Saturday, November 18, 2006

Naked Doctors tradition to continue?

It’s nearing that time of year again. Med Students getting sweaty, trying to cram 6 years of lungs, guns and antibiotics into a mind already warped by the smell of formaldehyde. They’re dosing up on whatever they can get there hands on (with the imminent promise of Schedule 5+ if they can just… get… through… this).

That’s because, after November at the University of Cape Town – 6th year medical students become DOCTORS.

The class of 2003 used to mark these momentous yearly occasions with their own brand of cleansing ritual. The whole class, dressed to theme (Doctors by Day, Victoria Secret by Night was my personal favourite), would flock to an arbitrary building on the side M3. They would quickly and clinically get themselves boozed… and flash the traffic.



This wasn’t any ordinary flashing of the traffic. With stethoscopes flying, lab coats swirling and SA’s finest wiggling their jiggly bit – the event made KFM news 3 years in a row, and was responsible for more than a few dented bumpers.

I’d like to say I met my anonymous SA Doc like that… Idling down the highway, afternoon traffic, sweet sounds of some boy band playing (dial obviously stuck – irony is students just don’t listen to KFM!)… There she would appear, like a vision… Mouth open in a drawn out Savanna-induced whoop of delight. Her nipple catches my eye… It would be love.

But alas, I was usually the sucker holding the bra.

At All Scrubbed, we’re wondering if this great tradition is going to continue – and would like to appeal to our readers to get in touch with any UCT medical student they know. Spread the word – it would be a crime to deprave the M3 of its most exciting yearly onslaught.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Finally an article I can comment to - getting naked in public is a subject very close to my heart and something I support whole-heartedly. There have been countless occasions where myself, alone or in a group of willing participants have shredded our clothes with not a milliseconds thought as to the consequences and resulting tarnished reputations (or lack thereof). I could recount the stories, or more accurately the dispersed 2 minute segments that can be remembered, but as they say “what goes on in band camp stays on band camp”.

It did get me thinking as to why I participated in this seemingly harmless past time … actually I never question myself, I was harassed by a jealous (now ex for this reason) girlfriend as to why took off my clothes in front of large groups of strange woman. This would require some soul searching; something I am very poor at. My first answer was an angry “Well I was drunk. And it seemed like a good idea at the time”. But then there was one occasion hiking up table mountain when, not a beer in sight, it also seemed like a good idea that we add flavor to ze Germans SA experience and moon the cable car, more than once, going up and down. More soul searching. How’s about this? Well I am happy with my sexuality and love my body. That’s crap … and gay.

I can only conclude that stripping down, for most people, takes guts (even when you can hardly walk from intoxication) and is a courageous act. People like seeing courage and we the flashers selflessly inspire others to, in turn, lead more courageous lives.

Without getting too deep, I would just like to say that you should not be ashamed to strip down if the occasion arises, you are an inspiration to others and are ultimately making the world a better place. Keep the tradition I say. Especially don’t hesitate if I am there and you are a busty, curvy brunette who likes to keep an open mind.