“Don’t Tase Me, Bro” most memorable quote of ‘07
On the shaky video footage, 21-year-old student Andrew Meyer, surrounded by police officers, shouts in a plaintive voice, “Don’t Tase me, bro!” before an officer pulls out the shocking device and shoots Meyer with it. He screams in agony for what seems like minutes, and then officers drag him out of the forum at the University of Florida where he was so recently asking questions of Senator John Kerry.
The scandalous scene caused an uproar among students across the country, who felt that Meyer had been Tased for exercising his right to free speech, rather than for being disruptive. The jury’s still out on that, but we’re not sure why just being annoying merits a shock with a Taser.
Later Meyer apologized, promised to do community service, went on probation for 18 months, and mea culpa-ed his way out of punishment.
But his Internet fame continued on after the incident - his heartfelt message, with its ironic juxtaposition of a plea against violence and the term “bro,” usually a word reserved for close friends, made him an instant celebrity. Mashups of the incident and an MC Hammer music video caused many people to laugh more than they should at a violent act, and t-shirts and Halloween costumes were made to celebrate Meyer’s ridiculous choice of words.
The quote was recently named the most memorable of 2007 by the Yale Book of Quotations, beating out Mahmoud Amahdinejad’s declaration that Iran did not have homosexuals and Miss Teen South Carolina’s tortuously confusing monologue about U.S. Americans. or something. Here’s the video, I promise that it will make you happy.
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