We’re going to be asking you to watch a video of The Chipmunks, and come up with Alvin’s remedy! Why? Because Maria asked to see more examples of a certain remedy which I can’t name because of a “complaining letter” we got some time ago, which said: “Stop putting the name of the remedy at the top of the page! I want to be able to guess it!!!!” So… we won’t be making that mistake again (probably)! In fact, the same person has written yet again–and here’s what she said:
From left to right: Alvin, Theodore and Simon
OK, did anybody not hear that? So, back to the Chipmunks; aren’t they the cutest little things? Notice Alvin’s expression. Already you can see he’s got a bad attitude–that’s an important clue. What is that look saying? “I’m not going to cooperate!” “I don’t want to be here!” Or, “This is dumb, and I wanted to stay home! Where’s my video game?”
Shana is here to start us off.
Hello, Mom! First a brief history lesson is in order.
Oh geez, there goes half our audience!
“Alvin and the Chipmunks” is a fictional singing group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. They were created for a 1958 novelty record called
“The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”.
It was written by Ross, Sr. under his stage name, David Seville. (In the cartoons, Dave is the adoptive father of the Chipmunks.) The clip you have just seen is from the 1960s “Alvin Show”. (Alvin is the chipmunk who can’t behave himself, is a D student, and is always in trouble.)
All of the voices of the Chipmunks back then were done by Ross, Sr. using speed-up playback to make their voices sound high. This was also done on “Witch Doctor”, another 1958 novelty record…
…that no one cares about…
by Ross, Sr./David Seville (and actually came out before “The Chipmunk Song”).
How well I remember.
…so they weren’t created yet but afterwards the Chipmunks did multiple covers of it.
Of what?
Mom, try and pay attention! 1958 was also the year The Silhouettes came out with “Get A Job”.
Again, I seriously doubt that anyone cares, but, Yay!!!!!!
Daddy would care. Anyway I am trying to explain what the music scene was like back then!
Oh! The music scene! Well, that’s different. Never mind!
Getting back to the History Lesson… The Chipmunks franchise is 61 years old, so there have been albums too.
Oh geez, now we have to hear about the albums!
(some of which were done by Ross, Sr. from 1959 to 1969). After the death of Ross, Sr. in 1972, subsequent albums, videos, movies (except for the terrible live action ones) and cartoon voices were done by his son Ross, Jr. and wife Janice Karman.
Shana, is this going anywhere?
Yes, because those are the Chipmunks as we know them today. Currently Nickelodeon airs a CGI animated show called “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, but it wasn’t created by them.
What wasn’t created by who?
“By whom”. “Whom” follows a preposition. And Mom, if you paid attention at all, you’d know what I am talking about! It’s produced by Bagdasarian Productions (Janice and Ross Jr.) and some company in France.
Oh, France! Well, that’s different. Never mind!
The show seems to be doing quite well with a fourth season coming June 20th.
And do we know what else June 20th is famous for??????
Um… Your birthday?
Yes!!!! My stupid birthday!!!!
Which I’m sure something wonderful is being planned for! Now, as I was saying, it was renewed for a fifth season last year.
What was? My birthday?
No, the Chipmunk show that we like!
Oh! They renewed the Chipmunk Show? Well why didn’t you say so????
Mom!!!! I am ending the History Lesson now!
Thank God! It sounded like a report to the United Nations!
But first…
Aaaaah!!!!!
…I should probably point out that the episode we’re about to see is called “Curiosity” (aired September 3, 2018).
No one cares, Shana!
Mom, now it’s your turn to speak, (and PS, you’re not funny anymore!)
I’m not?
Here’s the video:
So, OK; for those of you who can’t see videos on your computer, or don’t understand spoken English very well, I will try to summarize what is happening (the rest of you can skip over this part!)
Summary Of “Curiosity”:
A package comes for Simon. He says “Oh boy, it must be those speakers I ordered!” Actually, it’s a prank package from Alvin! Simon is an inventor, a science nerd. He’s the one with the glasses. He’s very smart in school, does all his homework and gets good grades. Alvin doesn’t do any of those things!
(PS: I didn’t want to like the Chipmunks; after all, it’s a children’s show. BUT, the characters have changed over the years and are so endearing and life-like now, it wasn’t long before I got hooked!)
I want you to try to guess Alvin’s remedy–he’s the one in the baseball cap and the letter A on his sweater.
Anyway, back to our video, Simon is excited because his package has arrived just in time for Science Camp, which Alvin calls “Nerd-a-Rama”! Anyway, Simon excitedly opens his long-awaited package only to find it’s a novelty box that hurls a pie in his face! Alvin laughs uproariously. Simon vows to get him back. “Mark my words, Alvin,” he warns, “you’ll get yours!”
Alvin continues laughing, but Theodore and the girl chipmunks who live next door are quick to remind Alvin that Simon is a scientist, who could turn him into a frog, or make his skin turn purple or who knows what! Now all of a sudden, Alvin is starting to worry! He goes to Simon. “Hey Simon, we’re cool aren’t we? I mean, we shared a good laugh a few minutes ago, but, you’re OK now, right?” “Oh definitely,” Simon says; “just as soon as I get my revenge!”
