Before med school, I watched all the medical shows as though they were animated textbooks. ER, Chicago Hope, Trauma: Life in the ER, Rescue 911, even reruns of the classic Emergency ("Rampart, we're on our way with a decapitated soccer player...").
During medical school, which I refer to as the Dark Years, these shows stopped inspiring me. Now, they annoy every fiber of my being. A cop friend of mine once told me he had similar weebie-jeebies watching NYPD Blue or Law & Order. I, of course, love those shows because I blindly assume they are accurate portrayals of police work, which fascinates me.
The deeper I got into medicine, the less I needed intellectual stimulation from the small or big screen. I transitioned over several years from seeing only art house flicks to crying in despair because I didn't have time to see "Dodgeball" on its opening night. I love stupid movies, stupid TV and stupid books.
My current Tuesday night passion is "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on A&E. Those of you who regularly watch can hear the catchy theme song in your brains right now. Go ahead, sing out loud. Nobody will mind. Really.
Dog, his wife Beth, his son Leland and his friend/colleague Tim are to bounty hunting what Marcus Welby was to medicine. In each episode, they demonstrate cunning insight into the human mind and outstanding compassion toward their prey, the fugitives. Each episode has a moral lesson and is filled with wit. These are people who ooze ego. They are content in their flashy tackiness and they love that they are the butt of jokes nationwide. I eagerly await each patriotic outfit Beth models, each circle of prayer before a bounty, each cigarette Dog sucks down as he stalks and tackles wife beaters and bail jumpers.
Most bounty hunters probably cringe when they are asked if Dog and his brood are "real." They probably dread the theme song and can immediately list 15 reasons the show is flawed. That's OK. Dog and Beth are real to me, and that's all that matters.
Before med school, I watched all the medical shows as though they were animated textbooks. ER, Chicago Hope, Trauma: Life in the ER, Rescue 911, even reruns of the classic Emergency ("Rampart, we're on our way with a decapitated soccer player...").
During medical school, which I refer to as the Dark Years, these shows stopped inspiring me. Now, they annoy every fiber of my being. A cop friend of mine once told me he had similar weebie-jeebies watching NYPD Blue or Law & Order. I, of course, love those shows because I blindly assume they are accurate portrayals of police work, which fascinates me.
The deeper I got into medicine, the less I needed intellectual stimulation from the small or big screen. I transitioned over several years from seeing only art house flicks to crying in despair because I didn't have time to see "Dodgeball" on its opening night. I love stupid movies, stupid TV and stupid books.
My current Tuesday night passion is "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on A&E. Those of you who regularly watch can hear the catchy theme song in your brains right now. Go ahead, sing out loud. Nobody will mind. Really.
Dog, his wife Beth, his son Leland and his friend/colleague Tim are to bounty hunting what Marcus Welby was to medicine. In each episode, they demonstrate cunning insight into the human mind and outstanding compassion toward their prey, the fugitives. Each episode has a moral lesson and is filled with wit. These are people who ooze ego. They are content in their flashy tackiness and they love that they are the butt of jokes nationwide. I eagerly await each patriotic outfit Beth models, each circle of prayer before a bounty, each cigarette Dog sucks down as he stalks and tackles wife beaters and bail jumpers.
Most bounty hunters probably cringe when they are asked if Dog and his brood are "real." They probably dread the theme song and can immediately list 15 reasons the show is flawed. That's OK. Dog and Beth are real to me, and that's all that matters.