Episode 138 • Support
Take the fall
I got you
Have someone's back
If I go down, you're coming with me
Take one for the team
Story
[School bell rings]
CJ: Hey, Ben! Want to do something fun?
Ben: Not really, I know your idea of fun, CJ, and it’s going to get us in trouble.
CJ: Oh come on! We’re twins, we should be doing fun things together! Just one last time! It’s our last year in this school together.
Ben: Ugh, fine. What do you want to do?
CJ: We should graffiti this door and then say it was the new kid who did it, Brock!
Ben: What?! First of all, that’s insane. That’s Mrs. Whitman’s classroom. Trust me, you don’t want to see Mrs. Whitman angry. That woman’s scary. Secondly, why would you let Brock take the fall?
CJ: Because… I don’t know.
Ben: Wait, I think I know why. That’s because you’re jealous. Because you used to be the most popular guy in school before he got here and now everybody seems to like him even more than you.
CJ: Yeah, yeah, whatever. Here, take this and draw whatever you want. Come on, hurry!
Ben: Wait, why me? I don’t want to get suspended.
CJ: It’s going to be fine, I got you.
Ben: You got me, really? Like last time? See? You always say you have my back and then when we get caught, you always let me take the blame, but it ain’t happening this time, alright CJ? If I go down, you’re coming with me.
CJ: Fine, I don’t care. Plus, I told you. We’ll blame it on Brock and then everybody will hate him for getting Mrs. Whitman upset. Come on, she’s coming.
Ben: What should I draw?
CJ: I don’t know. Just something! I’ll be inside.
[Spraying]
[School bell rings]
Mrs. Whitman: What in the-? Who did that? I said “Who did that”? I will not tolerate this type of behavior. Now, I want to know immediately who graffitied my door, or else the whole class is going to get detention.
Brock: I did it, Mrs. Whitman.
Mrs. Whitman: Brock, you did that?
Girl: Brock, what are you doing? You didn’t do it.
Brock: Taking one for the team, girl. It’s alright.
Girl: Wow.
Mrs. Whitman: Alright, Brock. Come with me.
[Class cheering]
Ben: I guess your plan didn’t exactly work the way you thought, CJ.
Questions
I don't know if you're thinking what I'm thinking, but right now I'm just wondering, what in the world did he paint on that door? I would be so curious to know, and I know I wrote the story, but I did not think- I didn't want to make it vulgar, so I didn't want to say anything that would be too "Lara. Why did you put that into the story?" But, you know, let your imagination take you where it wants to.
Take the fall
'Secondly, why would you let Brock take the fall?'
• If you take the fall for something, do you accept the blame or not?
Yes. If something speaks volumes, that means that it is giving you a lot of information. You can definitely figure out a lot about a specific situation, if something speaks volumes.
• If you take the fall for something, you get blamed for something you did or something you didn’t do?
Usually when you say that you take the fall, you are saying that you're getting blamed, you're accepting the blame for something that you didn't do. So it's this idea of, in a way, sacrificing yourself so that other people won't get blamed. So you're like, you know, I don't want everybody else to get punished, so I'm going to take the fall. I'm the one that's going to say I did it. So I'm the only one who gets punished, which is a very, very nice gesture. It's an amazing thing to do.
• Was there a time when you took the fall when it wasn’t your fault?
No, I don't think that was the time when I took the fall. I think that- And I can't really think of anything specific that I can tell you, but I'm pretty positive that if something did happen and somebody else was responsible for that, I- I'm not going to say I'm going to, you know, say, hey, it was him. I'm not going to rat him out or rat her out. But I, I don't think I would take the fall either. I mean, I'm sorry, guys, but I'm being honest. I'm not that noble.
I got you
'It’s going to be fine, I got you.'
• If you tell someone “I got you”, does that mean that you will protect them or not?
Yes. If you say 'I got you' to someone- by saying that you're telling them I will protect you, I will defend you, I will do whatever it is in my power to make sure that nothing bad happens to you.
• When would you tell someone “I got you”, when you want to reassure them you will protect them physically or emotionally?
It can be either. So it can be like, Hey, jump, I got you. Like, nothing's going to happen to you. Or it can also be like, Hey, we're going to this party with your family. I know you don't get along with them. Whatever. Don't worry. I'm there with you. I got you. Meaning whatever happens, you know you've got me. And I think it's a really- it's a really nice expression. And when you want to make someone feel secure and feel protected, I think it's a great three words that you can tell them.
