May 2015 – My Geek Wisdom

“Annie’s pretty young. We try not to sexualize her.”

From: Community

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Jeff Winger

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Community. Initially, a sitcom on NBC, the show was cancelled, dashing hopes for the dream of it getting “six seasons and a movie.” But, with Yahoo! Screen coming in for the save and picking up the cult show, all that’s missing now is the movie. The story has evolved from Jeff Winger (played by Joel McHale) trying to get a law degree from Greendale Community College to him actually becoming a faculty member. But Greendale is still the crazy school it’s always been.

The quote comes from the first season episode, “Investigative Journalism.” Buddy (portrayed by guest star Jack Black) attempts to join the study group. He then makes a sexual comment directed at Annie Edison (played by Alison Brie). Jeff quickly takes him aside and delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: We tend to put people on pedestals. We worship people celebrities and fantasize that our crushes have perfect lives. What we fail to realize in situations like this is that these people are people, too! Sometimes, our own imagination tends to get the better of us and we don’t realize that they may have their own problems and their lives, while it may seem perfect, isn’t a great as we think.

“If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!”

From: Batman, specifically The Killing Joke

Genre: Comics

Who said it?: The Joker

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel, The Killing Joke. This comic drastically gives a different spin on the origins of The Clown Prince of Crime and turns it on its head. Basically, The Killing Joke tells the story of The Joker’s plan to kidnap Commissioner James Gordon and give him “one bad day” so he can go crazy like The Harlequin of Hate became after his stint as the Red Hood.

The quote comes near the end of the story. Batman managed to track down the Joker. The Joker attempts to escape and, all the while, goes on a tirade saying that he’s won (thinking that Gordon has gone as mad as he is). He also knows that something awful happened to him that made him become the Joker but he just can’t remember exactly what it was…

Geek wisdom: Our brains have this weird way of clouding our very memories. Sometimes, we can remember something so vividly, we’d bet our life on it, only to find out we remembered it wrong. Other times, we can have fond memories of the past. But, when we revisit the same thing, we find out that it’s not as good as we remembered.

This is not a bad, nor a good thing; it’s just a fact of life.

“Boy, that escalated quickly.”

From: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Genre: Movies

Who said it?: Ron Burgundy

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the first Anchorman film. The movie tells the story of 70’s superstar new anchor Ron Burgundy (played by Will Ferrell) and his all-male news team. The station is forced to hire Veronica Corningstone, a fledging female reporter. Due to a freak accident on the way to work, Ron Burgundy is late to work and Veronica takes his seat during his absence. She becomes a hit and is made co-new anchor, which irritates Rob and his friends.

The quote comes somewhere in the middle of the film. Rob and his team get lost while taking a shortcut to buy new suits. They bump into a whole bunch of rival news teams and a riot breaks out, leaving some of the people involved severely injured, maimed or dead. Rob reflects on the events that led to the fight and delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom: Sometimes, things do get out of control and get out of hand. And when that happens, catastrophic things can happen. It’s best to avoid situations like this before they do. Try to keep a level head during difficult situations and try to be in control of your actions at all times. Let cooler heads prevail.

“Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel!”

From: Batman

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Narrator

The story behind the quote: While I’ve already created an earlier entry for the 1966 Batman camp-fest, that was for the movie. This time, the quote comes from the television series.

The 1966 Batman television series (starring Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin) followed the style of the older serial films. As such, each story arc was broken up into two episodes. The first episode will always end in a cliffhanger with Batman and Robin in some sort of jam. The episode will then end with the narrator summing up the Dynamic Duo’s predicament and advising viewers and fans to make sure to watch how they’ll save themselves.

Geek wisdom: In this ever changing world filled with uncertainty, it’s always nice to fall back on something you can rely on. It’s comforting to have something consistent.

“Avengers assemble!”

From: The Avengers

Genre: Comics

Who said it?: Virtually every member of the Avengers at one time or another

The story behind the quote: The quote comes from the super hero team known as the Avengers. The Avengers are “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes” and are composed of a myriad of Marvel’s comic book heroes. The first issue of The Avengers tells the team’s original origin tale:

In a bid to defeat his half-brother Thor, Loki tricks The Hulk to go on a rampage. As The Hulk’s sidekick, Rick Jones, send a distress radio call to the Fantastic Four, Loki diverts it but is intercepted by Iron Man, Wasp and Ant-Man. The trio, as well as Thor and The Hulk manage to defeat Loki. Wasp then decides they five of them should join forces. And the Avengers were formed.

The roster has added and lost members as the years passed. Usually, the team is led into battle by Captain America. However, that doesn’t mean that he’s the only one that can summon the Avengers. In fact, any Avengers team member can summon the rest of the group using the quote.

Geek wisdom: There is no shame in asking for assistance when you need help. It’s a common misconception for a lot of individuals to even refuse help as they feel it makes them look weak. Actually, it’s the opposite; it is actually a sign of strength and maturity to know your shortcomings and request for the support of others.

Don’t be ashamed to request for the aid of others.