People used to joke a lot about how, in the wake of the apocalypse, all we'd have left would be cockroaches and Cher. That might be a dated theory (since now I'd wager instead of Cher, maybe we'd have a Kardashian), but the whole cockroach thing remains true, much the chagrin of probably everyone. Cockroaches aren't exactly beloved creatures, and as such, there aren't a lot of folks enthusiastically volunteering to have the critters near their mouths. So when two women blow cockroaches into each other's mouths on a Japanese game show, that fear in their eyes is very, very real.
I grew up in Florida, so although I wouldn't say I'm fond of cockroaches, I can tolerate them and they don't incite the standard degree of panic for me. But I know that kind of semi-indifference isn't super normal. However, I can't say for sure I don't feel for these women poised with a transparent tube between their mouths holding a sizable roach. I wouldn't be stoked, either. The two blow big puffs of air to propel the bug toward the other woman and away from themselves. The aim of this exercise isn't crystal clear but it couldn't be far from the primal urge in such a situation: Keep your mouth roach-free.
You know, the dichotomy of the two woman could be an easy metaphor. The woman on the left is decidedly un-chill (which make sense, she is dodging a freaking roach from entering her mouth) while the woman on the right is kind of laughing about it. It's like a very exaggerated example of Type A vs. Type B.
Exhibit 1: Woman On The Left
Exhibit 1 is like when you made a poor decision in downing a night coffee then wake around 3AM, balls-deep in a panic about something you have no real power over. Perhaps it's paranoia over a boss secretly (or openly) hating you. Or maybe it's more big picture and you're stressin' your five-year plan (or lack thereof). Truthfully, though, in the middle of the night, you can't control any of this. Same could be said about Woman On The Left—you can try, but by the end of the anxiety attack, you're still powerless.
Exhibit 2: Woman On The Right
Exhibit 2 is a smart exercise in chill. Woman On The Right takes a smirky stance on the whole roach experiment and probably also life. She's Type B to the core. Although she recognizes the autonomy we all have in life, she also gets its limitations. So when she's faced with blowing a roach into another person's mouth or tolerating it in her own, she isn't super concerned.
Let's see how the women fare with respective approaches to life and roaches in tubes:
Oh! Um...night coffee, anyone? And here's the video footage of the challenge in full, if you wanna resurrect those barfy feels:
Images: DavidandJessie/Flickr; YouTube (3)
