The obligatory “ski bum” video
posted at 10:11 am on January 7, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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Worthy, I think, less for the unfortunate circumstance of a man dangling by his pants from a ski lift than from the impulse of several spectators to take his picture — and for NBC to run them on national television. Even Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera seem embarrassed to front this segment, which has all the news value of America’s Home Videos:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
VIERA: Yeah, but a lot of people took pictures of his “ski bum” there, and they posted it, so … I think that’s obnoxious, actually. The guy is hanging there, probably freaked out.
LAUER: [Laughs] Yeah, but I think it’s obnoxious that we show it [laughter and crosstalk]…
VIERA: Yeah, but we have to show how obnoxious it is, over and over.
How bad did it get? Al Roker finishes it off with a “shrinkage” joke. And I used to think ABC was a little cruel for their old Wide World of Sports intro with the clip of the skier crashing off a jump.
But seriously, exactly when did NBC stop being a news organization? In the Age of Obama, is this what we can expect from the Peacock Network? It seems as though they have some shrinkage issues of their own.
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Mooning Msnbc:s audience , priceless..
the_nile on January 7, 2009 at 10:15 AM
My money is on the mid-seventies.
Vashta.Nerada on January 7, 2009 at 10:15 AM
They could start a new program. They could call it NBC Shorts….err.. Sports!
kanda on January 7, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Ed, don’t you know, now that Obama is president, every thing is okay, there are no newsworthy stories about horrible picks for the cabinet, Chicago-thug style politics, etc!
/sarc off
Torch on January 7, 2009 at 10:16 AM
Fox’s morning show ran the story this morning.
Skywise on January 7, 2009 at 10:17 AM
News? My 9 year even asked this morning:
“Why would they show pics of this guy? I would be embarassed.”
We just returned from a ski trip.
izoneguy on January 7, 2009 at 10:18 AM
I feel sorry for the guy. I do not see the ski operator as terribly negligent here (this is more of a freak accident), it is the media that makes it especially painful.
Mr. Joe on January 7, 2009 at 10:19 AM
My gosh I feel bad for this guy, bad enough that his kid had to witness this first hand.
4shoes on January 7, 2009 at 10:22 AM
Ed, no. Say it ain’t so. Did you lose or win the coin flip with Allap, or is this thread really your own idea? What shrinkage goes around comes around under wraps of “obligatory”.
maverick muse on January 7, 2009 at 10:23 AM
The “news” has reached a new bottom..
the_nile on January 7, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Ed I’ll send you some pix of me on the toilet you can put on Hot Air. It will be a hoot.
Paul-Cincy on January 7, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Not surprised NBC’s C-Team would resort to snickering at the guy.
Then again, after the gapers I saw (mostly Texans) in Colorado last week at a certain ski resort, I’m not surprised this hasn’t happened sooner.
Blue-eyed Infidel on January 7, 2009 at 10:29 AM
So they won’t have Coulter on, but they’ll report on this.
What is this nbc you speak of?
lorien1973 on January 7, 2009 at 10:31 AM
I think the question should be…When did NBC ever become a news organization?
rich801 on January 7, 2009 at 10:32 AM
They made an ass of themselves.
faraway on January 7, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Oh well, It’s just NBC . . . the network of Olberdouche and little Chrisie Matthews.
rplat on January 7, 2009 at 10:33 AM
Eh. It’s a morning show. Morning shows are practically tabloid news programs that barely cover any real news. Today viewers get stuff like this every morning. Some are worse than others. The Daily Buzz quickly comes to mind (it’s currently my alarm clock but only because it’s the only channel that comes in without an antenna, so I’ll find a new one in February).
I agree that it isn’t news and is really a little cruel, but this isn’t proof of any trend.
Esthier on January 7, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Can HotAir’s 2009 resolutions include abstinence on the words “Dude” and “Obligatory”
Mark30339 on January 7, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Yeah, but it was funny. On the other hand, this guy can pout all the way to the bank with the settlement he’ll get. And with the additional for pain , suffering and embarrassment….mind boggling!
jeanie on January 7, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Geez, can’t a guy fall out of a ski lift and lose his pants without it being posted all over the place? I feel bad for the guy; hopefully his name won’t be released.
CarolynM on January 7, 2009 at 10:41 AM
They’ll be studying these pictures for hours.
the_nile on January 7, 2009 at 10:42 AM
Well I guess that guy is the “butt” of the joke!
Doughboy on January 7, 2009 at 10:43 AM
Will they continue the chuckles, jokes and snide remarks when they are all standing in the unemployment line with the public they keep informed about the real issues?
Yoop on January 7, 2009 at 10:44 AM
I hope not.
Esthier on January 7, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Why is this here?
unclesmrgol on January 7, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Impossible. Lauer and Viera have proven time and time again that they are completely without shame.
highhopes on January 7, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Flash Burris gets his seat…
I predicted that Reid and Obama were secretly happy that this Blago pick of Burris avoided the risk of a special election, turns out I was right. They just had to protest enough to give themselves cover.
Mr. Joe on January 7, 2009 at 10:56 AM
I was skiing Blue Sky all morning on Thursday, can’t believe I missed this spectacle.
