Obfuscating Insanity: Difference between revisions

Not to be confused with [[Insanity Defense]]. Compare [[Obfuscating Stupidity]], where people pretend to be dimwitted instead of crazy.

 

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* ''[[Treasure Island]]'': [http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/treasure/book/chars/char8.html Ben Gunn]

* [[John Christopher]]'s YA SF ''[[The Tripods]]'' series--the hero and his cousin are first informed of the resistance's existence by a wandering man who appears to be crazy. If I remember, he informs them of the resistance in a speech to them that includes the phrases "And I was born on a rainy morning" and "My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings ..." as camouflage.

* The old king in ''Once Upon a Marigold'' realizes that his evil and abmitious wife is slowly poisoning him. But even though he throws out his daily "medicine", he pretends to be crazy and senile as well as sick so he can keep a watch on her without arousing her suspicions.

* There was an SF story in the '40s or '50s, "Clerical Error," in which a psychiatrist gets himself "accidentally" locked up with an insane patient so he can talk to him.

'''Biff:''' The dogs told you?<br />

'''Bart:''' They're Jewish dogs. }}

* ''Brilliantly'' done by {{spoiler|the ''Sleeper Service''}} in [[The Culture]]. Basically, the Culture needs a hidden stash of weapons that can move quickly, build quickly and ''not attract attention''. The solution? {{spoiler|Have the ''Service'' pretend to be Eccentric (Culture-speak for utterly insane), prepare its Storage bays to be turned into engine, and have it construct LOTS of warships.}} It works beautifully.

* The method used by the Platinum Dragon god Paladine to aid the heroes as Fizban the Fabulous in the [[Dragonlance]] novels.

* [[Doctor Who (TV)|The Doctor]], particularly in his fourth and eleventh incarnations. He's very much of the genuinely a bit nutty variety -- his eighth incarnation, in the [[Doctor Who Expanded Universe|novels]], has difficulties remembering that TV is not [[Real Life]] and consequently runs the risk of being [[Driven to Suicide]] by ''[[Eastenders]]''. However, no matter just how capriciously, [[Adorkable|adorkably]] batty The Doctor is, there is always that moment when he goes ''deadly'' serious, and then you remember that this seemingly flighty alien is capable of bringing thousands of alien ships to a standstill, is responsible for multiple genocides and has saved countless billion lives and - oh yes - ''the very fabric of the universe itself''. He doesn't look quite so [[Killer Rabbit|adorable]] now, does he?

* In ''[[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide]]'': In the "Bullies" episode, Gordy advises Ned to act crazy so Loomer will be too scared to beat him up. It works to degree; Loomer isn't scared, but too wierded out to do beat Ned up.

* In the ''[[Black Adder]] Goes Forth'' finale, Blackadder plans to try this to get out of the Big Push (putting his underwear on his head and sticking pencils up his nostrils), but is forced to change his plans when he overhears General Melchett say he had to shoot an entire platoon for doing the very same thing (via the very same method).

** As he later tells Baldrick just prior to going "over the top", it was bound to fail anyway: "I mean, who would have noticed another madman 'round here?"

 

== Music ==

{{quote| "I went up there, I said, 'Shrink, I wanna kill. I mean, I wanna kill. Kill. I wanna see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead, burnt bodies. I mean, kill. Kill. KILL! KILL!' And I started jumpin' up and down, yellin', 'KILLLL! KILLLL!' And he started jumpin' up and down with me, and we was both jumpin' up and down, yellin' 'KILLLL! KILLLL!' And the sergeant came over, pinned a medal on me, sent me down the hall, and said, 'You're our boy.'"}}

 

== Webcomics ==

* ''[[Drow Tales]]'': [[http://www.drowtales.com/~wiki/index.php/Mel<!-- 27arnach_Val27Sarghress Mel'arnarch]] may be a [[CrazyCatLady crazy spider lady]] and notorious [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive//20091120c01p046.jpg lesbian]], but she is [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive//20090530c17p004.jpg NOT]] nearly as AxCrazy as her [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive//20091011c01p007.jpg reputation]] suggests. -->

** In the Stick Tale [[Hamlet|"The Tragedy of Greenhilt, Prince of Denmark"]], Prince Greenhilt (Hamlet, played by Roy) and Shojonius (Polonius, played by Shojo) both pretend to be crazy. Gets a big lampshade after Greenhilt kills Shojonius.

* In [http://wapsisquare.com/comic/it-went-phbbbbbb/ this] strip of ''[[Wapsi Square]]'', Bud uses this method to keep police officers from asking questions about a loud boom and flash of light. It was actually caused when she threw an object into the sun.

** In the TV series based on Colditz prisoners' experiences, the man ''was'' repatriated - but it turned out he had actually driven himself insane with the depth of his acting.

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Gigante Vincent Gigante], a.k.a. "The Oddfather", feigned insanity to escape prosecution. He wandered the streets of Greenwich village in a bathrobe and slippers, muttering to himself; psychiatrists testified he was clinically insane. Eventually his "bug act" failed, and he died in prison doing a twelve-year sentence.

* Alan Moore allegedly wrote up false reports of himself being a child murderer and other horrible things, then sent them to magazines under a fake name so people would think he's insane and won't approach him if they encounter him in public.

** [[Rob Liefeld]], on the other hand, thinks that Alan is doing this ''all the time''.

[[Category:Older Than Feudalism]]

[[Category:Obfuscating Insanity]]