Mixing Roles Like Crazy

Or Bloody Mary High on Beer



Scene #1 version 1.0: A dude walks in to the room full of friends in heavy-metal-laden T-shirt and jeans painted and torn with exquisite artistry to look like trash, casually throws his "worn" new leather jacket on a coffee table, yells "hey dudes and dudesses!", snatches a drink, starts going around, chatting, telling jokes, laughing loudly...



Scene #2 version 1.0: A well-dressed young man walks up to the podium in a boardroom, "Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, and welcome to the meeting. It is my honor to present to you today..." His talk is eloquent, professional, his manners are well-schooled, and he radiates charisma and evokes professional respect from anyone who sees him.



Yes, it's the same guy, I'm sure you've guess that one. Now, let's have some fun, and make him act the same two roles in exactly the wrong places. Got the picture? So....



Scene #1 version 2.0: A well-dressed young man walks into the room full of friends drinking beer and gossiping, and proclaims, " Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon, and welcome to the meeting. It is my honor to present to you today..." [insert background laughter]. One friend laughs, "Hey, that was a cool one! Here, have a drink, boss! It'll help."



Scene #2 version 2.0: A dude walks into the boardroom, casually throws his "worn" new leather jacket on a coffee table, exposing the heavy-metal-laden T-shirt and jeans painted and torn with exquisite artistry to look like trash, and yells "hey dudes and dudesses!" to the top-level execs in suits and ties... [background laugher, curtain falls, the show's over.] The ending is left as an exercise to the reader...



So, you think that's silly, huh? Sure, but not as silly as actually doing it in real life. No, I'm not smoking anything, check it out for yourself. Let's change the scene #1 to being a (stereo)typical boss, and the scene #2 to being an ideal spouse. Now, don't tell me you never mixed those two up. Or how about a handyman who's job never ends even in his friends house where everyone else is having fun - "oh, come on buddy, I know you can fix this little thing in no time, I'll get you another drink if you do, will you?" And for the kicks, what happens when a psychoanalyst hears a confession of her close but yet unsuspecting friend? Oh, you should have seen those moments, they are just precious... And, of course, you never had a boyfriend or girlfriend who is (or thinks of themself as) a personal coach in everything in life and under the heaven, now have you? OK, that is usually not funny, trust me...



I only wish people would learn to ask a simple question - "what role am I playing now?" And, for extra credit, "what role do I want to play now?" The really smart ones might add "instead" to the last question. I hear that helps.



So, what's your favorite cocktail of odd mixed-up contexts? Come on, share, let's have a laugh together!



[techtags: contexts, roles]

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