John from OPFOR on January 7, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Were his cheeks rosy?
jgapinoy on January 7, 2009 at 11:15 AM
As long as you don’t touch 2011’s “Gulp” fest…
rhodeymark on January 7, 2009 at 11:27 AM
I wonder if Matt or Al would enjoy a couple of douchebags laughing at them on national tv if it had happened to them? Or Meredith’s husband perhaps?
One hopes that you’d develop a sense of empathy for other people once your age reaches double digits.
alex342 on January 7, 2009 at 11:37 AM
10? No, teenagers can be the most self absorbed of our kind. Maybe when you’ve reached your 30s, or had a kid.
Esthier on January 7, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Esthier on January 7, 2009 at 11:44 AM
I think most teenagers hopefully have the ability to imagine what someone else might feel in a given situation and act accordingly. Those who can’t are called psychopaths and those who can but choose not to are called a$$holes, into which latter category I would place these clowns.
alex342 on January 7, 2009 at 11:51 AM
This stuff isn’t even amusing, I can’t imagine how humiliating this must have been. Treat others as you would like to be treated seems to be lost on many folks these days.
gator70 on January 7, 2009 at 11:53 AM
C’mon. Seriously, how many of you haven’t entertained a secret desire to dangle by your pants from a ski lift?
whitetop on January 7, 2009 at 11:56 AM
FWIW: MSNBC also showed a distant still photo of the guy with his middle parts blurred. Sorry to hear that the guy’s kid was a witness to it all.
Speaking of shrinking, the incident strikes me as something that could happen only to George Costanza on Seinfeld.
BuckeyeSam on January 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM
Sure they can have empathy, but they very rarely act on it. Teenagers are generally still in the process of learning who they are, which takes a certain amount of selfishness. It’s natural.
Esthier on January 7, 2009 at 12:10 PM
I wouldn’t feel TOO sorry for that skiier. Yes, his circumstance at that moment really sucked, and millions of people around the world are looking at pictures of his naked ass, but all he needs is a decent lawyer and he’s going to own a big chunk of Vail mountain.
UltimateBob on January 7, 2009 at 12:36 PM
I’d have to figure out how to get into the next Weezer Video.
- The Cat
MirCat on January 7, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Id rather NBC does this than tackle actual news.
Chuck Schick on January 7, 2009 at 1:12 PM
the news can be funny, and remember the old adage: “it’s funny until someone gets hurt, then it’s hilarious”.
Lighten up.
The snowboarder probably had that happen only because his belt on his pants was down around his thighs instead of his waste. Pull up your Pants!
kirkill on January 7, 2009 at 1:25 PM
I’ve got a question for y’all. What if it was a woman?
manwithblackhat on January 7, 2009 at 1:29 PM
I’ve got a question for y’all. What if it was a woman?
manwithblackhat on January 7, 2009 at 1:29 PM
Well, then it’d be posted over at Ace’s spot….
cs89 on January 7, 2009 at 1:32 PM
1. Contempt for the idiots filming this
2. Contempt for NBC to show it, while little twerps talk about “shrinkage” – the irony
3. Contempt for us for running a thread, and commenting on the other two contempts
We’re all idiots. I’m resigning myself to this sad reality.
Regression is indignant.
Entelechy on January 7, 2009 at 2:12 PM
There will be a new show called Girls Gone Upside-Down
pedestrian on January 7, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Mr. Drudge has a picture that is very telling. He could have at least showed the angle with just the dude’s bottom. But…
Deeanne on January 7, 2009 at 2:34 PM
“C’mon. Seriously, how many of you haven’t entertained a secret desire to dangle by your pants from a ski lift?”
Too funny.
In my case it would be a skirt. :)I dunno. Even with my life flashing (no pun intended) before my eyes, I think I would have used one hand at least, for coverage.
Deeanne on January 7, 2009 at 2:38 PM
The Today show?
News?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
drjohn on January 7, 2009 at 3:16 PM
I really feel bad for the guy. What will his nickname be? Joe the Hanger? Pantless Joe? Little Joe?
*runs and hides for the last one*
Neo on January 7, 2009 at 3:29 PM
As much as we enjoy dumping on the marxist msm, and I do, let’s be real. This was a funny moment in an otherwise hellish world. If we can’t laugh at this, just because the MSM reported it, or some guy’s dignity was bruised, then the terrorists have already won. Let’s be real conservatives and stop with this nanny ninny state-style moralizing and enjoy a good ole belly laugh the way we used to before “sensitivities” sucked the life out of our culture.
keep the change on January 7, 2009 at 5:16 PM
keep the change on January 7, 2009 at 5:16 PM
I think the idea that someone shouldn’t take pleasure in another’s misfortune goes back a little bit before the “nanny ninny state”, say to 1st century Israel.
alex342 on January 7, 2009 at 6:04 PM
They cannot die fast enough.
ex-Democrat on January 7, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Spare me. I have no trouble laughing at a man who loses his pants without referencing some religious text. That is ninny nanny to the ninth degree.
keep the change on January 7, 2009 at 8:38 PM
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