Talk:Get a life

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[edit] Article title

The article is titled Get a Life. The article's opening word is Get a life, with emphasis. If noone objects soon, I'll just be bold and move it. Jobjörn (Talk ° contribs) 20:12, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

You're completely right. "Get a Life" would be an article about something with that title. "Get a life" would be about the common phrase, as this article is. Somegeek 19:43, 30 June 2006 (UTC)
Moved, then. Jobjörn (Talk ° contribs) 01:06, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Unreferenced

The article lacks sources. This is a very serious problem. --SevenMass 17:59, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] provocative term

I think it should be mentioned somewhere this expression is provocative. --SevenMass 17:59, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

indicated as a taunt in the intro para dr.ef.tymac 17:31, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Disambig

I suggest there should be a page for this article, and a disambig page. In fact, I'll make work of it right now. Creating the disambiguation page... --SevenMass 17:59, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] american folklore

I specifically remember hearing this phrase for the first time in the early 1980s (1982-83??) in a conversation between two people playfully insulting each other. The older person said to the younger one "Get a job" in the snide and derisive tone of voice that was common idiom back in the Reagan era. The younger person paused for a moment (as if searching for a response) and said back "Oh yeah, why don't *you* get a life. Everyone in earshot laughed uproariously. I specifically remember this incident as being the first time I heard this phrase. The reaction of others indicated it was probably the first time they had heard it also. Of course, this specific conversation was never documented for posterity, and I make no claim that this was the first time it was *ever* used. I do know that the incident predates the Shatner SNL (1987) usage. Documentation for this is sorely needed. dr.ef.tymac 17:28, 13 November 2006 (UTC)

I may be the only one who cares about this, but for posterity sake, I suppose I should add this note. The earliest use of "get a life" (in its sense as a taunt) in google books is as follows:

Baby Anger - Page 48 by Sean O'Casey, Peter Hedges - 1986 ... Get a life, people of New Jersey! ...

there are some earlier "false positive hits" (such as "get a life sentence" "get a life preserver" and other non-taunt contexts). This evidence still leaves open the possibility that the conversation I heard was a unique initiation of this phrase. At least it predates anything I can find in print via google books. http://books.google.com/books?as_q=&num=100&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=get+a+life&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_libcat=0&as_brr=0&as_vt=&as_auth=&as_pub=&as_drrb=c&as_miny=1980&as_maxy=1990&as_isbn= dr.ef.tymac 18:42, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] accurate?

I live in Indiana, have heard and used the idiom "get a life" hundreds of times, and never heard or used it in the context mentioned in the article. It means (to me) "You don't have a social life!" / "You aren't cool!" and has absolutely nothing to do with getting a job or making your way in the world. I guess, barring response, I'm going to change this article at some point.

Hello (unknown person who posted this comment), one aspect about commonly-used phrases and expressions is that they are subject to interpretation, have different meanings within different subcultures, and undergo changes in meaning with time. Consequently, your statement about accuracy (although it may be consistent with your personal experiences) has problems, because other people may experience it differently than you (not everyone who speaks English lives in Indiana). This is another reason why this article needs *more citations*. If you return to change the article, please seriously consider contributing some authoritative, researched material first. Thanks! dr.ef.tymac 04:29, 31 December 2006 (UTC)
I'm German. Fortunately we don't use this stupid sentence in German. When I read it on the internet however it usually has exactly the meaning this Indian poster has mentioned. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 89.52.189.74 (talk) 22:50, 26 April 2007 (UTC).
Hehe, he's Indianan, not Indian... 64.252.19.39 19:16, 29 September 2007 (UTC)

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[edit] Thanks for explaining

Is it necessary to indicate that William Shatner's use of the command in a Saturday Night Live sketch was "in jest"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.242.105.140 (talk) 23:30, 10 June 2008 (UTC)