Season premiere of 30 Rock, which I like a lot though sometimes find just a bit too antic & pleased with itself, this week. A funny one overall; there was one line that somewhat mystified me, as Liz and Jack discuss the ethical dubiousness of their treatment of the inspector from the adoption agency:
Jack: “We may not be the best people.”
Liz: “But we’re not the worst.”
Both, in unison: “Graduate students are the worst.”
OK, I did find this kind of funny, but graduate students?? Why? I think I may be so sheltered within my academic/college-town bubble that it’s difficult for me even to figure out what this reference means to most of America. Is this, like, a Harvard B.A. writer’s joke about annoying T.As, and if so, isn’t that a little inside baseball? Anyone want to enlighten me?
Speaking of academia, The Office had an inconsistent but partly great episode all about Business Ethics that must represent the all-time apex of discussions of Ethics as a philosophical topic on a primetime sitcom. High points included Michael and Holly (Amy Ryan from the Wire!) introducing a mandatory office meeting wearing headbands and singing, “Let’s get ethical! Ethical!” a la Olivia Newton-John. Also the doofus Ed Helms character’s comment:
“I’ll drop an ethics bomb on you: Would you steal bread to feed your family? Boom! . . . Yeah, I took Intro to Philosophy — twice.”
Ivan Kreilkamp 
Even the Simpsons think similarly about grad students. Being in my first year of graduate school, I often wonder what led me to make such a terrible life choice. Hopefully it will all pan out.
Thanks for the Simpsons link — (I vaguely remember that, actually); wow, that’s harsh…
Really, this makes me laugh being a graduate student myself and a year into it. I can see why they would say that. We are cranky tired people between working and school and no social life do you blame us?
I believe you atleast partially answered your own question with the “sheltered…bubble” comment. But they’re most likely referring to the “never needed or had a real job, stay in school to live off the parents forever, and never really DO anything” variety. If that’s not you, I hope you sleep well after curing cancer. If that IS you, you are THE WORST; and I wish you much misery in your lifetime of teaching dullards to teach more dullards to teach more dullards to teach.
also graduate students are often insufferable.