So this is one of my blog posts where I feel like I am writing something special, but in reality it is probably stuff people think about and know all the time…it is still fun to write about it at 5am when there are no patients in the hospital that need my attention and there is time to kill…
I wanted to write about the recent Lady Gaga spoof remake done by a bunch of airforce troops in Afghanistan. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHXgFU7qNI
When I first heard about this video on NPR I couldn’t wait to go home and watch it on Youtube. And boy was it something. At first I couldn’t stop laughing at the absurdity of the dance moves, and the outfits, and most of all that these were US troops stationed in Afghanistan acting more silly then 3 year olds. It almost shocked me that these guys could get such popularity on Youtube, and I almost felt embarrassed for them assuming this is not something every troop at war does, and wondered if they got any slack for the video.
I started wondering what inspired them to do it, and to post it as it is a little embarrassing, and realized it was probably a mechanism to cope. I am in a field that needs a way to cope too, and I suddenly completely understood. As a veterinarian I frequently have to euthanize, or “put to sleep” my patients. It can be trying, especially on days when you realize you euthanize most of your patients, feeling like you can’t help anything despite your best efforts, even if it is the right thing for the patient. How do we deal with all this death, and the responsibility of pushing the actual solution in to the animal that takes their life, day after day? We joke. We laugh. We make SICK and TWISTED comments that would probably offend the majority of the general public, but that is how we move on to the next patient. And we find coping mechanisms outside of work. We run, we knit, we go to yoga classes religiously, we dance. Well, speaking of dance, all these random thoughts led me to this interesting piece on the overnight tonight:
http://l.b5z.net/i/u/6066747/f/RueppelDance.pdf
I got to wondering how dance originated. I mean, being an atheistic biologist I often try to think about evolution and why certain things have originated. Why has dance originated? And why do not many other species exhibit dance like us? At first, I thought that maybe dance evolved in humans as some sort of mating courtship or ritual…but that didn’t make a whole lot of sense when I started thinking about the times I am most comfortable dancing…alone in my house cleaning the kitchen or putting away laundry while blasting some music, maybe after getting back from a really good, long run, basically times when no one can see me. In fact, I love my little alone time dance moments a lot, and one of the things I am most worried about when I move in with my boyfriend next year is things like “Is he going to make fun of me when I dance?” or “Will I be comfortable enough in my own skin to dance around him like I do alone so often now?” So much for my dancing being a mating ritual….
Well, the above long article has been interesting to read, and I had forgotten that other species do indeed dance. There were also discussions of the various functions of dance, and music for that matter. The most interesting thing for me was the talk of “Dance Therapy”, which talked about using dance as a form of therapy in mental illness. It can be performed with a therapist, or more commonly alone. It’s often used in people with mental illnesses that make communication difficult, such as in children with autism. It helps open up the ability to communicate, as well as release endorphins and other chemicals that have a healing element in the body. And it makes perfect sense why I felt dance is a great outlet for those of us without mental illness but in stressful and demanding fields (although this is debatable too with the increasing rates of PTSD in all of the Iraq War Vets and the recent study on veterinarians:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-04-02-dolittler02_ST_N.htm
The airforce troops are in one hell of a position, and it is probably not acceptable to get emotional or express your feelings about the war and the situation you are in. Just like in my field while we tend to be open about things, if you constantly communicated the emotional strain you were going through, things would probably be unbearable. So why not use an outlet like dance to release that pent up energy?
Well, enough of my silly rambling. I guess I am fascinated by the troops remake video, and slightly jealous I didn’t do it first, since dancing is such a healthy way to release some energy and feel great about yourself. Although it always looks a little silly to me when I randomly catch Ellen on her TV show breaking out her moves while waiting for a haircut at the salon, good for her. I hope I can bust out my lack of rhythm white girl butt on the dance floor more often. Rather then wonder how crazy these troops were to do this, I think the best response can also be found on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDTkHnTu_UU
I think we should all try a little remake of our favorite songs now and then too, just like these girls did after seeing the troops.
