September 2, 2012

"Can You Make It Through This Post Without Crying?"

I was tough, but #13 got to me. And the parrot, now that I think of it.

68 comments:

Known Unknown said...

#13 came close, but most made me smile.

harrogate said...

The Scrubs clip is pretty amazing. Actually I am a huge fan of that show, the only show I own all the seasons for. But though this is often called the "saddest Scrubs moment," it isn't in my opinion.

To me, the scene where Dr. Cox loses three donor recipients because he unknowingly harvested a donor who had died of rabies, is one of the most shattering moments in television history.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Cried like a baby at the people stuff; scrolled right past the animal stuff.

Some of us just don't have the animals-are-people-too gene, I suppose.

YoungHegelian said...

That we can love animals & that they seem to be able to love us back will always be a divine mystery to me --
a mystery that I will always be grateful to have experienced.

Sydney said...

The girl in the doorway got to me.

Known Unknown said...

But though this is often called the "saddest Scrubs moment," it isn't in my opinion.

It's sad because it's Brendan Fraser ... that's all.

Lauderdale Vet said...

I failed on 13, too.

The Elder said...

I made it to #6.

The Elder said...

I made it to #6.

Irene said...

#1, the Chimps. The facial expressions resemble those of people at wakes.

The dog's last meal also was a throat lumper.

sakredkow said...

I appreciate the sentiment.

bagoh20 said...

I'm clearly a huge pussy. The girl in the doorway put me down and the rest just finished me off like soft bread.

sakredkow said...

We're having a Morris Albert moment.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

#6 the girl in the doorway really got me. It's so nice that she still keeps in touch.

I've seen the dogs at the graves photos before so even while that really chokes me up I was able to hold off.

wyo sis said...

Also #6

bagoh20 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
bagoh20 said...

"Some of us just don't have the animals-are-people-too gene,..."

It's really not that thought process. I'm pretty much a sucker for animals, especially dogs, but it really has nothing to do with seeing them as people. I was gonna explain it here, but I just couldn't. It's a helplessness, a dependency and a trust we see in them, that makes us feel obligated, yet helpless. They seem to live as some kind of combination of child and adult that's nothing like any human, but still connects with what is in us. It's a pure emotional response. I don't have it for all animals, just ones capable of trusting me. It's very powerful though for people blessed or burdened with it.

Rockeye said...

Number Thirteen. My wife just died from ALS. She spent the last year of her life knowing she was on borrowed time, and kept looking for new ways to keep a part of her alive for our children as what was left of her gave out. Letters for special days like sweet sixteen, weddings, and births. Little necklaces which would hold a bit of her ashes. Some day my daughter, who loves to draw, might write just such a story about her mother. I sure hope so.

Titus said...

Anything with dogs or any animals death gets me.

But none of these made me cry.

The Futurama video was great though.

But abortion and fetuses I don't really give a shit about. I say stick the hanger up there and get rid of the blob.

tits.

JAL said...

Rockeye --

Oh. Sending my condolences seems so small.

I am so sorry you have lost your wife and lover and friend and your daughter's mom.

ad hoc said...

Started to tear up at #8, although #6 got to me. And I love the dog in #3.

Titus said...

What did make me cry was the bullying of that bus monitor in Rochester New York.

Kids really can be fucking cruel.

But now she is rich as a result of a few minutes of bullying and she doesn't have to work for $15,000/year at the age of 68.

They even poked her fat. That's just wrong.

The Roller said...

Number 3 on did me in.

Good people doing good things.... If none on that link Ms Althouse provided, this one should do it for most folks.

http://www.saveourstreetdogs.com/2012/08/lonely-old-dog-has-his-dying-wish-come.html

Paddy O said...

Rockeye, I'm sorry for your loss. I pray there is some measure of peace in the midst of the grieving for you and for your whole family.

AllenS said...

Rockeye, I'm sorry about the loss of your wife. Very sad.

Penny said...

Does anyone else open their eyes real wide when they feel themselves on the verge of tears?

Then tilt their head back, to keep the tears caught in the lip of their lower eyelid?

NO?

Well, sometimes that works.

Gahrie said...

I didn't make it.

Big Mike said...

Chimps grieve. Jane Goodall has posted pictures of mothers sitting next to dead infants, trying to get a response, sometimes carrying them.

