Jack McBrayer Visits Rudest Hot Dog Stand in Chicago, Returns with Reinforcements: VIDEO
Conan O'Brien sent the most polite person he could think of, 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer, to the rudest hot dog stand in Chicago, The Wiener Circle. After McBrayer was bullied by the staff, he returned with reinforcements.
Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...
(via the daily what)
I don't know how you racist naysayers can sleep in your cars at night :)
There was a burger joint in San Francisco that had the same shtick -- the middle schoolers were rolling in the aisles.
I hate Chicago
Posted by: BoredToday | Jun 15, 2012 4:57:50 PM
"It must be tough being a nice and polite black person and get past the stereotypes. Especially when stereotypes are everywhere to be seen."
Oh, I so do agree with you, SAYTHETRUTH. These stereotypical types are simply awful. Take for instance that Kameron Slade that Andy posted the story about today. You know, the fifth grade New York Negro who wrote the essay supporting marriage equality for Gays. A stereotypical inner-city Black thug if I've ever seen one. Simply awful.
Oh, yes, I do hate it when so many members of some particular group fulfull the stereotype.
Oh, by the way, you wouldn't happen to have any Crystal Meth on you, would you, skinny pimpled Gay guy?
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Jun 15, 2012 5:09:40 PM
Wicked funny! I love that dog! Hot dogs not so much.
I wish Conan were network again.
Thanks for posting
Posted by: laughing out loud | Jun 15, 2012 5:43:20 PM
Can't get it .
Is it on you tube ?
Posted by: JackFknTwist | Jun 15, 2012 6:37:28 PM
Checked it out on You Tube , stiill can't get it !
Posted by: JackFknTwist | Jun 15, 2012 6:39:10 PM
@ Derrick from Philly, Your comment made me realize I was wrong. There are still many nice people –like you- ready to show my how behaving politely changes rooted persecutions. Even if the media helps a lot against it. There is hope. Yeap.
Posted by: SayTheTruth | Jun 15, 2012 7:30:38 PM
Well, the people working in that place ARE those who bullied gay kids and probably still bully gay people. While acting ghetto may be cute to some, for many others...it's foul and lacks class. It's people like this who are a stain on society in my opinion.
Posted by: Steve Jasen | Jun 15, 2012 8:00:20 PM
Ghetto is as ghetto does. Personally I get a headache being around so much 'hood' (regardless of skin color. Just not a fan of the persona) I think being respectful, kind, and appropriate is to be valued. Not a fan and definitely wouldn't be spending my money in a place that would give me a headache. No thanks
Posted by: CortzSteel | Jun 15, 2012 8:01:51 PM
Derrick From Philly, so in your quest to show racism is wrong, you display homophobia by producing a horribly offensive and negative stereotype of gays? That makes you better and your point more valid...
or are you one of those folks who has convinced themselves that homophobia is less offensive than racism.
Posted by: IonMusic | Jun 15, 2012 8:04:43 PM
@ Derick from Philly so picking on a gay white kid is totally appropriate.
Gotchya!
and we wonder why the two communities have a divide.
Posted by: Steve-ATL | Jun 15, 2012 8:05:53 PM
"There was a burger joint in San Francisco that had the same shtick -- the middle schoolers were rolling in the aisles."
Did it also encourage its customers to hurl racial epithets at its employees?
Having Conan do a bit on this abomination is slightly less depressing than it having its own reality show, but not by much.
Posted by: Nat | Jun 15, 2012 9:03:53 PM
"Oh, yes, I do hate it when so many members of some particular group fulfull the stereotype."
So what's your response to the Wiener's Circle, where a) the establishment permits its white customers to use some of the most over the top racist commentary on its predominately black staff, b) said staff not only attacks those customers based on perceived traits, but anyone else who walks in its doors after hours? Because I heard 'faggot' more times in 2 minutes there than I have in the past 10 years.
Posted by: Nat | Jun 15, 2012 9:07:53 PM
that. was. awesome!
Posted by: william | Jun 15, 2012 10:19:05 PM
Two observations:
1) @5:15, when Cigar Dog is in mid-rant and says, "...America for Laura 800 588 2300 Empire, B*TCH!", what is the insult here? It gets a big crowd reaction, and a big-eyed mouth-covering from Jack, but it made no sense. In fact, the whole bit seemed to be incoherent, incomprehensible non-sequitur. Not sure I see the entertainment value to a place like that, or the comedy in a sketch like this.
2) It seems inconsistent that a site's language filters in the comment section won't allow commenters to post partial transcripts of content featured in the blog. If the language is appropriate enough to be featured in an article, why isn't it appropriate enough to be discussed in the comment section?
Posted by: Missed Manners | Jun 15, 2012 11:18:59 PM
Holy Sh** that was hysterical.
Last time I went to Weiner Circle it was close to closing time and they were actually nice. We ate for free, and a friend told us to ask for a "chocolate shake" and the woman with blue hair (skanky smurf - HA!!!) lifted her shirt and shook her bare boobs back and forth. They got a nice tip. Anyone else ever get the shake?
Maybe the cops cracked down on the chocolate shakes, so they changed the schtick to hostile... Either way, more great advertising for the shop!
Posted by: mack | Jun 16, 2012 12:14:13 AM
I don't find ghettoness like this cute or funny or amusing, I find it sad. And annoying actually.
