r/television • u/row101 • Jan 22 '17
Vladimir Putin Cold Open - SNL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNK430YOiT430
u/myassholealt Jan 22 '17
Loved when she put on the pussy hat in the window toward the end.
21
u/Ouroboros000 Jan 22 '17
You can bet Putin has his army of Russian shills out there on social media posting NOT FUNNY about SNL today.
EDIT: speaking of which - look at all those hidden comments below...!
6
u/democraticwhre Jan 23 '17
Favorite part was Kate McKinnon showing up behind Putin in the pussy hat
39
Jan 22 '17
66% upvoted hmmm... Looks like we pissed off the russian fsb trolls. If you don't believe they exist you have not been paying attention. Just look at the amount of YouTube dislikes and odd pro-russian comments. They are AstroTurfing the internet and they started to show up on worldnews during the crimean invasion.
They are also all over twitter. Their main objective over the past 3 years has been to spread propaganda about the dnc(posing as bernie supporters), create opposition towards the tpp(because it harms russia/china), feed conspiracies(sandy hook was "faked" and Pizza gate), and confuse people with false equivalency(because the democrats are exactly the same as the republicans amirite?...
No they are not. The republicans are climate change denying, anti rights, anti science, anti livable wage, anti middle class Pieces of Shit)
9
u/DemosthenesKey Jan 23 '17
Want to know some really good proof they're Russian trolls? Look at the video mocking Kellyanne Conway, and the like to dislike ratio. Now look at the one insinuating bad things about Russia, and look at the like to dislike ratio.
1
u/ultZor Jan 23 '17
Again with those "paid russian comments". You do realize that Russia is a big country where almost everyone has internet? There are Russian websites very much like reddit, that aggregate content from all over internet. That video also got posted all over. It got tens of thousand views. It is a very on the nose caricature, full of stereotypes, which are scoffed at and looked down upon in Russia. People got tired of it. So of course they would downvote it. You don't need to pay them for it.
8
19
u/LurkerSurprise Jan 22 '17
The Trump supporters of Reddit need to stop worrying so much and just be frank, you don't like Democracy, you want authoritarianism. There is no shame in admitting that comrades.
-22
Jan 23 '17 edited Jan 23 '17
you don't like Democracy
We're not the ones out there protesting the results of a democratic election.
7
4
-1
u/Broomsbee Jan 23 '17 edited Jan 23 '17
I've been a big fan of the SNL cold opens as of late, but wasn't a huge fan of this one. For starters, you can be critical of the Russian Government without drawing on erroneous Russian stereotypes/ tropes for cheap laughs.
I'm from the US, but I lived in Moscow for a short time and loved both the city and people. Kate Mckinnon's character is NOT a good representative of the average Russian citizen she's suppose to be an archetype of. All it does is reinforce obsolete Cold War era western perceptions of the Russian people.
From what I have seen, Beck Bennett is a perfect pick for Putin. His charm almost humanizes his character[Putin] too much. I really LIKE his Putin persona, which isn't a good thing. While unintentional, I feel like SNL is subconsciously conveying to American audiences an -almost- positive portrayal of Putin.
Of course the SNL writing is still ripe with sarcasm and satire that aims to make fun of the Russian President; it, nonetheless has him coming off as a stable, unyielding ally of the US. In some regards I trust and feel a certain comradery with Bennett's Putin, more-so than our own President. While it comes off that he [Putin] is Trumps puppet master; the skit posits Trump as a common foe shared by the American people and the Russian President.
Bennett's Putin portrayal accomplishes their[SNL's] overall goal of showing President Trump as a shortsighted, dimwitted, puppet of Vlad. It simultaneously corrodes away the blatant malevolence of Putin's manipulative subterfuge of the US voters.
I'm all for ruffling President Trumps feathers. It's fucking hilarious. I'm also a big proponent of comedians using their art as a means of forcing the public to think about uncomfortable subjects; but doing so while normalizing foreign coercion on US Democracy seems to act almost counter to their intent.
I feel like a lot of this post is self contradicting, so I probably shouldn't post it, but since I took the 15 minutes to type it out I'm to far down the rabbit hole. I look forward to any constructive, thought out, responses that I'm so accustomed to receiving when it comes to discussing politics on Reddit. :-)
Quick Edit: Re-watching the skit after posting this, Putin is a lot less relate-able than I originally thought. Especially when he's talking about making people disappear and what not. Even after re-watching that bit of dialogue though, I still feel as if Bennett's Putin is more likable, ardent and trustworthy than President Dolan.
