24 octombrie 2013

Episode One: Bomberos

We take now into consideration the case of the patient code-named 'Sunglasses'.

His imagination has become intertwined with the reality he perceives around him, driving him to a constant state of paranoia and delusion. The main pillar of illusion he created for himself is the imaginary character that he refers to as 'Bomberos'.

As he describes him from what we gathered during his rare moments of serenity, the Bomberos is a half-naked firefighter man who swoops in from nowhere and uses his fire extinguisher to prevent Sunglasses from lighting a cigarette. The patient has turned his phobia of smoking and all the possible diseases that are associated with it into a story in which he firmly believes and is supporting his delusion.

Let us analyze a series of occurrences that we managed to capture on video showing Sunglasses trying to overcome his disability and eventually succumbing to it lamentably. Even though he is the only one who sees the Bomberos character, the way he acts makes it clear that he imagines being attacked and stopped when attempting to light up a cigarette:


Further on, Sunglasses is showing promise when approaching a woman to ask her for a light, leading us to believe that he is finally going to let go of his phobia. He even looks towards the film crew and waves at them with a happy smirk on his face, probably thinking that everything will be alright. But then, he snaps and loses it again, once more having been attacked by the imaginary Bomberos man:


At this point, it is imperative to explain with a little bit more detail the scenario which unfolds in Sunglasses' mind when he claims is being attacked by the nefarious Bomberos, using his very own words: 

"So, like, I try to get a light, right? And people, most people, they're crazy, MAN! Once that motherfucker Bomberos shows up, people just look at me and stay back. What the fuck is that? A man gets attacked by a fuckin' MANIAC in broad day light and they look at me like I'M the crazy one. I SWEAR! I can't take it no more, man! There's so much extinguisher dust in my ears and everywhere else I get hit, but no one believes me. And NO! No, I'm not afraid of smoking, so fuck you with your 'expert psychological diagnosis'! The BOMBEROS IS REAL!".

Disturbing and almost believable. We can't help but feel sorry for Sunglasses and his rare condition. We know of cases like his that have been reported in other parts of the world, but he seems to be the most far gone. Also, he is the first one to be documented and even recorded. Thus, we have named this condition after his imaginary character: the Bomberos disorder.

Here are two more instances of his failed attempts to get rid of the phobia of smoking:


Sunglasses is now locked into the 'Bomberos Disorder Insitution', where he is kept under strong medication and close supervision by a team of three dozen guardians and doctors. No signs of recovery have been seen up until the present moment.

End of report.