Have someone’s back
'You always say you have my back and then when we get caught, you always let me take the blame…'
• If you have someone’s back, does that mean you’re willing to support them or not?
If you have someone's back, that means that you're willing to support them. So in a way, it's very similar to the expression I got you, meaning I will support you, I will be your support. So don't worry about anything.
• If you have someone’s back, does that mean you’re willing to defend them or not?
Once again, yes, because this idea of having someone's back is- you're basically saying I will- If something happens, I will defend you. Say, for example, that you want to do something bad, but you're afraid someone else is going to tell on you, then that person can reassure you by saying, I got your back. If you get caught, if I got your back, what I'm going to say is probably, no, he didn't do it or no, I didn't see anything. Anything that will support you and defend you. Again, you have both ideas, both supporting and defending. So if I have to share some very difficult news with a friend, I can bring someone else with me and hoping that they will have my back, meaning they will help me. They will facilitate the conversation. They will support me, whatever happens.
If I go down, you’re coming with me.
'… but it ain’t happening this time, alright CJ? If I go down, you’re coming with me.'
• If you tell someone “If I go down, you’re coming with me”, does that mean, if you were to get caught, you will protect them or not?
So if you tell them, if I go down, you're coming with me. That means that if you get caught, you will not protect them. In fact, you are going to tell whoever caught you that this other person is responsible as well. So you have this idea of, okay, if something happens to me, I'm sorry, but I'm dragging you down with me. I'm bringing you into this mess with me. And I think it's a really, I don't know, it's in a way, it's a funny expression, Like, you can say it obviously in a fun context, But I mean, when you're saying that it's a pretty big threat.
• When would you say “If I go down, you’re coming down with me”? Before or after doing something you shouldn’t?
You usually say it before doing something you shouldn't because you're warning the other person like, Hey, listen, okay, fine, I'll accept, you know, whatever you're proposing, I'll do it. But I'm not happy about it. And if I get caught, I'm not the only one who's going to be held responsible for this. So in a way, it's a nice gesture, I guess, because you're giving the other person, you know, the choice, like, do they want to be held responsible as well or not? So, again, if you know you don't want to be the only one to get blamed and you want to do something that might have bad consequences and this someone else is doing it with you, Tell them if I go down, you're coming with me.
• Have you ever told someone “If I go down, you’re coming with me”?
I don't think so. I mean, I might have said that as a joke, but not for real. Also, like, if I am going to do something that I'm not proud of, I'm going to take full responsibility. You know, I'm not going to- Just because, you know, somebody else is involved. Who cares if I'm the one involved, I'm I'm going to take full responsibility. So, no, I don't think I've ever said this to anybody.
Take one for the team
'Brock, what are you doing? You didn’t do it. - Taking one for the team, girl. It’s alright.'
• If you take one for the team, does that mean you accept blame or punishment or not?
Yes. If you take one for the team, that means that you're accepting the blame or that you're accepting the punishment that's about to be given to you.
• If you take one for the team, will the other members of the group have to accept the blame or not?
No, they will not. That's why you say taking one for the team. Because that means that if a whole group is being accused of something and maybe they did something, the whole group is responsible for something, then one of them, in order to not have too many people suffer the consequences of what they did, then just one person, one say member of the team- It doesn't have to be a team, okay? It can just be a group of people. Then this one person can stand up and say, Hey, I did it and obviously they're going to get punished, but the rest of the group won't. So that's why they're taking one for the team. So they're taking the punishment as opposed to having the whole group be punished.
• Is taking one for the team seen as a good thing?
Oh, yeah. That's amazing. Very much just like taking the fall if you're taking one for the team. I mean, think about it. When, you know, you're within a group and you did something bad, you're afraid you're going to get punished. And then this one person accepts full responsibility. They take the blame for the whole group, then obviously, you're going to be super grateful to that person. You're going to think they're super brave for accepting the blame and accepting the punishment, not sharing the punishment with the rest of the people. So it's seen as an amazing thing. I mean, people that do take one for the team, they're usually seen as very, very good people. It's something that- almost like a hero.
• Have you ever taken one for the team?
No, man. I've never taken one for the team. I think that- I don't know. Maybe I've never been in that situation. I've never been part of, like, something bad that concerned multiple people. So maybe- I want to be honest here. Maybe I've never been in that position. But I also- I am going to be honest with you when I say I don't know if I would, if I was in that I felt was in that position. I don't know if I would take one for the team, maybe if the punishment wasn't terrible. But I mean, if we're all getting punished, then maybe I would do it. I don't know. We would have to see. It depends on the circumstances.
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