Posted by: FresshFrite | Jun 16, 2012 4:23:15 AM
@Missed Manners: I think it was a comination of factors: first, by this time in the insult-a-thon, it had, indeed, become a string of non-sequiturs; and, second, the 800-588-2300 Empire is a reference to a carpet company commercial that is probably familiar to many in the Chicago area.
The whole thing had me falling out of my chair laughing, and I didn't find it racist, simply because everybody seemed to be in on the joke (with the exception of the poor guy at the end, who did NOT look pleased).
Posted by: Joseph | Jun 16, 2012 4:28:08 AM
Mildly racist to call this the "GHETTO?" Are you stupid? The proprietors obviously want to be thought of as GHETTO. That's the point, a little bit of "safe" ghetto performance crap in the white bread neighborhood.
If anyone's racist, it's the black folks who run that joke shop of self-exploitation. I heard the tall dude behind the counter call someone "gay", so he's a homo-hating bigot too.
Posted by: srtrr1@gmail.com | Jun 16, 2012 3:40:24 PM
The rude/polite thing would be hilarious if this wasn't really about black/gay stereotypes. Oh well.
Posted by: srtrr1@gmail.com | Jun 16, 2012 3:41:45 PM
Apologies folks, the tall dude DOES say "gangbanger" not "gay man."
Shows that they do have their insults carefully chosen for this white crowd. At least for TV (wisely). I'm betting a lot of others will mis-hear this and that guy will get some flack.
And yes, despite the unfortunate stereotyping of our black brothers and sisters, and our gay Jack, it IS very, very funny.
Posted by: srtrr1@gmail.com | Jun 16, 2012 7:45:57 PM
It's the new minstrelsy because we all know black folk, particularly black females are loud and crazy and speak "blacklish". Sorry, call me humorless but it's racist stereotyping sadly perpetuated by black people who should know better. The black character has morphed from Stepin Fetchit to loudmouth thug but in the end the only ones laughing are laughing at the black folks, not with them.
Posted by: Dowager Countess | Jun 17, 2012 12:26:51 AM
Derrick! It's been awhile! And thanks for that comeback. It's apparent that the essence of this bit went over some people's heads. It's not uncommon of certain cultures to poke some fun at themselves at their own expense. That's the very nature of the schtick here. People visit this place to experience the over-the-top behavior and in turn, get the privilege to respond in kind. Not to mention that they fail to see that this is all done in a good-natured spirit. Nobody is fighting. There is no violence. And most importantly, people are having FUN!
I actually find it refreshing, especially the interaction between the black staff and the white customers, and can sense an underlying cathartic release going on. There's also a subtext about what fast food workers have to deal with and how they're basically powerless to convey how they REALLY feel when they deal with irritable customers and vice-versa.
As for all the whining about stereotypes and "ghetto" behavior, well, those people show their true colors in their statements. And I find it useless and tiring trying to change their opinions, but let's call a spade a spade, eh? Gays have a long record of "exploiting" stereotypes in the name of comedy. So do rednecks. And Latinos. And Jews. As for the point about the racial divide in the gay community? Honey, I could go on about that one! Please. I'm not surprised though, as much as I like this site, I don't visit it much anymore because I just cannot tolerate the subtle and sometimes blatantly racist insults that sometimes pepper the comments section.
Sometimes it only takes just one to make me throw up in my mouth.
Posted by: banjiboi | Jun 17, 2012 10:12:51 AM
This isn't racist or minstrel. Minstrel shows were racist because they consisted of white people in black face acting out negative stereotypes of black people.
This is SATIRE and there is a big difference between the two.
All minorities live with the negative stereotypes held against them by the larger population. Some people think the way to counter those stereotypes is my conforming to the norms of the greater society and blending in, to prove that you are the same as everyone else.
But other people believe that embracing those stereotypes, laughing at them and throwing them back into the face of society is far more empowering and ultimately renders the stereotypes powerless -- far more effectively than by running from them. The key to satire is having a sense of humor and being able to laugh at yourself. Because once you can laugh at yourself, it doesn't matter if other people laugh at your or not.
Mel Brooks was a brilliant Jewish satirist. Lady Bunny is a great gay satirists. And the people at The Wiener Circle and excellent black satirists. It wouldn't be a stretch to call what they are staging performance art, even if they wouldn't consider it that themselves.
The people at Wiener Circle are in on the joke -- and profiting from it. They have all the power and if you don't like it, I would imagine they wouldn't give a flying @#$%!!! And, judging by the comments here, that makes a lot of people very uncomfortable.
Posted by: AARONYC | Jun 17, 2012 2:20:08 PM
"And, judging by the comments here, that makes a lot of people very uncomfortable."
No, it makes me very sad that the staff calling customers any number of slurs, and the customers calling the staff every reprehensible, racist thing under the sun is viewed as cathartic, or a victory for anyone.
White people shouldn't feel any sort of emotional or intellectual release in calling a black person the n-word. No one's actually winning - the snothead whites never actually grasp that they're racist pieces of trash, and the staff simply learn to live with the abuse, as opposed to refusing to tolerate it.
Posted by: Nat | Jun 17, 2012 6:41:00 PM
"Maybe the cops cracked down on the chocolate shakes, so they changed the schtick to hostile... Either way, more great advertising for the shop!"
I went in there with friends, after much goading. I knew the place's reputation, and I had little interest in subjecting myself to the freakshow.
Fifteen seconds in and I'm being called a faggot. And I had all the confirmation I needed.
Posted by: Nat | Jun 17, 2012 6:45:50 PM