In the movie "Forrest Gump," Lieutenant Dan sadly loses his legs while in combat and faces this sad, horrific truth while laying down in a hospital bed completely depressed. As he lays there disoriented by life, Forrest Gump shouts in his face, "Lieutenant Dan, ice cream!", completely unaware of how scary and real Lt. Dan's situation is. The internet had a field day with this line and created a"Lieutenant Dan, ice cream!" meme that took the internet by storm, going so far as to Photoshop Lt. Dan's face on ice cream or "create" the "Lt. Dan, ice cream!" flavor for Ben and Jerry's by putting the scene on a tub of ice cream. This iconic phrase and meme got me curious--in what other scenarios in Lt. Dan's life would Forrest Gump asking for ice cream be deemed unacceptable? Well, here ya go!
Asking Lt. Dan if he wants ice cream in his bedroom while he is having Vietnam nightmares
War is certainly a scary thing and can leaves scars that cannot be physically seen. Having a nightmare about those days would be really painful and stressful and I could never handle it. Imagine if Forrest Gump lived with Lt. Dan and just randomly offered him ice cream in the middle of all of this. Not only would Lt. Dan flip, but he would be so frightened by his dreams that he may attack Gump in a blind rage! There's a time and place for everything, Forrest, maybe don't offer your buddy ice cream while he is experiencing PTSD.
Asking Lt. Dan if he wants ice cream while he is taking a shit
Keeping up with the idea that Lt. Dan and Forrest Gump live together, Forrest might be concerned at how long Lt. Dan is in the bathroom and may offer him some ice cream. The only problem is Lt. Dan didn't lock the door and Forrest assumed it would be okay to just open the door. No, Forrest, Lt. Dan ain't making ice cream, you literally scared the shit out of him!
Asking Lt. Dan if he wants ice cream while he is in the shower
I suppose this time it's really Lt. Dan's fault. He should have known from the first time to lock the door and now Forrest is in the shower next him shouting, "Lt. Dan, ice cream!" Poor Lt. Dan, thats what you get for agreeing to let Forrest live with you.
Asking Lt. Dan if he wants ice cream while he is sawing wood outside
Forrest Gump has already asked Lt. Dan for ice cream in four inappropriate settings and scenarios. Lt. Dan is pissed. He is trying to apply his anger to sawing some wood outside. But fingers will get cut off when Forrest Gump sneaks up behind him and shouts, "Lt. Dan, ice cream!" Now Lt. Dan not only lost his legs, but some fingers and his sanity. What's so wrong about asking your friend if they want any ice cream?
Asking Lt. Dan if he wants ice cream while he is at his wife's funeral
Things have taken a turn for the worse. Lt. Dan lost his wife. He is in serious grief and fears that all of his progression to be a better person may become undone without her. He needs some cheering up, but there's a time and place, though people do love ice cream. Once again, Forrest Gump walks to Lt. Dan and offers him some ice cream as Lt. Dan cries his eyes out. Damn it, Forrest!
There you have it! Hopefully, Lt. Dan can forgive his friend. After all, what better way is there to make up with a friend than over some nice ice cream?