In any TV show or movie you’ve ever seen, water is some kind of mystical potion that relieves all shocks and injuries:
Just heard your mom died? “Get him a glass of water!”
Tripped and fell? “Somebody get her some water!”
House burned down with your kids inside? “Can I get you some water?” [Nods tearfully]
Is this a real thing? Does this happen just as frequently
in real life? What is the medical theory behind it? Why don’t they ever offer a glass of restorative water to children in these scenes? And what is the cut-off age?
I much prefer the classic film version: “Give him some brandy!” Who do I talk to about bringing that back?
I mean, surely there are other alternatives as well. If I ever get pinned under a fallen piano, I hope the first person on the scene is more of an out-of-the-box thinker: “Quick! Somebody get him a milkshake!” I nod tearfully and whisper “Mint chocolate chip!”
Hydration is important and people in stressful situations can sometimes forget to eat and drink. If you’re in a fire you’re likely to have smoke and ash in your mouth and throat. Offering someone some water is a simple and easy thing to do, which is why we do it in a lot of situations where people aren’t shocked or injured. Also, it gives the shocked/injured something to focus on.
Also I can’t say I’ve noticed that people receiving water in movies and TV in these situations magically being relieved of their shock/injury.
Plus, doing something simple and biological like drinking water can help a person in a stressful situation to calm down. And offering refreshment, of any sort, is an expression of hospitality and solidarity.
It also stops them from talking for a few seconds, which can be good for everyone.
But yeah, it’s mostly hydration. I live in a hot climate, and it’s been drilled in to me from a very young age that when you don’t feel good, for whatever reason, the first thing you do is drink some water. The symptoms of dehydration are varied and idiosyncratic, and you very often start suffering from them before you even notice you’re thirsty. Tired? Drink. Headache? Drink. Dizzy? Drink. If drinking doesn’t help, then try to figure out what’s wrong.
Well, Sheldon Cooper of “The Big Bang Theory” always offers some sort of hot beverage to anyone in distress. There’s gotta be something to this, if Sheldon does it…
Binging New Tricks, a show set in the UK, water is replaced by tea. They break the news that someone’s mother died, then offer them a cuppa tea. Every damn time, and it seems natural for them.
If I offered someone tea when they were upset, nine times out of ten I bet I’d get a strange look.
Oh, and for most of these purposes, a mint chocolate milkshake would, in fact, work just as well… if one had milkshakes handy. But to get a milkshake for the poor sufferer, I’d have to go several blocks to a fast-food place, wait in line for an undetermined amount of time, and come back, and they probably wouldn’t even have mint chocolate available. But water, that’s always available, any place where people are (because any place where it’s not available, people aren’t), and usually within a minute or so.
It’s just a placeholder for care in general, same as wrapping accident survivors in blankets, regardless of the weather. It’s symbolic, and a chance for someone to calm down by focusing on a mundane activity. In the 50s, they would have a cigarette instead.
It brings people out of a state of emotional agitation and back into their bodies. “Grounding.” Thinking about the question, taking the glass, drinking the water without choking–it all takes a person out of a looping, spiraling state and brings them back to reality and capable functioning. It actually works really well. (The kindness and hospitality symbolism are also important).
In my work I sometimes have to give people unpleasant news, or talk to them when they’re vey upset. As they start to get worked up and begin crying, offering a drink of water really helps. I also carry two clean handkerchiefs, and giving the person one of then serves the same purpose. It shows you care about them, it acknowledges that we have human bodies that have needs, and it gives them something else to focus on and think about. “Take a deep breath” would also work, but handing them a physical object is better and comes across as humane rather than condescending.
Lovely series of explanations for why water might be offered in such situations. All of which I of course already understood; I never meant to suggest that it was illogical or unreasonable.
But my original question still stands: is the near universal certainty of proffered water in fictional media equalled, or even approached in real life? Or is it another media trope?
Put it this way: if I started a thread pointing out how often movie villains enter a movie scene with a closeup of their feet stepping out of a car, I would be surprised if the follow-up thread consisted comments as bout “Well you have to exit the car feet first!” In that circumstance my focus would be on the cliché nature of that shot. Just as here my point was the cliché of offering a cup of water to victims of anything from alien abduction to being started by a cat.
