Blogocentric Formulations

Public Shaming & Veronica Mars

PROMPT: Have you ever been embarrassed in public (and had people laugh at you)? And/or have you ever laughed at someone who had been publicly embarrassed? Tell us the story.


Unfortunately, I've been on both sides of the embarrassment.

For being embarrassed in public and having people laugh at me, the best example I can think of would be when I was in my World History class as a sophomore in high school. I had never been a very outspoken student (never raised my hand even when I was absolutely sure of the answer, only spoke when directly asked a question, etc.), and this one time I decided I was going to actually volunteer an answer because I had it down cold. It was one of those long response kind of questions like, "What were the factors that caused World War I" or something like that, and I raised my hand and went into a detailed explanation of each factor and supported it with plenty of examples. I was sure I nailed the answer and felt pretty good about myself.

Now, this is the point in the story where I should probably mention that my last name is the same as a certain Todd Bridges character from a certain sitcom called DIFF'RENT STROKES.

So the teacher, after I finish my thorough response, lets the class remain dead silent for about thirty seconds... then just when I'm starting to wonder if I screwed up the answer, shouts out, "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

Cue the uproar from the class, especially when I tried to figure out if he was serious and stammered to try and clarify what I meant by my answer, so put on the spot that I didn't realize he was joking and thought he actually didn't understand what I just said.

You know, now that I think about it, that teacher probably stunted my psychological development and is the reason I don't like to volunteer answers even to this day and even when I'm sure I know the right answer...

As far as being the one doing the laughing, I'm ashamed to admit that there are more times than I could probably count. Even though I was a pretty nice kid all things considered, teenagers aren't always the most sensitive people, and I was guilty most of the time of laughing when someone fell down, or when a kid was doing an impression to make fun of someone else. I have a very sarcastic sense of humor AND I laugh during uncomfortable moments to ease the tension, so that's not a great recipe when it comes to someone being embarrassed in public. I've laughed at quite a few moments that I wish I could go back and keep quiet about.

Having been on both sides of the embarrassment spectrum, all said, I'd rather be the recipient of ridicule and embarrassment than the source of or witness to it. The mortification that comes with being embarrassed, in my experience, endures for a far shorter period of time than the guilt of laughing at something you probably should't have.

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PROMPT: What's your favorite movie of 2014 so far?

VERONICA MARS
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2771372/

Admittedly, I've only seen two 2014 movies so far: JACK RYAN and this one. So really, it's more of a "which of these two did you like better?" question and I'd give the edge to VERONICA MARS, although I enjoyed both movies. I got suckered in by all the callbacks to the series and the pop culture references, which edged it out over JACK RYAN even though both had very skillfully plotted narratives and kept me interested throughout.

I do say all of this with a caveat, though, which is that I don't think you'll get as much out of VERONICA MARS if you haven't seen the series. Yes, it works as a movie, but if you're walking into both movie worlds cold, I think you'll get more out of JACK RYAN because it requires a little less background knowledge to fully appreciate. VERONICA MARS is great if you're a fan of the show, but if you haven't seen any episodes of the series and aren't familiar with the characters, a lot of the best moments and funniest jokes of the movie will be lost on you.

For example, take this theatrical trailer for the movie:

Obviously some of the stuff is pretty easy to guess (that she had a relationship with Logan, that she wasn't the most popular kid in school, etc.), but there is a ton of stuff even in those two minutes and thirty seconds of the trailer that you can't truly appreciate without knowing the story behind the series. For example, the girl she punched out at the very end of the trailer is a very specific rival that she had through all three years of the series, and the stun gun she refers to is also a staple of the show. The frat guy's joke, "That girl who always follows you around is here" is also a nod to the series, as well as many of the cameos and characters that show up.

So I'd definitely call VERONICA MARS my favorite movie of 2014 so far, but that's only because I've seen all three seasons of the television series leading up to it.