I leapt up and said yes!
Did a tracheotomy at 30,000ft with a razor blade and ballpoint pen.
He didn't make it, but the thrill was undeniable.
Thinking of going to doctor school now.
Joke Poo: The Mechanic’s Touch
It finally happened! The flight attendant asked "Is there a mechanic on this flight?"
I jumped up and yelled, "That’s me!"
Proceeded to fix the faulty engine by slapping it really hard with a monkey wrench and yelling, "That’ll learn ya!"
The plane still crashed, but for a brief, glorious moment, that engine purred like a kitten.
Thinking of getting my pilot’s license now.
Alright, let’s dissect this darkly humorous anecdote.
Key Elements Identified:
- Premise: The classic "Is there a doctor on board?" scenario.
- Subversion: The narrator isn’t a doctor, but falsely identifies as one.
- Escalation: An incredibly risky and unprepared medical procedure (tracheotomy with improvised tools) is performed.
- Dark Humor: The patient dies, but the narrator is thrilled and considers medical school.
- Irony: The entire situation is ironic because a real doctor would (hopefully) have prevented the death. The narrator’s enthusiasm is wildly disproportionate to the outcome.
Amusement Enhancement – "Doctor" School of Thought:
Interesting Tidbit (related to tracheotomies): The first documented successful elective tracheotomy was performed in 1546 by Antonio Musa Brassavola, a Venetian physician. He used a silver tube to keep the airway open. The humor in the original joke is compounded by the narrator’s use of a razor blade and ballpoint pen. We’ve gone from silver tubes to biros!
New Witty Observation/Did You Know (Playing off the Joke):
"You know, doing a tracheotomy with a ballpoint pen at 30,000 feet technically makes you a member of the mile-high club…in a very specialized and ethically questionable way. And while Brassavola used silver, modern-day doctors likely wouldn’t recommend Bic. The ink can really mess with the mucus membranes. Plus, your handwriting’s awful under pressure."