The Saturday Night Live cast performed a racist skit on Saturday while trying to mock Generation Z speech. The SNL cast ended up mocking African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) instead and was quickly dragged on social media.
The skit, called “Gen Z Hospital,” included SNL host and Tesla co-founder Elon Musk, as well as cast members Heidi Gardner, Mikey Day, Kate McKinnon, Ego Nwodim, Melissa Villaseñor and Bowen Yang. Musk played a doctor talking to a group of Gen Z friends whose “bestie” was in the hospital.
SNL’s skit was criticized for whitewashing AAVE and calling it Gen Z. Terms used in the unfortunate sketch included “Bro,” “Bruh,” “Dead a**,” “He’s gonna catch hands,” and “Gang gang.”
These terms originated as African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) or African Ebonics and basically means Black speech. The foundations of the language are believed to originate from enslaved Africans brought to British colonies.
After one Twitter user wrote that the sketch was “embarrassing,” another Twitter user wrote, “Gen Z hospital isn’t embarrassing. It’s racist as f**k.”
gen z hospital isnt embarrassing its racist as f*ck
— mr.bitches (@jadedjustin___) May 9, 2021
One Twitter user shared a post that said the sketch was “cringe,” and also noted the skit’s cultural appropriation.
“1. this is horrible. SNL is tanking. 2. the majority of terminology used in this sorry excuse for a skit is AAVE. Black people can’t have s**t, its weird to see our language referred to as gen z/stan slang & see white screenwriters try to create pieces using it boo,” she wrote.
1. this is horrible. snl is tanking.
2. the majority of terminology used in this sorry excuse for a skit is aave. Black people cant have sh*t, its weird to see our language referred to as gen z/stan slang & see white screenwriters try to create pieces using it
boo???? https://t.co/DrhPocBaKr
— jada (@highandhealing) May 9, 2021
Aditya Mukerjee wrote “the appropriation of AAVE by white people is gross, the mislabeling of AAVE as a “Gen Z phenomenon” is also gross, but on top of that, the SNL skit reads like they just pulled a list of terms from UrbanDictionary and sprinkled them in, not caring that AAVE has a defined grammar!”
the appropriation of AAVE by white people is gross, the mislabeling of AAVE as a “Gen Z phenomenon” is also gross, but on top of that, the SNL skit reads like they just pulled a list of terms from UrbanDictionary and sprinkled them in, not caring that AAVE has a defined grammar! https://t.co/4Og94adTJw
— Aditya Mukerjee, the Otterrific ? ?️? (@chimeracoder) May 9, 2021
Superdave Houdini wrote, “Problem with the GenZ skit is that its all Aave and low-key #Snl … pic.twitter.com/KPwiKDdtte
Problem with the GenZ skit is that its all Aave and low-key #Snl … pic.twitter.com/KPwiKDdtte
— Superdave Houdini (@SuperDaveWho) May 9, 2021
Another user said that SNL “showed their racist A**es.”
SNL showing millennials can be out of touch and problematic last night? Tried to take a dump on GenZ and showed their racist A**es… Wow I’m so shocked (/s)
The millennials that were allowed to climb power structures shouldn’t be trusted any more than any generation’s Jokers…
— Nameless the Indescribable (@Imogen_Lexical) May 9, 2021
Yves Ain’t Sorry wrote that the SNL sketch was whitewashed.
Whitewashed AAVE Hospital
— Yves Ain’t Sorry (@AdamantxYves) May 9, 2021
Saeed Jones had few but apt words for the SNL skit. “Honestly, f*ck y’all.”
Honestly, f*ck y’all.
— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) May 9, 2021
You can see the skit below and decide for yourself.