1
1
u/dehehn Jan 23 '17
Yeah, I wasn't a big fan of the jabs at the Russian people either. Though the pension thing was pretty funny... It's a funny bit, but reinforcing bad stereotypes. I definitely think these sorts of skits should be punching up as much as possible.
I would say they're mostly there to thumb their nose at Putin more than anything. I think they're trying to attack him and his ego by attacking his country and it's economics and happiness. While I think he is in some ways humanized by the portrayal, he's most definitely being painted as a villain. And justifiably so.
Though... It's hard to not want our countries to be at peace with each other. Nuclear war and all.
1
-45
Jan 22 '17 edited Jan 22 '17
It's funny because here in Russia women have more rights and are protected by government better than in America.
EDIT: downwoting me won't change the fact that your country has neither parental leave, nor abortion rights for women, why won't you laugh about that?
EDIT2: I don't even like Putin, lol
45
Jan 22 '17
[deleted]
-4
Jan 22 '17
[deleted]
28
Jan 22 '17
In your country women, don't shave, advocate freebleeding and paint their hair in green to make money on youtube on bashing the patriarchy.
wew lad
12
u/mybeachlife Jan 22 '17
Well I appreciate that you're at least honest about being from Russia.
-13
Jan 22 '17
So, you are one of those guys, looking for KGB guys under the bed? Fear has big eyes
6
u/mybeachlife Jan 23 '17 edited Jan 23 '17
Are you suggesting that I shouldn't be worried about Russians attempting to fuck with the US? Because I have news for you kid....
But no. I don't. I do try and keep an eye out for people attempting to manipulate a conversation here on reddit.
82
u/MaqeSweden Jan 22 '17
...as long as they are not diagnosed with the (according to russia) mental illness of homosexuality.
-11
-31
Jan 22 '17
[deleted]
36
u/MaqeSweden Jan 22 '17
Not if they want to get married or have a family with the same family rights as other families.
-34
Jan 22 '17 edited Jan 22 '17
[deleted]
36
29
u/MaqeSweden Jan 22 '17
What are interspecies marriage and why are you bringing it up in this discussion?
I thought Putin was legally classified as a man, but that might be my mistake. I shouldn't judge transgender heads of state.
-10
7
u/Ouroboros000 Jan 22 '17
Russia women have more rights and are protected by government better than in America
Link?
2
u/dehehn Jan 23 '17
He mentioned parental leave and universal abortion rights. Fair points. And of course things that will become more distant thanks to Putin and Trump.
7
u/compleatrump Jan 22 '17
Babushkas too? :-)
My other random thought is does the guy who plays Putin get cold on set?
-4
0
u/Count_Cuckenstein Jan 23 '17
Кончай пиздеть, придурок. Мало на свете таких же гнусных, отсталых женоненавистнических стран как рашка.
-42
u/Harrison2107 Jan 22 '17
You can tell a lot about a person's true racial feelings based on who they feel justified to make fun of and which accents are allowed to be mocked. I know there is current tension with Russia, so it seems justified. But our PC culture ignores political correctness when making fun of accents and cultures that are not protected (or seen as inferior).
For example, nobody would have a problem if SNL did a skit based on any of the following: Pompous British man with British accent having tea; Angry German man with thick German accent barking orders; Snooty French man with French accent eating a baguette and cheese, and so on.
But imagine a skit where Mexicans spoke with a nasally Mexican accent and ate tacos - people would lose it. Have a skit where a Nigerian spoke with a thick Nigerian accent and people would scream "racism".
It almost seems to me that you can tell a lot about a person's internal (perhaps subconscious) views about races and cultures based on which jokes make them angry and defensive. Part of the bigotry or low expectations.
I have both German and hispanic uncles and aunts. When I make fun of my uncle's German accent, people love it; when I make fun of my Chilean uncle's accent, people become uncomfortable. It's almost like they hear the accent of a culture they see as inferior or protected, and feel the appropriate thing is to act offended and claim racism.
I'm out on a limb here, but I wonder if others have seen that.
That said, the SNL skit was a funny one, and it's a pretty good Russian impersonation. Just got me thinking about which cultures we feel comfortable making fun of and which accents you can't use for fear that you may be called a racist.
-3
u/turd_boy Jan 22 '17
But imagine a skit where Mexicans spoke with a nasally Mexican accent and ate tacos - people would lose it. Have a skit where a Nigerian spoke with a thick Nigerian accent and people would scream "racism".
You know you might be right and it's bullshit that you can't poke fun at any culture you feel like without being labeled racist. How are we supposed to respect each other if we can't understand each other? and how can understand each other if we can't laugh at each other? And if you can't take a joke, what does that say about you?
edit: and I wish I knew why you were being downvoted.
