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The writing staff at SNL are prolific creators of works that capture the zeitgeist in a poignant and relevant way. I'm not really sure why you'd consider them t

The writing staff at SNL are prolific creators of works that capture the zeitgeist in a poignant and relevant way. I'm not really sure why you'd consider them to be clueless purveyors of circus instead of timely and informed critics. Apart from being preachy, your comment embodies the unqualified smugness of Silicon Valley, whereby every tool with a Github account thinks himself a world-changing entrepreneur cum artiste. There are a lot of people elsewhere doing amazing things, and a lot of people here are working on utterly banal tripe. Some shit is just stupid, and I'd sooner trust the SNL writing staff's opinion on that.

magicalist 14y ago
The OP does sound like an ass, but I assume you either haven't watched SNL before or you have a really, really low standard for "capture the zeitgeist in a poignant and relevant way".
- jessedhillon 14y ago
  For sure, they are much better during political season. But yes, a lot of the things they create are hillarious and relevant. I sense that their clips are very frequently shared, although that's just anecdotal. The point is that it seems bizarre to come out with a "we're creators of magic and they're plebeians" argument when talking about the people behind one of the longest running shows ever.
mladenkovacevic 14y ago
They have their moments (more in the early seasons than now), but it mostly follows a hive-mind, laugh-track recipe that re-tells the established, popular socio-political narrative and doesn't at all challenge anything or anyone. I actually think some of their low-brow toilet humour, or the absurdist stuff is the funniest. For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong with being all about toilet humour and absurdity, but I cringe when someone pretends they are doing "intelligent", political satire and ends up making a mildly funny skit out of a New York Times article. The saddest thing of all though, is that this is exactly what's expected of them.
- jessedhillon 14y ago
  hive-mind And what are you doing, if not clinging tightly to the "engineers are special" and "the geek shall inherit the earth" scripts? Are you seriously trying not to be condescending or are you just tossing out some boilerplate CYA?
  - mladenkovacevic 14y ago
    I think you are assuming a lot about me. I am not an engineer nor do I have a special affinity for engineers. I haven't stepped foot in the Silicon Valley (although I've been to lots of other places). Also, I think a potato farmer has as much potential to change the world as any engineer.

magicalist 14y ago

The OP does sound like an ass, but I assume you either haven't watched SNL before or you have a really, really low standard for "capture the zeitgeist in a poignant and relevant way".

jessedhillon 14y ago
For sure, they are much better during political season. But yes, a lot of the things they create are hillarious and relevant. I sense that their clips are very frequently shared, although that's just anecdotal. The point is that it seems bizarre to come out with a "we're creators of magic and they're plebeians" argument when talking about the people behind one of the longest running shows ever.

mladenkovacevic 14y ago

They have their moments (more in the early seasons than now), but it mostly follows a hive-mind, laugh-track recipe that re-tells the established, popular socio-political narrative and doesn't at all challenge anything or anyone. I actually think some of their low-brow toilet humour, or the absurdist stuff is the funniest. For the record, I don't think there's anything wrong with being all about toilet humour and absurdity, but I cringe when someone pretends they are doing "intelligent", political satire and ends up making a mildly funny skit out of a New York Times article. The saddest thing of all though, is that this is exactly what's expected of them.

jessedhillon 14y ago
hive-mind And what are you doing, if not clinging tightly to the "engineers are special" and "the geek shall inherit the earth" scripts? Are you seriously trying not to be condescending or are you just tossing out some boilerplate CYA?
- mladenkovacevic 14y ago
  I think you are assuming a lot about me. I am not an engineer nor do I have a special affinity for engineers. I haven't stepped foot in the Silicon Valley (although I've been to lots of other places). Also, I think a potato farmer has as much potential to change the world as any engineer.