The Job
February 27, 2009 9:56 AM Subscribe
The waiting for the punchline.
posted by billysumday at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by billysumday at 10:03 AM on February 27, 2009
Ha! I liked the part where traditional roles were reversed for comedic effect.
posted by ND¢ at 10:07 AM on February 27, 2009 [7 favorites]
posted by ND¢ at 10:07 AM on February 27, 2009 [7 favorites]
The credits are longer than the joke.
Funnier, too.
posted by dersins at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2009
Funnier, too.
posted by dersins at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2009
Clever idea, but it hit a little too close to home to be funny for me. The minute the truck pulled up, I thought, "Oh, look. It's me when my severance runs out".
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by Bernt Pancreas at 10:09 AM on February 27, 2009
ahh the irony.
posted by emhutchinson at 10:11 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by emhutchinson at 10:11 AM on February 27, 2009
The stock "Mexican music" seemed a bit in poor taste. As if that's all a Latino guy would ever listen to.
posted by regicide is good for you at 10:13 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by regicide is good for you at 10:13 AM on February 27, 2009
The irony is in fact ironic.
posted by pianomover at 10:13 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by pianomover at 10:13 AM on February 27, 2009
It's not a bad joke, but the execution ruins it. What is with the music?
posted by obvious at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by obvious at 10:14 AM on February 27, 2009
"and has been honored with 28 international awards."... woh, not bad for middling sketch
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:17 AM on February 27, 2009
This post seems to have been posted by someone who is high.
posted by pianomover at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by pianomover at 10:21 AM on February 27, 2009
The comment calling this racist and kicking off a 700 comment shit fest.
posted by Jofus at 10:22 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by Jofus at 10:22 AM on February 27, 2009
When the guy in the truck pulled up and got out I thought he was going to say something along the lines of "I'm here to do all the actual *work* the rest of you guys do."
Which would have driven home the reason for our current situation far more effectively than anything else I've seen.
posted by Ryvar at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2009
Which would have driven home the reason for our current situation far more effectively than anything else I've seen.
posted by Ryvar at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2009
I thought this was hilarious.
The stock "Mexican music" seemed a bit in poor taste. As if that's all a Latino guy would ever listen to.
Except for the music. Which, judging from my neighborhood (Bushwick), is nothing like anything that hispanic dudes listen to ever.
posted by flotson at 10:33 AM on February 27, 2009
The stock "Mexican music" seemed a bit in poor taste. As if that's all a Latino guy would ever listen to.
Except for the music. Which, judging from my neighborhood (Bushwick), is nothing like anything that hispanic dudes listen to ever.
posted by flotson at 10:33 AM on February 27, 2009
The quality of the post notwithstanding, I need to note that not every stereotype is false/offensive.
Speaking as a gringo who has been living, walking, and driving daily in a neighborhood with many Latino/Hispanic families, I am here to attest that it is not unreasonable by any stretch to depict a Latino man in a pickup truck with traditional Mexican music blaring. This is not to say "Hurf durf Mexicuns love mariachis LOL!!1!" but to defend that aspect of this not particularly well-done sketch. I hear that music all the time, from neighbors of every age group. Also, some Japanese exchange students are, in fact, talented at Math, some black folks actually love chicken wings, and a goodly portion of white men really do enjoy classic rock. To include these stereotypes in depictions of persons belonging to these demographics is not inherently negative, inaccurate, or offensive.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 10:35 AM on February 27, 2009 [2 favorites]
Speaking as a gringo who has been living, walking, and driving daily in a neighborhood with many Latino/Hispanic families, I am here to attest that it is not unreasonable by any stretch to depict a Latino man in a pickup truck with traditional Mexican music blaring. This is not to say "Hurf durf Mexicuns love mariachis LOL!!1!" but to defend that aspect of this not particularly well-done sketch. I hear that music all the time, from neighbors of every age group. Also, some Japanese exchange students are, in fact, talented at Math, some black folks actually love chicken wings, and a goodly portion of white men really do enjoy classic rock. To include these stereotypes in depictions of persons belonging to these demographics is not inherently negative, inaccurate, or offensive.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 10:35 AM on February 27, 2009 [2 favorites]
The day laborers at the homes I've worked on listen to a combination of stock "Mexican music," Hispanic rap/pop/dance and American rap/pop/dance. Well, the painters do at least. I think I've only heard the bricklayers play stock music. I have no idea about the framing crew or carpet layers or roofers. I'm not around them.