Now Alvin is consumed with paranoia! He imagines that at any moment Simon might pop out of a closet or appear from out of nowhere and exact some sort of revenge on him! He’s a nervous wreck, he can’t eat, can’t sleep.
Finally, Simon leaves for nerd camp, I mean Science Camp! There’s a package on the table. Simon tells Alvin, as he’s walking out, not to bother the package as it doesn’t belong to him.
“This package has ‘revenge’ written all over it!” Alvin says. “No, actually, it has Simon Seville written on it, can’t you read?” says Brittany, one of the three girl chipmunks from next door.
“Simon did this on purpose!” says Alvin. “He knows I’ll want to open it–that’s why he left it there! He did it on purpose, it’s his revenge!” Younger brother Theodore says, “Maybe it’s a space alien in a tiny little UFO.” Alvin is now convinced that that’s exactly what it is! He finds Simon’s portable X-ray device and tries to see what’s inside the package but nothing is showing. He tries to sleep but he has nightmares about being turned into a frog or aliens turning him purple.
He wakes up and he can’t take the presence of that mysterious package any longer! Impulsively, he grabs a baseball bat. Theodore and the girls try to stop him, they’ve surrounded the package with mouse traps and other booby traps to keep Alvin away from the package but it doesn’t work! Alvin smashes the package to bits!
Just then Simon walks in the door, he’s back from Science Camp–with his latest invention: the Pie-in-ator! It shoots out pies by the dozens! He aims it at Alvin and fires away!
Alvin says, “Wait a minute! That’s it? All that worrying I did and your revenge was nothing but pies? What was in the package?”
“Oh,” says Simon. “That was your birthday present.”
***********************
Ha-ha!
____________________
Finding The Remedy:
OK! Now, as always, I will ask you to make a list of the elements of the case and then find Repertory rubrics for them, then “repertorize” to find the constitutional remedy. You can do this and then come back and see if your list matches mine. Now go on, no fair peaking!
Mom, peeking is spelled with 2 E’s.
Shana, are you still here? Shouldn’t you be checking out the touring schedule of the Rolling Stones?
***
- So the first thing we notice is that Alvin has played a cruel joke on Simon, so, the rubric Mind: cruelty seems appropriate. Unfortunately, there are no rubrics that pertain to playing practical jokes on people.
- He’s disrespectful toward his brother, diminishing his academic achievements, calling his Science Camp “Nerd Camp”, etc. So, the rubric I chose was Mind: rudeness. There’s no rubric called “Mind: disrespectful”, unfortunately. I’m thinking “rude” means the same thing.
- Also, the reason for his disrespect and rudeness, etc. is that Alvin is jealous of Simon’s academic achievements, they make all of Alvin’s failures at school look really bad! So, Mind: jealousy.
- As it begins to dawn on Alvin that he’s done something really bad, the following sets in:
- a) guilt that he has committed a serious offense
- b) fear that he will be made to pay an unimaginable price
- c) paranoia (that he’s being watched, followed, pursued); so, the following rubrics, therefore, apply:
Mind: delusions, hell, is going to, because he has committed an unpardonable crime
Mind: paranoid
Mind: delusions, doomed
Mind: delusions, pursued
Mind: delusions, behind him, someone is
- Fear of what’s about to happen: Mind: Anticipation, Mind: fear, happen, something bad will
- Based on Alvin’s less-than-stellar D average in school, I’m taking the rubric “Aversion to school”: Mind, aversions, school
- Impulsive. He impulsively grabs a baseball bat to destroy the package Simon told him not to touch. Mind: impulsive and because of that, we also have to use
Mind: destructive behavior in children
OK, I think that’s it! So, the winner is…
Medorrhinum!
See, Simon knew that all he would have to do is put a package on the table and say, “Don’t touch it!” and Medorrhinum would surely shoot himself in the foot because Medorrhinum can’t take orders from anybody! You can’t tell them what to do. And they don’t care how inappropriate or shocking their behavior is. And finally, from another episode of “The Chipmunks”, here are the words Alvin used to describe himself:
Selfish
Reckless
Obnoxious
Insensitive
I rest my case! However, there are a few things I want to add to the Medorrhinum picture. They are so sensitive to criticism that they have a propensity to blame others and never accept responsibility for their own failures or mistakes. Secondly, Medorrhinum is a remedy that gets bored very easily. Because of that, they are thrill-seekers, engaging in extreme and reckless behaviors: driving fast, weaving in and out of traffic; they might want to be sky-divers, race car drivers…. You can see how Medorrhinum is not cut out for your average 9 to 5 job. He would get bored in no time and quit.
So, Maria… I don’t know how many other Medorrhinum cases I need to do… Do you get the picture now?
Let’s see… we’ve done:
Bart Simpson, Drake Parker from “Drake and Josh”, Jess from “The Gilmore Girls” and now Alvin.
Mom, it’s not THE Gilmore Girls, it’s “Gilmore Girls”!
It is??? The important thing, Shana, is that I have a sink full of dirty dishes!!! OK? That usually signals the end of the article.
Bye everybody! See you next time!
Why did you tell us the name of the remedy at the beginning? Readers like to challenge themselves and work out the remedy themselves. For me it completely spoils the case when the remedy is given at the beginning.