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{{trope}}
{{quote|''"What has Sheraton done for you lately?''
''What has Sheraton done for you now?"
|TV Jingle from a 1970s ad campaign for the Sheraton hotel chain}}
A classic [[Stock Phrase]] with a number of familiar variations. Generally it's a witty remark on the part of the protagonist, when the villain starts listing [[Villain with Good Publicity|all the good things they've done]]. Sometimes it's played for comedy, and the villain (or whoever's holding the [[Idiot Ball]]) comes up with good, concise, and valid answers. The latter version tends to happen more in pastiche.
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{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* There was a hotel commercial with the [[Jingle]] "What has Sheraton done for you lately / What has Sheraton done for you now?" then they probably got [[Fridge Logic]] and realized if their customers thought about it, they'd go to either a better class of hotel for the same money, or another chain which offered the same class of
== Comic Books ==
* The entire [[Marvel Universe]] has had this since ''[[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]]'' started. Every event in the past fifty years in Marvel? Took place within roughly the last ''fifteen'' in [[Comic Book Time]]. They were still cleaning up from Galactus' last attack when they beat the Human Torch into a coma. The public turns on superheroes so fast that it's a wonder any of them even cared enough to fight.▼
** [[Dumb Is Good|There's]] [[All of the Other Reindeer|a]] [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|very]] [[Honor Before Reason|good]] [[Status Quo Is God|reason]] [[Idiot Ball|for]] [[Conflict Ball|it]].{{context}}<ref>And that reason would be... what? There are ''seven'' different links in this seven-word sentence that says there's ''one'' reason. This is a textbook example of the problems with an [[All Blue Entry]].</ref>▼
* Issue 1 of the comic ''Blood Pack''
== Film ==
* A variation, and [[Deconstructive Parody]], of this showed up in ''[[Monty Python's Life of Brian]]'' when the Jewish freedom fighters were arguing about the [[Benevolent Alien Invasion|advances brought to Israel by the Roman Occupation]].
{{quote|'''Reg:''' But apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
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'''Reg:''' Oh, ''peace''!... Shut up! }}
** In their defense, education, sanitation, wine, public order, and roads existed in pre-Roman Israel. The Pythons were just [[Rule of Funny|generally spoofing]] resistance fighters against occupations that raised the standard of living [[Acceptable Breaks From Reality|instead of trying to remain perfectly true to history]].
* In ''[[Undercover Brother]]'', the protagonists are discussing which party a black general might run for president under. One suggests he could go Republican, and Conspiracy Brother rants, "Name one thing the Republican party has ever done for black people!" Smart Brother answers they were the party of Lincoln, who freed the slaves. Conspiracy Brother then refines his protest: "Okay, name two things ''lately''!"▼
* Appears in [[The Simpsons]]: When Bart gets a job as his assistant, Krusty doesn't remember him. Bart reels off the number of times he's saved his career/life, Krusty replies:▼
* ''[[Real Genius]]'':▼
{{quote|'''Krusty''': What have you done for me lately?▼
{{quote|'''Chris''': I have advanced your project more than any three students on campus.▼
'''Bart''': I got you that danish.▼
'''
** Also in an episode featuring the family pets to a large degree (beginning with Snowball 2 saving Homer's life but focusing on the relationship with Santa's Little Helper.▼
== Literature ==
{{quote|'''Homer''': It was probably that stupid cat [referring to an excretion in his lunchbox]▼
'''Marge''': That cat saved your life.▼
'''Homer''': What has he done for me lately?▼
'''Marge''': He woke you up when you stopped breathing last night.▼
'''Homer''': Yeah, but he ate the last can of tuna.▼
'''Lisa''': Dad, you ate the last can of tuna▼
'''Homer''': Everyone's against me. }}▼
* [[Kurt Vonnegut]] has Winston Niles Rumfoord in ''[[The Sirens of Titan]]'' use this line with the Tralfamadorian messenger Salo, and referring to it as an old joke, and not a very good one.
* In the ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'', Miles, thinking of the costs the Barrayaran government incurs in funding his alter ego Admiral Naismith, notes that the day that Naismith cannot provide an answer to that question is the day he ceases to exist.▼
▲* There was a hotel commercial with the [[Jingle]] "What has Sheraton done for you lately / What has Sheraton done for you now?" then they probably got [[Fridge Logic]] and realized if their customers thought about it, they'd go to either a better class of hotel for the same money, or another chain which offered the same class of accomodations for less.
