Werewolves and farces (part 1)
The other day I posted on Facebook a clip from a long forgotten movie from my youth, Teen Wolf. For the sake of redundancy or those who have not seen this cinematic gem that has drifted off into the midst of time, the movie stars Michael J. Fox when he was nearing the peak of his popularity and career success. He is an average guy, living in an average town, attending high school. Lately he's been noticing some oddities about himself, thinking it has something to do with going through pubescent changes. He wants very badly to be more than he is, and especially to have this obnoxious bitch like him. He then discovers, much to his chagrin, that he is, in fact a werewolf. Having transformed into this beast, he opens the bathroom door to find his father standing outside, also completely transformed thanks to the presence of a full moon that night. When he asked why he wasn't told about this sooner, the father gives a weak excuse like he had hoped he didn't have to as sometimes this skips a generation and he was hoping it would pass him by. So much for that. So now our hero, Scott, has to contend with the fact that he is a werewolf and and really feels awkward and insecure for about twenty minutes. Then, when under stress, he turns into the werewolf while he is playing basketball alongside his teammates. Despite every one's shock, he suddenly becomes a great player and gains a whole new form of attention he didn't have before. He becomes vain, arrogant and proud, even getting the horrible bitch who he was after the whole time when he was a nobody paying attention to him (even though this skank won't break up with her boyfriend over it). But he learns humility and moves on as a person rather than the wolf. I made a comment on Facebook with this video clip of his transformation into the wolf at the basketball game "Why couldn't I go to such a camp comedy high school like this?!". A friend who I attended with commented on it saying "It was all a farce." I said "Well put!"
This made me think, exactly what this meant, because unfortunately for me I have found that there are so many things in life which are exactly that. The definition of farce :
This made me think, exactly what this meant, because unfortunately for me I have found that there are so many things in life which are exactly that. The definition of farce :
noun
1.
a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.
2.
humor of the type displayed in such works.
3.
foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham.
4.
Cookery . forcemeat.
If anyone has ever seen an episode of the show Three's Company, most of the plots of that show were farces. Some sort of misunderstanding between characters which made it so funny. This humor in television is now rather outdated, as we have nothing but reality shows which are not funny at all, but are more like a dramatic horror story. Ridiculous? Certainly, but as we apply it to said mutual experience between me and my high school friend (even though our paths crossed for some but not all of said experiences) perhaps it should really be examined. And it should be examined in the here and now.
1) Power struggles - I found myself thinking during those years that this was all very much a power struggle between me and some other force. What force I was struggling with tended to vary. Sometimes it was out to get a good grade, sometimes it was out to gain social acceptance, sometimes it was trying to hide. I found myself living in fear most of the time, terrified. What if I let some piece of information slip out to others that they would take an use against me? Because - I will say it again and again until someone listens or has it happen to them - people take information about you (even something trivial like admitting your favorite color is blue) and use it against you. Don't believe me? Wait until it happens to you. Then you have no choice but to retreat into yourself, living in fear, and having to be in your own little world. Why? Because your little world of whatever it is you are into is safe. No one hurts you there, no matter what that world is.
2) Punishment and Reward - When I was a kid and I misbehaved in some way (as all kids do, I would imagine), I was given a punishment. As a little kid a smack or a spanking was sufficient, then as I aged a privilege was taken away here and there. Naturally as adults (or even teenagers), these things do not always work to get one's point across as to how to discipline someone. But, I would like to think that I straitened up. In general I was a good kid, if not a completely repressed one. This led to further issues as an adult, but that's another blog. I figured if and when someone acted up as an adult or a teenager, they would be punished somehow; and, if someone did something to earn recognition for something, they would be subsequently rewarded. However, this is not true in the world today. Beginning with one experience in high school that should have showed me the way for future disappointments (which I did not realize until later). I played freshman, sophomore and junior year the game of lacrosse. Because I was a glutton for punishment, I decided to play goalie. There are a plethora of hilarious stories attached to this aspect, mostly based on Dad trying to be as encouraging and ridiculous as only he can be when it comes to any sort of sport (but once again, that's another blog).
There were two others who were also goalies, one a year older than me and another a year younger. The one older than me was chosen to be the varsity goalie my junior year, like the rest of The Bitches and Hos in my class. I was the better player, and quite honestly so was the one the year behind me as well. In fact, they put all of the ones who were athletically sound on the JV team. That year varsity laid a big fat goose egg and JV was undefeated. Why? Because the got the godamned thing backwards, that's why! All the varsity caliber athletes were on the JV team playing against those who truly were JVs, and vice versa for the varsity team. When asked why they were not winning, those on the varsity team said "We are not being motivated correctly". I would think wanting to win a game or being the best you can be is motivation enough for someone to make an effort, but once again, I didn't know what I was talking about. Second semester of senior year, we were given the gym option of having to wave either gym class or the required sport of some kind. Because of that asinine logic, I opted out of it. I was not alone in this, because another gal who was also a phenomenal athlete who was stuck on the JV team in my class said the same thing. We never said it out loud, but we both knew why, we said it non verbally with our eyes. And life went on.
3) Acquisition of a backbone - I remember being very terrified of the world around me as a kid. It took me a long time to get past certain fears and insecurities, maybe mine were a bit too crippling. It was hard to get over them, but over time I learned to come out of my shell. There were times when it gets too much, much like the famous prom scene in Carrie or whatever pushes people over the edge nowdays to come back and mow everyone down with a machine gun. You wait for that last insult, that last something whether intentional or not to set you off and then you come out like a wildcat. That happened once to me. I was at a lacrosse practice, junior year I believe. A Mean Girl was talking to the other goalie (this was one a year younger than me, and a rather talented athlete), for some reason I was sitting or occupying space near them. Since I was not cool enough for said Mean Girl to talk to, she chose the other to chat with. I kind of drifted off here and there, then something they said brought me back to reality. I thought the Mean Girl said that (name) was pregnant. Not hearing said name, I asked who was supposed to be with child? The reply was not something like "No one" or "We were just joking", but it was with a high minded smirk on her face, malice in her voice, and a gleam in her eye to say "None of your business, (my name)". Instead of sucking it up and taking it, I bared my teeth, pointed my finger in her face, had my pre cop voice turned on and said "FUCK YOU, (name)! FUCK YOU! You don't have to be so rude just because I am asking you a question!" She got all teary eyed and was clearly shocked at my outburst, went running to the other Mean Girls seeking solace. Then for some reason they turned on her and chased her out of there. Once the army of skanks turns on you, you better have some kind of back up.
TBA
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