The story about the girl in the doorway ripped me up. Could I have been one of the people who walked past her without giving her something to let her and her baby eat? How many opportunities to help people have I missed out on?

Number 13 did me in.

bgates said...

I liked the way they went back and forth between things that really happened to people and excerpts from tv shows.

I don't know how Buzzfeed could have a post on manipulative tearjerking without having Rep Slaughter (D) rambling about old women sharing dentures.

edutcher said...

If you have Javascript turned off, no problem.

The Godfather said...

I guess it's because of my Irish heritage that I cry easily -- they say an Irishman's bladder is too near his eye.

But none of these images was as sad as 23 million Americans out of work. I'll cry about THAT.

fivewheels said...

I'm sorry, I'm from the skeptical Internet Age, and while #6 is a nice story, I'm assuming it's fiction. Is there a real good reason not to, other than it would be lovely to believe otherwise? It's a picture-perfect depiction of how many soft-hearted people wish the world could be, rather than what it more often is.

But fiction can be moving. The Futurama one got me when I saw it originally, but seeing the entire episode adds a lot to the impact of that short clip.

Likewise, #13 is an even better story if you understand the game mechanics of Animal Crossing.

Deb said...

They all choked me up. I'd read the book about the parrot and it still got to me.

CatherineM said...

I have never seen futurama, but I was listening to Opie and Anthony once and they mentioned this and how this made them cry. Then a flood of listeners called in saying the same. I cried just hearing what was depicted because I have known similar stories in my life about dogs never giving up on their owners return to them. I refuse to watch the clip because it will make me cry, yet I am crying anyway. Damn it.

SukieTawdry said...

Oh hell, I couldn't make it intact past the simple act of a man giving a shoeless child a pair of thongs and then Rockeye got me going all over again. Blessings, Rockeye, on you and your children.

kristinintexas said...

It was #6 that got to me, too, even though my skeptical side does wonder if it's true. And then the Special Olympics commercial got to me in another way, and then it was over. (Except for #11, because I doubt that Bill Watterson really drew that. It doesn't seem like something he'd do.)

Patrick said...

"I just feel good knowing that I did some good in this world. Maybe it'll make up for the things I f-ed up."

#6. At that point. I love stories of people who are lost and then found. This story had two.

Patrick said...

My two older sons really like Calvin & Hobbes. The idea of an older Calvin, sending Hobbes on his way with his daughter really makes me smile.

When my oldest started reading Calvin, I would tell him that the very mischievous Calvin "is not a role model." The more I read it, and the more my sons read it, the more convinced I am that Calvin is a wonderful role model for little boys.

Christy said...

Rockeye, I'm sorry for your loss.

#6 got to me.

My 16 y.o. nephew this summer pulled a #5. He met a homeless kid on the street in Romania who had no shoes and gave him the Reeboks off his feet. Of course he called home that night to find out how much was left on his debit card for a new pair. Came home with a shiny electric blue pair of sneakers he can brag he picked up in Romania.

Jason said...

Gets me every time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEwDmc3FI_Q&feature=related

Wince said...

"If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks, then

I'll follow you into the dark."


An oldie, but a goodie.

kentuckyliz said...

Video game Mom.

Unknown said...

Number ten was hard. I've lost two dogs in two years. I held on too long because I couldn't face it. At last I did what we sign on for when we take dogs into our families. I dream of my favorite once or twice a week. I don't dream of the dead very often and hardly anyone but my parents. My dog. I'm still hollow in a place where she was.

SteveR said...

I have MS and my kids play Animal Crossing

Unknown said...

The parrot got to me and #13 and the Special Olympics, b/c it had an unexpected twist.

And the dog on the beach. It's doubly hard when we have to do it. And I've had to do it--that's where the tears come from.

Peter said...

A photo of a beautiful woman, holding a ladies' razor, now that would be way too much for me.

Petunia said...

I'm very sorry for your loss, Rockeye.

I made it to the parrot.

The dog's final day made me cry too. I have two seniors (15 and 18) who are fading away. The 15 y.o. I've had for just over a year since his owner went to a nursing home, but the other one I've had since 1995. Making the final decision for both of them will be hard, but much more so for the 18 y.o.

damikesc said...

