The episode: “Lost Continent,” ep. 208
The riff: Noted by Crow as a soldier goes on a misguided spiel about how to “talk to dames” properly.
The explanation: To many, “section 8” probably means government-aided “section 8 housing,” but in this example, they’re referring to a Section 8 discharge from the military. It is no longer practiced today, but it was applied to those found “mentally unfit” for service. For years, this was commonly applied to those found guilty of incidents such as “sexual perversion.” The term “section 8” could describe someone discharged for these reasons as well, and the term was referenced on TV shows like M*A*S*H and movies like “Full Metal Jacket.” It was even used as the title of a 2009 first-person-shooter videogame for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Novelty factor: From the context, I thought it had to be some kind of classification like this, but I immediately thought of the housing instead. That’s the only place I’d heard “section 8” before.
Enjoy this tribute to M*A*S*H’s Max Klinger, who was constantly questing for a Section 8 discharge with his wacky behavior.
MST3k Riff-a-Day 