== Live-Action TV ==
* [[The BBC]] has a series of serious documentaries called
== Magazines ==
* The ''[[Mad Magazine]]'' spoof of ''[[Harry Potter and
== Newspaper Comics ==
* Used frequently in ''[[The Boondocks]]''.
{{quote|'''Riley''': What's Granddad done for me lately?
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'''Huey''': He got you a Playstation for Christmas.
'''Riley''': It's March already! ''What has he done for me lately?'' }}
* Happens to Gwen and Bun-Bun in ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]''.▼
== Radio ==
{{quote|'''Gwen''': Why won't you help me?! What did I ever do to you?!▼
* A guest on Radio 4's ''[[Quote Unquote]]'' mentions that her father, who was a rabbi, used to say that "people never ask their rabbi 'what have you done for me?' but 'what have you done for me ''lately''?'"▼
'''Bun-Bun''': The question you should ask is, what did you ever do ''for'' me? }}▼
* And of course, there's Janet Jackson▼
== Recorded and Stand-Up Comedy ==
▲* The entire [[Marvel Universe]] has had this since [[Civil War (Comic Book)|Civil War]] started. Every event in the past fifty years in Marvel? Took place within roughly the last ''fifteen'' in [[Comic Book Time]]. They were still cleaning up from Galactus' last attack when they beat the Human Torch into a coma. The public turns on superheroes so fast that it's a wonder any of them even cared enough to fight.
▲** [[Dumb Is Good|There's]] [[All of the Other Reindeer|a]] [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|very]] [[Honor Before Reason|good]] [[Status Quo Is God|reason]] [[Idiot Ball|for]] [[Conflict Ball|it]].
* Naturally, it's also a lengthy bit in Eddie Murphy's stand-up special ''Raw''.
▲* Issue 1 of the comic ''Blood Pack'', have this line said by a general about the main characters:
== Web Comics ==
▲{{quote|Yes, they saved the planet months ago, but what have they done for us latey?}}
▲* In ''[[Undercover Brother]]'', the protagonists are discussing which party a black general might run for president under. One suggests he could go Republican, and Conspiracy Brother rants, "Name one thing the Republican party has ever done for black people!" Smart Brother answers they were the party of Lincoln, who freed the slaves. Conspiracy Brother then refines his protest: "Okay, name two things ''lately''!"
▲* [[The BBC]] has a series of serious documentaries called "What The [Inhabitants Of Time Period] Did For Us.
▲'''Bun-Bun''': The question you should ask is, what did you ever do ''for'' me? }}
▲* ''[[Real Genius]]'':
▲{{quote|'''Chris''': I have advanced your project more than any three students on campus.
== Web Original ==
* https://web.archive.org/web/20131029094356/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=184NTV2CE_c <ref>And ''this'', folks, is why we don't like bare URLs with no description of the example.</ref> Perfect example.{{context}}
* This is probably why everyone leaps on Clelebs who fuck up. "oh, sure, he/she's a great (X) but they're hideous without makeup/ picked up someone in a bar, things everyone does, or at least tries to do. Let's point and laugh, then bitch when they refuse a movie role."▼
▲* In the ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'', Miles, thinking of the costs the Barrayaran government incurs in funding his alter ego Admiral Naismith, notes that the day that Naismith cannot provide an answer to that question is the day he ceases to exist.
== Western Animation ==
▲* A guest on Radio 4's ''Quote Unquote'' mentions that her father, who was a rabbi, used to say that "people never ask their rabbi 'what have you done for me?' but 'what have you done for me ''lately''?'"
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'':
▲* The [[Mad Magazine]] spoof of [[Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets]] featured this. As in the book, the students are growing suspicious of Harry. Harry points out that he saved them all last year, and the respond with the trope.
▲*
▲{{quote|'''Krusty''': What have you done for me lately?
▲'''Bart''': I got you that danish.
'''Krusty''': And I'll never forget it.}}
▲**
▲{{quote|'''Homer''': It was probably that stupid cat [referring to an excretion in his lunchbox]
▲'''Marge''': That cat saved your life.
▲'''Homer''': What has he done for me lately?
▲'''Marge''': He woke you up when you stopped breathing last night.
▲'''Homer''': Yeah, but he ate the last can of tuna.
▲'''Lisa''': Dad, you ate the last can of tuna.
== Real Life ==
▲* And of course, there's Janet Jackson{{context}}
▲* This is probably why everyone leaps on
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Stock Phrases]]
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