Lessons Learned From the Film Ladder 49
- If you’re a rookie, the guys at the firehouse are gonna razz you. They might put a goose in your locker, they might stage a fake confession on your first day, to find out your dirty secrets — who knows! It’s okay, though, they’re just teasin’.
- Those wacky guys! Sometimes, when they’re trying to razz you, you can beat them at their own game by lighting a newspaper on fire and slipping it under the toilet stall door, or pretending you’re gay. Oh man, hint that you’re queer and they’ll get all, “what, what? How was I supposed to know he was gay, I didn’t think our little phony confession trick would out the rookie!” Then, you let out that you’re in on their ruse, that you’re not gay, and they’ll be like “oh, you, you got us.” It’s awesome when you counter-razz the guys.
- Chicks really dig danger and bravery, and that works out well if you’re a fireman, because it’s pretty much the most selfless and Good-with-a-capital‑G profession there is.
- Not all firemen are Irish, or Catholic, but most are. There are also black firemen, and they’re just as brave. Firemen are all brothers, but not in quite the same way all black men are brothers. Black people use ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ to express a racial solidarity, firemen say it to convey, “I’d run under eight stories of burning steel to save you, and you’d do the same for me. I love you, man.” It’s touching.
- If you’re in a dangerous profession, you shouldn’t keep telling your hot wife that you’re worried about her worrying. Women are stronger than men can possibly imagine, and you’re not going to get nearly as much action if your girl thinks you’re projecting your insecurities onto her. And who doesn’t like hot action?
- When a fireman dies, it’s okay, because the fire department goes on. If you’re a grieving mother or sister or wife of a man who lost his life in the line of duty, this will reassure you. If you’re a little more jaded, you’ll feel disturbed by the directors trying to pull at your 9⁄11 heartstrings. You’ll wonder, is it really ok that our boys are dying, just because the army marches on?
- Watch out for those guys, if you’re a rookie: they’ll razz you!
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Those crazy guys!!
Shame on you for your belittling and disrespectful review of this movie. Is your perception of our venerable institution such a joke that you have to smite the comraderie between loyal brethren? I’m talking about firefighters. Men so big and brave they’d kick your ass then drag it out of a burning inferno. It’s such an unthankful duty. Okay, so there is a lot of “razzing” going on, but they’re just a bunch of guys, you know? It’s a job that really gets to you. My husband lost his best friend of 35 years to a flaming chag in Harlem. A chag is a piece of molten steel burned through in an apartment building. Tommy went through two and a half years of treatment for severe depression. Last fall he burned himself alive with a book of matches. I hate fire and don’t understand how you or anyone else could poke fun at these guys just over a little “razzing”. Put your hand over a burning chag and see how it feels. That’s enough.
Cloie Lambert C.F.C.C.A.
There are hysterics to faking a post by some overly concerned housewife, but it’s just not working here.