Thursday, January 27, 2011

Your feet must be tired.

Everyone knows that Will Smith is the man. Even Barack Obama has picked the Fresh Prince as the frontrunner to star as the President in a potential biopic. But before he was slaying aliens in Men in Black, overcoming the odds in The Pursuit of Happyness, playing matchmaker in Hitch, and being a legend in I Am Legend, he was sweeping ladies off their feet in the best sitcom ever to grace the tube, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The quality one-liners and freestyle raps are endless, but this compilation captures the best of Will's pick up lines.
As a product of a single-sex Catholic high school built upon the principle of empowerment (bordering on feminism), I'm a firm believer that only creeps with no respect for my gender use pick up lines. But I have to say, the Fresh Prince's lines are pretty charming. Notice in every scene a few similar qualities of rhetorical mastery:
  • Pathos - About forty seconds into the linked video, Will approaches an attractive young female and ropes her in with an emotional appeal that at once makes him appear more sensitive than his brutish counterparts and invites his ladyfriend to feel the need to comfort him in his emotionally fragile state. A pity date is still a date.
  • Logos -  In another instance, Will cites the dictionary (probably a more liberal version than Meriam-Webster) and tells a girl he recognizes her from under the entry for "Kablam!" Using an authoritative source of language makes it official, even if this interjection is not officially recognized in most orthodox dictionaries.
  • Gustos - Will Smith might be the coolest person on the planet. But even he knows that such an aggressive and potentially offensive approach is anything but cool. Nevertheless, he goes all out with whatever insanity he's saying. The guts and enthusiasm eliminate any creepiness and instead allow his counterparts to see his attempt at humorous, and therefore charming. 
  • Praise - Pick up lines get a bad rap (not the Fresh Prince's cup of tea) because most of them are requests for sexual favors thinly disguised in slime and hair gel. Flattery, on the other hand, can get you pretty far. 
  • Confidence - Even the sleaziest pick up artist will tell you that confidence is key. Will Smith definitely has that on lock. Notice the eye contact and cool facade he maintains as he wins the ladies over with ridiculous words. 
  • Creativity - Did it hurt when she fell from heaven? Maybe the first few times people asked her that, but now she's used to it. Will Smith takes pick up lines to a whole new level. Perhaps you want a cappuccino. Will is "dark, hot, sweet," and he'll put a spoon in his mouth to solidify the connection between an espresso drink and a boyfriend. And he's not afraid to use words like they've never been used before. Being told you look like some "good god wrapped up in some have mercy" is flattering and unique. 
As Will says at the beginning of the linked video, "Half the battle is the lyrics you toss at the honeys." So next time you find yourself out on that battlefield, ask yourself, "What would Will say?" Telling someone she's synonymous with the interjection, "Kablam!" might seem scary. But at the end of the day, word choice makes not only for a great date later, but also for some great TV-watching now. 

2 comments:

  1. I was randomly blog surfing (but hey we're in the same class), and this post caught my eye because it's Will Smith and Will Smith's rhetoric. I really thought it was great how instead of just saying, "Ooh this line was cool," you really analyzed why he's successful versus so many creeps, who may be confident, but lack Will's charming nature.

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  2. I agree with Eden--interesting analysis. (I especially liked the substitution of Gustos for Ethos--a clever switch.)

    I couldn't find the link to the video you reference, though...

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