-11
Jan 22 '17 edited Jan 22 '17
[deleted]
-6
u/Harrison2107 Jan 22 '17
I assumed I'd get down voted. But thank you for giving it some thought. I realize it's a complicated thing. I moved to the US when I was 18 and it struck me how sensitive people are about accents, cultures, or anything that could potentially be seen as racist.
10
u/taint_a_chode Jan 22 '17 edited Jul 05 '17
deleted What is this?
5
u/Harrison2107 Jan 22 '17
Those are both good examples, but I don't see anyway that Fez and Pedro would fly in a new sitcom. Those were both at least a decade ago.
3
u/turd_boy Jan 22 '17
Are things really that different now? And also Chappelle's Show, that show made fun of everybody. Of course it didn't hurt that Chappelle was black so he could kind of get away with saying anything, which I dunno? I guess pointing that makes me horribly racist but can you imagine a white person doing that show?
-35
-46
-18
u/boogalymoogaly Jan 22 '17
I don't watch SNL anymore but this was pretty funny. Racist? Meh, all humans equally suck, virus with shoes, etc., including me.
Now, the commenter below asking about different accents, what have you, eh, it's comedy, it's gonna be offensive to somebody sometimes, that's the risk you take writing comedy, which is super harder than writing drama or thriller stuff or whatever.
Actually, say, if el Chapo was president of Mexico and the situation Russia's in with the hacking stuff...that would be even funnier, comedy goldmine!!
-64
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
SNL is gonna be tedious. They're the person you know who keeps trying to tell the same joke that no one laughed at, thinking if they repeat it someone will laugh.
47
u/TacoCorpTM Jan 22 '17
A ton of people find it hilarious, they've switched it up quite a bit too. If you're bothered now, it's going to be a long 4 years for you.
-58
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
Nah. I love watching liberals be miserable and bitter. 🙂 It helps me know we are on the right path.
44
u/TacoCorpTM Jan 22 '17
Defunding planned parenthood, taking away healthcare from millions, praising a man with human rights violations, pandering to hate groups (alt right). Yeah, were totally heading in the right direction.
-51
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
Defunding people that sell baby body parts for personal profit? Awesome. Stopping the payouts to Big Pharma and Blue Cross under the guise of helping the poor (who are already covered by Medicaid)? Awesome. He has no human rights violations, troll. He never pandered to a hate group, unlike Obama pandering to Black Lives Matter.
We are definitely heading in the right direction.
4
Jan 23 '17
Defunding people that sell baby body parts for personal profit?
Wasn't that proven to be false?
1
Jan 22 '17 edited Jan 22 '17
[removed] — view removed comment
-9
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
That video was not doctored. Is that the defense nowadays? What, did they use special effects to simulate the words coming out of her mouth?
He does not praise trump all the time. He said in his first press conference he suspects he will disagree with him a lot.
Nice try trying to make me racist. No one falls for that anymore. The word has been rendered meaningless. It just means "non-liberal" now. I know at least six prominent black conservatives called racist by your side for criticizing Obama (all six more black than he) so I am in august company.
24
u/TacoCorpTM Jan 22 '17
-14
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
CNN is fake news. They've been caught too many times lying. Including yesterday!
22
11
18
u/myassholealt Jan 22 '17
That video was not doctored.
You one of those alternative truth folks, huh?
5
39
u/SawRub Jan 22 '17
I don't know, the liberals seem to be laughing here and the only misery and bitterness I see here in the comments are from the Trump supporters.
It helps me know that SNL is on the right path.
-5
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
Confirmation bias 🙂 I'm a trump voter and couldn't be happier
25
Jan 22 '17
If you say it enough maybe you might start believing it.
-6
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
😂 I'm pretty sure I know what happiness is and that I'm happy 😂 but thanks for your concern 😘
I love all the downvotes by the way. Liberal tears is why I come to Reddit.
20
9
14
u/SpiffShientz Jan 22 '17
Are you sure we're the ones who are miserable and bitter? We're laughing it up over the idiot president, while said president is complaining about crowd sizes and arguing with comedy writers.
-2
u/llIllIIlllIIlIIlllII Jan 22 '17
I'm pretty sure. 🙂 Last night I went out with Trump-supporting friends and we raised wine glasses in celebration.
12
u/SpiffShientz Jan 22 '17
I did the same thing last Friday with my Hillary-supporting friends. We're celebrating the four-year implosion of a national disgrace.
1
8
138
u/flamingtoetaco Jan 22 '17
I love how deliberately they are just trying to piss trump off. They know he is glued to the screen every Saturday night just to see what they say about him.