Ellynne G. wrote:
Perhaps I'm just trying to excuse their bad behavior but I think it's more a case of their being subject to weird bursts of gallows humor under high stress. The more terrible the situation, the more likely they are to make a biting joke at someone else's expense.
Oh, I understand gallows humour, use it myself, but I don't understand the cruelty. What about the incredible stress they put their preferred target under? How does Vila get rid of his own stress when he's at the bottom of the pecking order? Drink and depression, poor sod. After all, Avon's two jokes in 'Powerplay' probably condemned Vila to two years of contempt from Tarrant and Dayna who'd see him as unwanted dead weight, a spare part, going by Avon's sneering. Even when Avon defends Vila to Tarrant in 'City', he still insults him and puts him down. (From memory: "He doesn't have a better nature", "I despise him, but...")
Same way, if they have barely managed to save anyone or anything from an entire planet and race, he immediately points out what a handful that small victory is - and says, with perhaps forced certainty (is he trying to convince himself or her?) that they (or is it he?) won't lose Cally over this.
Still makes me cringe at the sheer tastelessness of us. Them eating at the same time makes it worse somehow.
I'm just going by my own experience with high stress situations. A lot of awful, I-can't-believe-I-said-that jokes get made. But you'd fall apart completely if you didn't.
Oh, agreed. Like joking about deth or nuclear war (which I do). But having been a target myself at school, I'd never try to feel better by making others feel worse.
Nico
*** This e-mail is privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient please delete the message and notify the sender. ***