Get a Life!

[dougiezerts]

William Shattner appeard on Saturday Night Live, a few years ago. One of the skits showed him at a sci-fi convention. At it, he began insulting the crowd as geeks and nerds--"Get a life!" This skit has already become quite legendary.
I was wondering, how do you all feel about it? Was it hilarious, insulting, a bit true, or perhaps all of these things?
Personally, I thought it was quite brillient!

 

[Melakon]

. . .a few years ago.

It was in 1986, you just now heard about it?

It was a good, topical sketch for Shatner, and perhaps allowed him to vicariously express how he might have felt at times. But I think people have tried to place meaning on it more than was intended.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

1986? Has it been that long? Gads.

I saw it first run, and it was all those things: hilarious, insulting, and a bit true. Funny thing is, it's still all those things, because here we are!

 

[dougiezerts]

Sorry, I honestly thought it was recent! To be honest, I stopped watching SNL after the original cast left.

 

[dougiezerts]

1986? Has it been that long? Gads.

I saw it first run, and it was all those things: hilarious, insulting, and a bit true. Funny thing is, it's still all those things, because here we are!

Yes, devoting a forum to it!

 

[urbandefault]

I saw the show that night and thought it was hilarious. I still do.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Let's put it this way. If you're able to laugh that that sketch, then it doesn't apply to you. Because you're able to make fun of yourself, and that alone defeats said stereotype.

My favorite SNL Star Trek sketch is Star Trek V: The Restaurant, where the ship is repurposed as a restaurant.

Kirk: "Doctor McCoy this man needs medical attention!"
McCoy: "Dammit Jim I'm a Doctor not a...oh, okay sure!"

 

[urbandefault]

Let's put it this way. If you're able to laugh that that sketch, then it doesn't apply to you. Because you're able to make fun of yourself, and that alone defeats said stereotype.

So ... given that premise (of which I am in complete agreement), how many people here do you think will truthfully admit that they were offended by it?

 

[Melakon]

I stopped watching SNL after the original cast left.

You're Chevy Chase, aren't you?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

To be fair, after the original last left the show went through several phases of being terrible and being 'Pretty good'. The Phil Hartman era that sketch came from was probably the best phase of the show other than the original cast.

 

[urbandefault]

To be fair, after the original last left the show went through several phases of being terrible and being 'Pretty good'. The Phil Hartman era that sketch came from was probably the best phase of the show other than the original cast.

I miss Phil Hartman.

 

[dougiezerts]

I stopped watching SNL after the original cast left.

You're Chevy Chase, aren't you?

There is an actual Chevy Chase, MD, which I live close to!

 

[CorporalClegg]

I expected this to be about Shat's doc, which is actually pretty good.

 

[Pondwater]

I thought it was going to be about the book he wrote.

 

[J.T.B.]

1986? Has it been that long? Gads.

Gads indeed! IIRC the show aired around my 17th birthday and Christmas break. It seemed like SNL had gotten its groove back. I was really watching to see Lone Justice as much as anything, I didn't like their second album as much as the first but I thought Maria McKee was pretty cute.

 

[Ro_Laren]

It's been ages since I thought about that skit