General Discussion

Are_grits_groceries

(17,111 posts) Tue Feb 25, 2014, 10:41 AM Feb 2014

President Obama references 'Caddyshack' when paying tribute to Harold Ramis:

When comedy legend Harold Ramis died yesterday, the world mourned and shared their favorite moments from his films. As it turns out, President Obama did, too. When the president issued a statement this morning paying tribute to Ramis, he included a reference to one of Ramis' classic films, just like any other fan would.

Michelle and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Harold Ramis, one of America's greatest satirists, and like so many other comedic geniuses, a proud product of Chicago's Second City. When we watched his movies—from Animal House and Caddyshack to Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day—we didn't just laugh until it hurt. We questioned authority. We identified with the outsider. We rooted for the underdog. And through it all, we never lost our faith in happy endings. Our thoughts and prayers are with Harold's wife, Erica, his children and grandchildren, and all those who loved him, who quote his work with abandon, and who hope that he received total consciousness.

If that "total consciousness" bit sounds familiar, it's because it's from Bill Murray's famous Dalai Lama speech in Caddyshack:

I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

http://gawker.com/president-obama-pays-tribute-to-harold-ramis-by-quoting-1530472550

Cartoon by @Mega_Asher

31 replies

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Highlight:

President Obama references 'Caddyshack' when paying tribute to Harold Ramis: (Original Post) Are_grits_groceries Feb 2014 OP

What a wonderful statement about the loss of a great artist. Bluenorthwest Feb 2014 #1

I'm really dense this morning, what does the cartoon signify? monmouth3 Feb 2014 #2

It's a reference to 'Ghostbusters.' nt Are_grits_groceries Feb 2014 #3

Many thanks. Never saw the movie..n/t monmouth3 Feb 2014 #4

"I looked into the trap, Ray." eggplant Feb 2014 #14

The cafeteria at the Fish Bowl at UO (where I work) is still the same central scrutinizer Feb 2014 #5

So I said, Boom Sound 416 Feb 2014 #6

Great quote... LVdem Feb 2014 #16

Love the toon =) Hate to see Mr Ramos gone so soon =( nt ChisolmTrailDem Feb 2014 #7

So yesterday The Wizard Feb 2014 #8

Nice but sort of a slam ... Myrina Feb 2014 #9

Think it's more a reference on passing into the state beyond this life bigbrother05 Feb 2014 #11

Yep...it's probably the influence of Doug Kenney deutsey Feb 2014 #30

It's more likely to mean Enlightenment or Nirvana CJCRANE Feb 2014 #18

Lighten up, Francis. msanthrope Feb 2014 #25

Just clarifying, that obviously Murray's character took a slam from the Dalai Lama as a compliment Myrina Feb 2014 #27

A slam from the Dalai Lama? You're rolling..... msanthrope Feb 2014 #28

Buddhists talk a lot about "total" this or that CJCRANE Feb 2014 #31

thanks for sharing with us marvinsacco Feb 2014 #10

Welcome to DU gopiscrap Feb 2014 #24

If a twinkie represented the talent of a normal person, his talent would be a twinkie tclambert Feb 2014 #12

That's a big Twinkie. nt Common Sense Party Feb 2014 #13

It's going to be clip day, here on DU... eggplant Feb 2014 #15

So be good for goodness sake! Whoooaa! Boom Sound 416 Feb 2014 #20

This message was self-deleted by its author Boom Sound 416 Feb 2014 #19

Wow hibbing Feb 2014 #17

Love the cartoon. one_voice Feb 2014 #21

I think Bill Murray totally improvved that scene flying rabbit Feb 2014 #22

President Obama loves his movies.. Cha Feb 2014 #23

He was BY FAR the cutest GhostBuster Number23 Feb 2014 #26

i knew it Enrique Feb 2014 #29

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)

1. What a wonderful statement about the loss of a great artist.

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 10:49 AM

Feb 2014

monmouth3

(3,871 posts)

2. I'm really dense this morning, what does the cartoon signify?

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 11:07 AM

Feb 2014

Are_grits_groceries

(17,111 posts)

3. It's a reference to 'Ghostbusters.' nt

Reply to monmouth3 (Reply #2)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 11:08 AM

Feb 2014

monmouth3

(3,871 posts)

4. Many thanks. Never saw the movie..n/t

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Reply #3)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 11:13 AM

Feb 2014

eggplant

(3,911 posts)

14. "I looked into the trap, Ray."