I'm more interested in what the day laborers eat anyways. They'll break out this electric griddle and some tortillas and some meat and vegetables and have a meal fit for a king. Sometimes they'll have food delivered to them. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a ham sandwich and no siesta.
posted by robtf3 at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2009
I'm more interested in what the day laborers eat anyways. They'll break out this electric griddle and some tortillas and some meat and vegetables and have a meal fit for a king. Sometimes they'll have food delivered to them. Meanwhile, I'm stuck with a ham sandwich and no siesta.
posted by robtf3 at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2009
reminds me of my recruiter.
posted by fuzzypantalones at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2009
posted by fuzzypantalones at 10:39 AM on February 27, 2009
And then the person with Java experience has his Java stolen on the first day of the job. He wanders around the city with his sad little son, looking for his stolen Java, only to discover and confront the person who stole his Java and is roughed up and berated by the neighbours of the theif. Then, in desperation, he steals someone else's Java and is mobbed by the townspeople and is almost arrested until they eventually let him go and he walks home, Javaless, with his son crying.
Fin.
posted by chococat at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2009 [3 favorites]
Fin.
posted by chococat at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2009 [3 favorites]
The stock "Mexican music" seemed a bit in poor taste. As if that's all a Latino guy would ever listen to.
I borrowed a Latino coworker's truck and this is exactly the sort of thing the radio was tuned to when I drove it. But now that I think of it, that may have been his idea of a joke.
posted by TrialByMedia at 12:59 PM on February 27, 2009
I borrowed a Latino coworker's truck and this is exactly the sort of thing the radio was tuned to when I drove it. But now that I think of it, that may have been his idea of a joke.
posted by TrialByMedia at 12:59 PM on February 27, 2009
Hell, I'm a white guy and I listen to stuff like that.
Kinda drawn out for one joke; however, I thought the point was made deftly. Would have been better if the suits were actually going for construction-type jobs - "I need two flatwork concrete guys, ok, and three carpenters - one finish, two rough, ok, yeah, yeah. Two masons. You, You. One unlicensed plumber, and one basic laborer."
posted by notsnot at 2:39 PM on February 27, 2009
Kinda drawn out for one joke; however, I thought the point was made deftly. Would have been better if the suits were actually going for construction-type jobs - "I need two flatwork concrete guys, ok, and three carpenters - one finish, two rough, ok, yeah, yeah. Two masons. You, You. One unlicensed plumber, and one basic laborer."
posted by notsnot at 2:39 PM on February 27, 2009
Heh. I do blue collar work for a living, and our plant deals with a sector of the economy that's still relatively strong (fingers crossed). I've talked to several suit-types that hired on as temporary help for the winter. The company is keeping 3 of them long enough for them to join the union, and they feel lucky.
posted by TrialByMedia at 2:46 PM on February 27, 2009
posted by TrialByMedia at 2:46 PM on February 27, 2009
My (established racist) former boss once showed me this video, laughing heartily the whole time. I already knew he had a chip on his shoulder for hispanic people, but this kind of thing always turned my stomach. It feels like the whole joke is "Ha ha, that Mexican is acting just like a white man, hiring people and giving out jobs! And those white men are acting just like craven Mexicans, look at them scrambling into the back of the truck!" No doubt he saw it as a funny political cartoon of the times without any racial edginess, but I can't stomach people who are already racially insensitive (him) laughing at this type of humor.
posted by lostburner at 10:57 PM on February 27, 2009
posted by lostburner at 10:57 PM on February 27, 2009
Fin.
hey i just saw wendy and lucy! kelly reichardt talks about neorealist New Recession Cinema here :P
posted by kliuless at 6:09 AM on February 28, 2009
hey i just saw wendy and lucy! kelly reichardt talks about neorealist New Recession Cinema here :P
posted by kliuless at 6:09 AM on February 28, 2009
well, lostburner--my "established racist" uncle love-love-LOVES the movie Blazing Saddles. like it's his favorite movie. sometimes racist people love things for entirely the wrong reasons, and that might make them stupid, but it doesn't mean that the piece doesn't have any merit.
posted by RedEmma at 9:26 AM on February 28, 2009
posted by RedEmma at 9:26 AM on February 28, 2009
RedEmma: "but it doesn't mean that the piece doesn't have any merit."
I took care not to say that.
posted by lostburner at 10:05 PM on March 5, 2009
I took care not to say that.
posted by lostburner at 10:05 PM on March 5, 2009
"Timely and disturbingly appropriate" said the Wall Street Journal.
"A new milestone in racially-divisive Second-Depression-era video production." claimed the Times.
"I liked it" said the writer of this post.
posted by pontarae at 10:28 PM on March 7, 2009
"A new milestone in racially-divisive Second-Depression-era video production." claimed the Times.
"I liked it" said the writer of this post.
posted by pontarae at 10:28 PM on March 7, 2009
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posted by ardgedee at 9:59 AM on February 27, 2009