Crazy Sane: Difference between revisions

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Sometimes the world you find yourself in is so [[Crapsack World|grim]] or [[Dystopia|stressful]], if not [[Dark World|horrific]], that the only way to keep from going crazy is to..well, go crazy. You thus end up acting in [[Silly Walk|silly]], if not [[Cloudcuckoolander|bizarre]], ways, just to keep from truly [[Ax Crazy|losing it]] [[Freak-Out|for good]] due to all the horror and depression and genuine ''[[World Gone Mad|lunacy]]'' surrounding you.

Often a staple of wartime environments and the resultant [[Black Comedy]] which often transpires, where the psychological demands of having to deal with death and suffering on a daily basis requires pretty extreme measures to retain one's grip on reality. Compare [[Bored ~~With~~ Insanity]]. Contrast with the so-called "[[Morton's Fork|Catch 22]]" situation, where going crazy is conclusive evidence that you're sane enough to stay on the job.

Often a staple of wartime environments and the resultant [[Black Comedy]] which often transpires, where the psychological demands of having to deal with death and suffering on a daily basis requires pretty extreme measures to retain one's grip on reality. Compare [[Bored with Insanity]]. Contrast with the so-called "[[Morton's Fork|Catch 22]]" situation, where going crazy is conclusive evidence that you're sane enough to stay on the job.

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** Some interpretations of [[The Joker]] depict him as "super-sane" rather than crazy: he sees how ridiculous and mixed-up the world is, and the only way for him to deal with it is by treating it as one big joke.

** Batman himself may also be a prime example. [[Grant Morrison]] has said in interviews that this is how he views Batman: "I never really subscribed to the idea that Bruce was insane or unhealthy. Bruce Wayne would have gone mad if he HADN'T dressed as a bat and found a startling way to channel the grief, guilt and helplessness he felt after the death of his parents. Without Batman, Bruce would be truly screwed-up."

* The Comedian from ''[[Watchmen (~~Comic Book~~)|Watchmen]]'' dealt with the terrible things he saw and did by seeing the world as a huge joke.

* The Comedian from ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'' dealt with the terrible things he saw and did by seeing the world as a huge joke.

== Film ==

* ''[[~~Mash~~ (~~Film~~)|Mash]]'' is an obvious example, with Hawkeye and Trapper being the most prominent in the film version.

* ''[[M*A*S*H (film)|Mash]]'' is an obvious example, with Hawkeye and Trapper being the most prominent in the film version.

* Private Handjob gets discharged from the Marines in ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' for [[A Date ~~With~~ Rosie Palms|compulsive masturbation]].

* Private Handjob gets discharged from the Marines in ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' for [[A Date with Rosie Palms|compulsive masturbation]].

* In ''[[~~Zombie Land~~]]'', Tallahassee suggests the gang smash everything in a store in order to keep from going crazy.

* In ''[[Zombieland]]'', Tallahassee suggests the gang smash everything in a store in order to keep from going crazy.

== Literature ==

* ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy (~~Literature~~)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'':

* ''[[The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy (novel)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]'':

** In ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to ~~The~~ Galaxy ~~(Franchise)~~/Life, The Universe And Everything|Life The Universe And Everything]]'', after being stranded for far too long on a primitive planet, Arthur Dent finally announces to the world "I shall go mad!"...just before a flying sofa carrying Ford Prefect tootles past his view. Ford has gone insane to keep from going insane with boredom. He convinces himself that he's a lemon and spends some time jumping in and out of a lake that thinks it's a gin and tonic (at least, he thinks it thought it was).

** In ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/Life, The Universe And Everything|Life The Universe And Everything]]'', after being stranded for far too long on a primitive planet, Arthur Dent finally announces to the world "I shall go mad!"...just before a flying sofa carrying Ford Prefect tootles past his view. Ford has gone insane to keep from going insane with boredom. He convinces himself that he's a lemon and spends some time jumping in and out of a lake that thinks it's a gin and tonic (at least, he thinks it thought it was).

** In ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to ~~The~~ Galaxy ~~(Franchise)~~/So Long And Thanks For All The Fish|So Long And Thanks For All The Fish]]'', Wonko the Sane makes his house an inside-out "Outside the Asylum" (the rest of the world is "Inside the Asylum").

** In ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy/So Long And Thanks For All The Fish|So Long And Thanks For All The Fish]]'', Wonko the Sane makes his house an inside-out "Outside the Asylum" (the rest of the world is "Inside the Asylum").

* The Duck Man in the ''[[~~Discworld (Literature)|~~Discworld]]'' series has suffered many setbacks in his life, some of which we've seen and some of which remain mysterious, and through it all he's remained intelligent, cultured and a wellspring of good sense -- except that he is never seen without a duck on his head, the existence of which he denies if anybody ever asks about it.

* The Duck Man in the ''[[Discworld]]'' series has suffered many setbacks in his life, some of which we've seen and some of which remain mysterious, and through it all he's remained intelligent, cultured and a wellspring of good sense -- except that he is never seen without a duck on his head, the existence of which he denies if anybody ever asks about it.

** We do see once that from his perspective he is constantly and inexplicably surrounded by people who see ducks where there are none.

* In ''Brain Twister'' by [[~~Randall Garrett (Creator)|~~Randall Garrett]] and Laurence Janifer, most people with a particular mental condition are catatonic or gibbering wrecks. The one known exception is Miss Thompson, who is not only ''compos mentis'', she's arguably the sanest and most sensible character in the book -- except that she's unshakeably convinced that she's a 400-year-old immortal who used to be [[The Virgin Queen|Queen Elizabeth I]].

* In ''Brain Twister'' by [[Randall Garrett]] and Laurence Janifer, most people with a particular mental condition are catatonic or gibbering wrecks. The one known exception is Miss Thompson, who is not only ''compos mentis'', she's arguably the sanest and most sensible character in the book -- except that she's unshakeably convinced that she's a 400-year-old immortal who used to be [[The Virgin Queen|Queen Elizabeth I]].

== Live Action TV ==

* ''[[M*A*S*H ~~(TV)~~|Mash]]'' follows directly in the movie's footsteps, practiced by several characters throughout the series' run, most notoriously by [[Ascended Extra|Klinger]] (who wasn't in the film).

* ''[[M*A*S*H|Mash]]'' follows directly in the movie's footsteps, practiced by several characters throughout the series' run, most notoriously by [[Ascended Extra|Klinger]] (who wasn't in the film).

** Dr. Sidney Freedman specifically said this about Hawkeye:

{{quote| "Anger turned inwards is depression. Anger turned sideways... is Hawkeye."}}