Reply to monmouth3 (Reply #4)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 01:59 PM

Feb 2014

central scrutinizer

(11,650 posts)

5. The cafeteria at the Fish Bowl at UO (where I work) is still the same

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 12:49 PM

Feb 2014

[link:

Boom Sound 416

(4,185 posts)

6. So I said,

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 12:54 PM

Feb 2014

'Hey. Llama. How about a little something, you know, for the effort.'

LVdem

(524 posts)

16. Great quote...

Reply to Boom Sound 416 (Reply #6)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 03:25 PM

Feb 2014

and he's got the pitchfork under the kid's chin as he's regaling this story...

Brilliant.

ChisolmTrailDem

(9,463 posts)

7. Love the toon =) Hate to see Mr Ramos gone so soon =( nt

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 12:56 PM

Feb 2014

The Wizard

(12,545 posts)

8. So yesterday

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 01:12 PM

Feb 2014

out of sheer coincidence, I wore my "Bark Like A Dog" tee shirt to the gym.

Myrina

(12,296 posts)

9. Nice but sort of a slam ...

Reply to Are_grits_groceries (Original post)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 01:14 PM

Feb 2014

Having total consciousness on your deathbed means you're wide awake & fully aware that you're fucked because you're about to die.

Not exactly a complimentary way to go.

bigbrother05

(5,995 posts)

11. Think it's more a reference on passing into the state beyond this life

Reply to Myrina (Reply #9)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 01:25 PM

Feb 2014

where you have "total consciousness" of the universe, or the Lama's heaven

deutsey

(20,166 posts)

30. Yep...it's probably the influence of Doug Kenney

Reply to bigbrother05 (Reply #11)

Thu Feb 27, 2014, 12:10 PM

Feb 2014

who co-wrote/produced Caddyshack, was a co-founder of National Lampoon, co-wrote Animal House, etc.

He was influenced by Eastern philosophy and definitely influenced the Zen-like ramblings of Chevy Chase's Ty:

In Reel Life: Ty tries to teach Danny a little about golf: "There's a force in the universe that makes things happen. And all you have to do is get in touch with it, stop thinking, let things happen and be the ball." Later, on the practice green, Ty can't miss. As he's putting, he says, (approximately, and at a rapid, machinelike pace), "Nanananananana dadadadadadadadada nanananananana vavavavavavava dadadadadadada."

In Real Life: "The mystical Zen approach of Chevy's character was (Doug Kenney's) contribution," writes Murray. He "had an idea for a putter with electromagnetic sensors that would signal you to putt when you'd reach alpha state." Clearly, Ty was in alpha state, but in his low-tech way, received his signal from within.

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020726.html

Kenney's influence seems to be there in Murray's Dalai Lama riff, too, imo.

So I agree..."total consciousness" here is no where near being a slam.

BTW: here's an interesting bit of trivia re: "gunga galunga" and the Dalai Lama from the above link:

In Reel Life: Carl tells a caddie that he once carried clubs for the Dalai Lama in Tibet. "So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddie, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself ... So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one -- big hitter, the Lama -- long, into a 10,000 foot crevice, right at the base of this glacier. And do you know what the Lama says? 'Gunga galunga, gunga -- gunga galunga.'"

In Real Life: The Dalai Lama's not a golfer. But when the Tibetan leader visited the United States last year, Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura asked him if he'd ever seen "Caddyshack." He told Ventura he hadn't seen the movie. But, Ventura said, "Before he [the Dalai Lama] left, he looked at me and said, 'Gunga, gunga la-gunga'."

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)

18. It's more likely to mean Enlightenment or Nirvana

Reply to Myrina (Reply #9)

Tue Feb 25, 2014, 05:09 PM

Feb 2014

in this context.

msanthrope

(37,549 posts)

25. Lighten up, Francis.

Reply to Myrina (Reply #9)

Wed Feb 26, 2014, 07:21 PM

Feb 2014

http://m.

Myrina

(12,296 posts)

27. Just clarifying, that obviously Murray's character took a slam from the Dalai Lama as a compliment

Reply to msanthrope (Reply #25)

Thu Feb 27, 2014, 11:23 AM

Feb 2014

... because he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. And to use it as a compliment shows a lack of understanding of what the statement really means.

Jeez.

msanthrope

(37,549 posts)

28. A slam from the Dalai Lama? You're rolling.....

Reply to Myrina (Reply #27)

Thu Feb 27, 2014, 11:27 AM

Feb 2014

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)

31. Buddhists talk a lot about "total" this or that

Reply to Myrina (Reply #27)

Thu Feb 27, 2014, 12:22 PM

Feb 2014

"Total confidence", "total awareness", "total acceptance" etc. etc.

"Consciousness" in religious terms is usually in the context of "cosmic consciousness" or "God consciousness" etc etc.

It's all good.