The Scrubs clip is pretty amazing. Actually I am a huge fan of that show, the only show I own all the seasons for. But though this is often called the "saddest Scrubs moment," it isn't in my opinion.

To me, the scene where Dr. Cox loses three donor recipients because he unknowingly harvested a donor who had died of rabies, is one of the most shattering moments in television history.


Same here --- but the death of Fraser's character might be more impactful simply because it was the first such moment on the show. The death of Shirley and the rabies thing were sadder --- but the Fraser death was a mindfuck based on the series' history at that point.

But that was the one of the few comedies that could be hilarious and unbelievably sad in short order.

harrogate said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
harrogate said...

"Same here --- but the death of Fraser's character might be more impactful simply because it was the first such moment on the show. The death of Shirley and the rabies thing were sadder --- but the Fraser death was a mindfuck based on the series' history at that point."

That is beautifully said, spot on.

"But that was the one of the few comedies that could be hilarious and unbelievably sad in short order."

I really cannot think of another show that consistently matches it in this way. Even when they got sentimental, somehow, more often than not they pulled it off without going all cheeseball. Remember the scene where Elliot carried JD across the finish line for his 30th birthday marathon? Man. Just pitch perfect. Had I directed that I would prolly have turned it to syrup, but they got it exactly right. It makes my eyes well up and makes me smile at the same time, every time I see it.

Chip Ahoy said...

I don't take orders very well especially from mawkishly sentimental strangers

read this
now read this story
now watch this
now look at this and this and this
now read this episode
now jump three times
now pat your had five times
now say carrots and peas ten times
now draw a picture of you and your family
now watch this

Are you annoyed yet? If not, then you are among the 3% who are unAmerican.

Astro said...

The Calvin and Hobbes one actually made me angry. It's someone's else's interpretation of Bill Waterson's characters. No. The strip had a perfect ending; leave it alone.

Otoh, 13 did get to me. My wife, who died last year of Shy-Drager syndrome (it's a lot like ALS) was late comer to video games, but was a genius at them. Mario, Ratchet & Clank, Crash Bandicoot, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, Need for Speed - she loved those types of games. Until her disease stole that away.

Peter said...

Finding sadness in some of these depends on one's ability to anthropomorphize animals. I have .... multiple cats, and while they're good pets I know full well that they don't think in the way humans do, nothing close.

Penny said...

!Oooh boy. Lots of stuff to cry about.

Which is prolly why some Americans red Chip Ahoy's post and wondered if they were supposed to pat their HEAD five times, or if they were supposed to go get a HAT and pat IT five times????

rcocean said...

Putting an old dog to sleep is one of the saddest things ever.

Penny said...

"Putting an old dog to sleep is one of the saddest things ever."

Especially if that old dog is still eating cheeseburgers!

Penny said...

OK, that was way too glib.

That was the photo that DID ME IN.

I had my eyes all wide, with my head tilted back catching the spillover in the lip of my bottom eyelid, followed by the head tilt to the side where I could catch the first tears with a "casual" eye rub for the dead chimp, who of course, was named "Cheetah".

"I WILL not cry"
"I WILL not cry"
"I WILL not cry"

But that black lab with the cheeseburger?

mariner said...

bagoh20,
I'm clearly a huge pussy. The girl in the doorway put me down and the rest just finished me off like soft bread.

Meow. I mean, me too.

The Crack Emcee said...

Yep - zipped right through that sucker, looking at every one, including the videos - nada. Didn't feel a thing. Not even close.

The anti-manipulation machine.

When it's time to cry, I cry, and not until,...

Unknown said...

Been reading your blog for a while now so I thought I would finally drop a comment. Lately I have become addicted to blogs I think. I will start reading a little and before I know it half the day is gone. I enjoy exploring all you have on your topics, just amazed how infinite the topics can be out there.


gotowe prace dyplomowe

Bender said...

Re: 13

The last funeral I went to was for my aunt. At the lunch after the Mass, I was sitting there with my cousin, one of her sons, when someone came by and gave him a card.

He thought the handwriting on the envelope looked familiar. He opened it, read the card and was clearly touched. We looked at the card later, and it had a hand-written note in it saying something to the effect of "Remember I'll always love you. Love, Mom."

Bender said...

