Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?
The subject of today's SBS lecture was psychotherapy. Or in layman's terms, sitting on a couch and having a trained professional tell you that you hate your father. To illustrate this process Dr. Racy showed a movie clip, as is his want. But it wasn't just any movie. It was ¡Three Amigos!
As an aside, let me say that ¡Three Amigos! is an amazing movie. It's hilarious, it's highly quotable, it has Steve Martin*, it was filmed in Tucson, and it utilizes the upside-down exclamation point (which I believe I praised in this blog previously).
The clip he showed is one of the more memorable scenes. Jefe is informing El Guapo (the leader of the gang) of the events for his birthday celebration. Here's the dialogue:
The fact that he played ¡Three Amigos! in class is alone wothy of note. But then he started quoting the dialogue in front of the class. He was like an excited kid after seeing a movie for the first time, quoting all his favorite lines. It was adorable. To top it all off, he was doing it in a faux-Mexican accent. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen.
To understand the sheer brilliance of the situation, you need to imagine Dr. Racy in all his glory.
Haling from far-off Lebanon (also home of Klinger from M*A*S*H), Dr. Racy towers at an impressive five-foot-nothing. He's got the perfect accent for a psychiatrist, and he's a really nice guy. Now imagine this little guy in a suit slightly too big for him, standing in front of a classroom full of medical students, reciting lines from ¡Three Amigos! in a Lebanese/Mexican (Lebanexican™) accent. Pure. Comedy.
But also highly educational. It made me realize the power of regional articulation in psychotherapy. For whatever reason, Mexican accents are not conducive to psychiatry while Lebanese accents give you mad psych powers. Here's a little summary:
I think we can create similar comparisons for all medical specialties. I'll start off by making a blanket statement that an American accent is best for all general practicioners (internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, etc), and is roughly in the middle for more specific fields. With that said, let's start.
Stay tuned for my commentary on the (predicted) clip of Spaceballs shown in Microbiology to illustrate parasitology.
*I was going to make a comment about the movie having "classic" Steve Martin - absurdly hilarious. But when I looked him up on IMDB, I realized he's still as hilarious as ever. Rock on, Steve Martin!
As an aside, let me say that ¡Three Amigos! is an amazing movie. It's hilarious, it's highly quotable, it has Steve Martin*, it was filmed in Tucson, and it utilizes the upside-down exclamation point (which I believe I praised in this blog previously).
The clip he showed is one of the more memorable scenes. Jefe is informing El Guapo (the leader of the gang) of the events for his birthday celebration. Here's the dialogue:
Jefe: We have many beautiful pinatas for your birthday celebration, each one filled with little surprises!As you can see, Jefe gets all analytical at the end of that exchange. So it's totally relevant for class. Not at all random and unnecessary.
El Guapo: How many pinatas?
Jefe: Many pinatas, many!
El Guapo: Jefe, would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?
Jefe: A what?
El Guapo: A *plethora*.
Jefe: Oh yes, El Guapo. You have a plethora.
El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?
Jefe: Why, El Guapo?
El Guapo: Well, you just told me that I had a plethora, and I would just like to know if you know what it means to have a plethora. I would not like to think that someone would tell someone else he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has *no idea* what it means to have a plethora.
Jefe: El Guapo, I know that I, Jefe, do not have your superior intellect and education, but could it be that once again, you are angry at something else, and are looking to take it out on me?
The fact that he played ¡Three Amigos! in class is alone wothy of note. But then he started quoting the dialogue in front of the class. He was like an excited kid after seeing a movie for the first time, quoting all his favorite lines. It was adorable. To top it all off, he was doing it in a faux-Mexican accent. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen.
To understand the sheer brilliance of the situation, you need to imagine Dr. Racy in all his glory.
Haling from far-off Lebanon (also home of Klinger from M*A*S*H), Dr. Racy towers at an impressive five-foot-nothing. He's got the perfect accent for a psychiatrist, and he's a really nice guy. Now imagine this little guy in a suit slightly too big for him, standing in front of a classroom full of medical students, reciting lines from ¡Three Amigos! in a Lebanese/Mexican (Lebanexican™) accent. Pure. Comedy.
But also highly educational. It made me realize the power of regional articulation in psychotherapy. For whatever reason, Mexican accents are not conducive to psychiatry while Lebanese accents give you mad psych powers. Here's a little summary:
Psychology: Lebanese > American > MexicanIt's true. Don't even try to deny it.
I think we can create similar comparisons for all medical specialties. I'll start off by making a blanket statement that an American accent is best for all general practicioners (internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, etc), and is roughly in the middle for more specific fields. With that said, let's start.
Specialty: Best Accent / Worst AccentI put a lot of thought into those choices and in no way made them up randomly. This list only holds true for America - it changes based on locale.
Psychiatry: Austrian / Mexican
Endocrinology: Mexican / Irish
Neurosurgery: Irish / Russian
Proctology: Russian / British
OBGYN: British / Scottish
Anesthesiology: Scottish / Australian
Dermatology: Australian / Chinese
Nephrology: Chinese / German
Oncology: German / Italian
Pathology: Italian / Austrian
All specialties: Not French / French
Stay tuned for my commentary on the (predicted) clip of Spaceballs shown in Microbiology to illustrate parasitology.
*I was going to make a comment about the movie having "classic" Steve Martin - absurdly hilarious. But when I looked him up on IMDB, I realized he's still as hilarious as ever. Rock on, Steve Martin!
posted by Montgomery at 10:31 AM
3 Comments:
What no doppleganger this time??? Afraid of a having another Cynthia Nixon fiasco??? Your not as brave and daring as I thought you were, you medical coward. Also, I disagree with your accents for medical professions as you have failed to mention Indian accents. Indians are very prevalent in the medical field. I think that this is another sign of your prejudice against people. You are prejudiced against Indians and Lesbians. You should be ashamed!!!
Dr. Racy didn't get a comparison because nothing pops into my head right away when I look at him. His body/arm motions remind me a lot of C3P0, but that's hard to represent in the blog. And he's been our professor for over a year, so I figured it was too late for that.
Indian accent: best for rheumatology, worst for otorhynolaryngology
And I don't understand this "Cynthia Nixon Fiasco" of which you speak. I vaguely remember some hatemonger ranting about Cynthia Nixon, but I'd hardly call it a fiasco. More like a nuisance.
Let me restate: my blog is a hate-free zone, except for all the things I hate. "Things I hate" does not include Indians or Lesbians, however. Better luck next time, psycho.
How can I filter whiners from my comment section? Anybody know?
Kate, dahling, you forget that Monty *is* Bill Nye the Science Guy! As much as he admires this Amigos Psych Fellow, he can't bestow the ultimate compliment by comparing him to Bill Nye.
Plate techtonics rocks!
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