Published
After browsing Reddit today, I came across something that troubled me deeply. This is not the first time I have seen something of this nature displayed. Once I seen an EMT with a VERY similar quote on a t-shirt. Being in nursing school has allowed me to open up and become compassionate about many things.
Why would someone take humour in this situation?
I read it as a statement, not humor. Not even gallows humor. Honor students aren't home free and their parents shouldn't live in a world of denial that they are either. Others can speak better to this but I believe that anxiety and depression are common in the bright and/or high achievers.
Plus, honor student bumper stickers say something about the parent, and it's not humble gratitude.
I mean there are also stickers that show a t-Rex eating a stick figure family too--I think. I think it's funny, but I also have a warped sense of humor. I think it's just a funny, yet probably rude way of saying, nobody gives a damn about your stick figure family and nobody gives a damn if your kid is an honor student--stop putting it on your car.
Ding ding. No one cares about your stupid stickers on your car. Except this person. We may have scarred her with an attempt at dark humor.
Seriously though if this offends you, you are in for a world of hurt when you are actually a nurse.
Personally I just think it's stupid in that "Everybody look at me, I'm a Rockstar" kind of way. It's actually more about the braggadocio of the person wearing it than the problem of either overdoses or honor students, which I guess I just don't find attractive or impressive. Same reason I wouldn't be caught dead wearing or carrying anything with any "nursing" slogans on it ("Would you rather speak to the doctor or the ***NURSE*** who knows what's going on?"). What is hilarious is the number of times I've seen people wearing these and, well, they haven't quite actually made it to Rockstar status yet.
ETA: I have a family, and it includes honor students. I don't need any shirts, tote bags or bumper stickers representing those facts either. All stupid.
It's a counterpoint to all those bumper stickers that say, "My son is an honor student at Main Street School."
I agree: that's what it means to me. It's a swipe at all those parents who brag about their kids all day, have bumper stickers about every kid's achievement, etc. It's really not a swipe at the kids or an expression of joy at seeing a kid in trouble.
After browsing Reddit today, I came across something that troubled me deeply. This is not the first time I have seen something of this nature displayed. Once I seen an EMT with a VERY similar quote on a t-shirt. Being in nursing school has allowed me to open up and become compassionate about many things.Why would someone take humour in this situation?
OP - Why are you assuming that someone is taking humor in this situation? You know what they say about assuming, right?
Did you ever think that maybe the person(s) who created this did so to make the statement that *nobody* is immune from an overdose? It can be anyone from any walk of life including a straight A student.
NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN
1,599 Posts
In my most recent experience, I have had more IVDA patients come in with complications than I can count. It's a real problem and as another poster has stated, it's not just the homeless/poor population that does it. Often times that patient started out in a well to do family and had everything going for them before they started using with no idea that they too, could very well spiral into addiction.
The t-shirt is a type of sarcastic, dark humor some of us use to cope with what we see too much of each and every day we come into work. Wearing it would be too much for me, but I could see the t-shirt and see the humor while browsing a webpage such as this.