That clip about Fry's dog is missing the set-up, which makes it all the more poignant --

Professor Farnsworth: [Seymour is about to be cloned; the scanner reveals his species and the age when he died] Interesting... It seems Seymour died at the ripe old age of fifteen.
Fry: Fifteen? You mean... he lived for twelve more years after I got frozen?
Professor Farnsworth: [Nods] Indeed.
Fry: [pauses] Stop the cloning.
[Everybody exclaims in confusion; Fry then takes a large wrench and hammers it against the machine, halting the cloning process]
Professor Farnsworth: [Crosses his arms] Oh, sure! Smash the smart guy's machine...
Bender: Fry, what's wrong?
Fry: Think about it: Seymour lived a full life after I was gone... He probably even added new songs to his repertoire.
Bender: But that's a good thing. "Walkin' On Sunshine" sucks noodles.
Fry: I had Seymour 'till he was three. That's when I knew him, and that's when I loved him... I'll never forget him...
[Picks up the fossil and looks into its apparent eyes]
Fry: But he forgot me a long, long time ago...
[Kisses his dog on the head, places him on the broken machine, casts a last look of good-bye, and leaves]
[flashback 1000 years earlier to Seymour waiting for Fry to come back]

frank said...

Hey Ann--any chance we get to comment on child sex predator tourist Mark Pocan or do you just vote for him?

Krumhorn said...

Fraser dies in Scrubs?!

Christ! How about a spoiler alert??

I'm weepy with rage

The cheeseburger dog started the process. The mom leaving gifts and letters to her kids in the game finished it.

Such a sap.

Tom said...

I absolutely lost it at #10.

damikesc said...

I really cannot think of another show that consistently matches it in this way. Even when they got sentimental, somehow, more often than not they pulled it off without going all cheeseball. Remember the scene where Elliot carried JD across the finish line for his 30th birthday marathon? Man. Just pitch perfect. Had I directed that I would prolly have turned it to syrup, but they got it exactly right. It makes my eyes well up and makes me smile at the same time, every time I see it.

They nailed the balance in the show extremely well. The funny was really funny but they could actually get serious. They even made people unlikeable as Dr. Kelso likeable in their own way (how many shows just simply say "the boss is mean" and never try to explain what he/she has to juggle).

I thought JD's brother going off on Dr. Cox for trying to kill his brother's dream was really well done. Understated enough to not be cheesy.

I was always sad it didn't get the attention it deserved because it was a really well written show.

Putting an old dog to sleep is one of the saddest things ever.

It should be...but I was the one who had to decide to put my mother's cats down when it came down to it (such as when one was suffering kidney failure) and I've learned to deal with that unhappy reality of owning a pet.

Fraser dies in Scrubs?!

Christ! How about a spoiler alert??


Sorry, but it was about 7 or so years ago. Still an episode absolutely worth watching.

Jim S. said...

I didn't cry, but I didn't watch the videos. Having said that, when I first saw the episode with Fry's dog I teared up a little. That night in bed I cried like a baby. All the displays of dogs' affections is an old theme. From The Odyssey:

"As they were speaking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy, but he had never had any enjoyment from him. In the old days he used to be taken out by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying neglected on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to manure the great close; and he was full of fleas. As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the other side of the yard, dashed a tear from his eyes without Eumaeus seeing it, and said:

"'Eumaeus, what a noble hound that is over yonder on the manure heap: his build is splendid; is he as fine a fellow as he looks, or is he only one of those dogs that come begging about a table, and are kept merely for show?'

"'This dog,' answered Eumaeus, 'belonged to him who has died in a far country. If he were what he was when Odysseus left for Troy, he would soon show you what he could do. There was not a wild beast in the forest that could get away from him when he was once on its tracks. But now he has fallen on evil times, for his master is dead and gone, and the women take no care of him. Servants never do their work when their master's hand is no longer over them, for Zeus takes half the goodness out of a man when he makes a slave of him.'

"So saying he entered the well-built mansion, and made straight for the riotous pretenders in the hall. But Argos passed into the darkness of death, now that he had fulfilled his destiny of faith and seen his master once more after twenty years."

tiger said...

Boy, I'm one cold-hearted prick.

No tears from me.

The condition of life dictates that it will end and grieving about it does no good.

Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death so grab a plate and dig because the check is gonna come way too soon no matter what your age.