03:58 pm (UTC)(link)
*pets the pretties*

Re: OOC -

[identity profile] karaoke-lizard.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
*waves*

Next time? Please ping me before sentencing a student as "punishment" for not showing up to class.

Re: OOC -

[identity profile] multi-madrox.livejournal.com 2006-10-25 02:37 pm (UTC)(link)
No worries. I've already taken care of Conner. He will be properly punished.

*evil grin*