[Misc] John Cleese Blacklists Himself From Cambridge University Event

[MattBackHome]

I love Andrew Graham-Dixon. The Art of [Country] series were all superb.

Plus all his Caravaggio obsessed TV stuff is great.

Cleese hasn't been funny in well over 30 years.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

This is all a bit ridiculous now, both sides of the argument trying to out do themselves.

I see Oxford is in trouble for accepting money from the Mosley foundation now as well

 

[The Clamp]

Scratch a tiny fragment below the surface and Obridge is/are, for better or worse, most definitely not “woke”.

 

[dsr-burnley]

This is all a bit ridiculous now, both sides of the argument trying to out do themselves.

I see Oxford is in trouble for accepting money from the Mosley foundation now as well

I don't see why they should be. They agreed not to use the Mosley name.

All this stuff about Rhodes, Gladstone and the rest being unpopular with modern day students has only ever been a "name" thing. They profess themselves appalled that Cecil Rhodes' money was used for education, including specifically education of foreigners via the Rhodes scholarships, but all their hand-wringing has been about his name and image. Rhodes statue? Appalling, tear it down. Rhodes' name? Appalling, obliterate it from history. Rhodes' money? Lovely stuff, we want lots of it.

It's just the same with Mosley. They don't care at all about where his money came from and what Mosley did as a person, so long as the Oxford donation is safe.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I don't see why they should be. They agreed not to use the Mosley name.

All this stuff about Rhodes, Gladstone and the rest being unpopular with modern day students has only ever been a "name" thing. They profess themselves appalled that Cecil Rhodes' money was used for education, including specifically education of foreigners via the Rhodes scholarships, but all their hand-wringing has been about his name and image. Rhodes statue? Appalling, tear it down. Rhodes' name? Appalling, obliterate it from history. Rhodes' money? Lovely stuff, we want lots of it.

It's just the same with Mosley. They don't care at all about where his money came from and what Mosley did as a person, so long as the Oxford donation is safe.

I can’t recall who said it, but it was pretty accurate

Would the people complaining rather they kept the money and spent it themselves, they would complain about that as well.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

I’m present,y banned from two broadcasters. They are probably doing the country a service though for helping reduce Dullardness.

Were you trying to sit too closely to Rachel Burden again?

 

[sydney]

I don't see why they should be. They agreed not to use the Mosley name.

All this stuff about Rhodes, Gladstone and the rest being unpopular with modern day students has only ever been a "name" thing. They profess themselves appalled that Cecil Rhodes' money was used for education, including specifically education of foreigners via the Rhodes scholarships, but all their hand-wringing has been about his name and image. Rhodes statue? Appalling, tear it down. Rhodes' name? Appalling, obliterate it from history. Rhodes' money? Lovely stuff, we want lots of it.

It's just the same with Mosley. They don't care at all about where his money came from and what Mosley did as a person, so long as the Oxford donation is safe.

Cecil Rhodes whilst no doubt a gargantuan pervert was a visionary of his age with a drive that was/is probably unrivalled in this day and age , what a time to be alive , he turned Southern Africa into something that was unrivalled in it's time , a legacy of scholarships with universities , art galleries , thousands of miles of railway lines , cricket pitches and stuffy colonial establishments that still remain .....oh yes the cancel culture will say it should never have happened but it did ....if it didn't the Shona , Zulu, Ndebele, Matabele would have cut each other up and some other European entity would have waltzed on in ....so don't feel bad about it , it isn't your fault.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I can’t recall who said it, but it was pretty accurate

Would the people complaining rather they kept the money and spent it themselves, they would complain about that as well.

I personally don't have an objection to the university taking Mosley's money. He claims to have repented his earlier views; who knows, he may be telling the truth. As you say, the money is there and is going to be spent one way or another.

The reason for the outcry is the hypocrisy of having nothing to do with Rhodes because of his views, while ignoring Mosley's past or present views and cosying up to him because of his money. If they were genuinely opposed to people whose views were unacceptable in the present day, they would take this chance ot prove it by rejecting Mosley's money. But they aren't; they will take money from anyone, and all their talk of unacceptable views is just that - talk. They only say it because it's fashionable and doesn't cost them anything.

 

[Machiavelli]

I (re)watched (some of) Fawlty Towers a few months back. It hasn't aged well. That happens with comedy. We'd also watched Life of Brian beforehand which has still got it.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I’m present,y banned from two broadcasters. They are probably doing the country a service though for helping reduce Dullardness.

To be fair, we did tell you that reprising that old Python sketch as "The Ministry of Funny W@nks" might not go down well - especially as they'd booked you to talk about financial ethics in sport.

Mind you, that's Songs of Praise for you, I suppose.

 

[El Presidente]

Were you trying to sit too closely to Rachel Burden again?

She's a fantastic presenter.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

'John Cleese has cancelled an appearance at Cambridge University after a visiting speaker was banned for a Hitler impression.

The star, who said he had done a similar impression on a Monty Python show, said he was "blacklisting myself before someone else does".'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-59237741

The pinko liberal twirling box tickers have won

Regards
DF

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I don't see why they should be. They agreed not to use the Mosley name.

All this stuff about Rhodes, Gladstone and the rest being unpopular with modern day students has only ever been a "name" thing. They profess themselves appalled that Cecil Rhodes' money was used for education, including specifically education of foreigners via the Rhodes scholarships, but all their hand-wringing has been about his name and image. Rhodes statue? Appalling, tear it down. Rhodes' name? Appalling, obliterate it from history. Rhodes' money? Lovely stuff, we want lots of it.

It's just the same with Mosley. They don't care at all about where his money came from and what Mosley did as a person, so long as the Oxford donation is safe.

I spoke to an Irish undergraduate yesterday who has never heard of Thin Lizzy. I can't see her getting agitated about Rhodes.

There are some posters on this thread who are invoking imaginary snow flakes to justify their own reactionary viewpoint. Why are they taking so much note of what a handfull of activists have got to say (if there is a handfull of activists gobbing off - I don't bother with activists myself)? I see elsewhere that Das Reich thinks they have won. What a big baby! Some people seem to be no-platforming their own brains in the search for something to get all bro-flakey about.

 

[Badger Boy]

I (re)watched (some of) Fawlty Towers a few months back. It hasn't aged well. That happens with comedy. We'd also watched Life of Brian beforehand which has still got it.

I completely agree with this. I can happily watch Python, but Fawlty Towers isn't funny any more in my opinion and I used to love watching it. Cleese was on with Stephen Colbert a while ago and he didn't seem to want to be there, didn't say anything funny and just seemed bored by still being John Cleese the character, rather than being able to enjoy his life as himself.

 

[Machiavelli]

I completely agree with this. I can happily watch Python, but Fawlty Towers isn't funny any more in my opinion and I used to love watching it. Cleese was on with Stephen Colbert a while ago and he didn't seem to want to be there, didn't say anything funny and just seemed bored by still being John Cleese the character, rather than being able to enjoy his life as himself.

I also loved FT in the past, and shared this enthusiasm with our son, and just felt a bit silly to do so once we'd collectively delved into FT. Cleese is anti-comedic now.

 

[Brovion]

I’m not really sure if that many people are going to be interested in what an 82 year old white millionaire has to say about woke culture but you never know, he may be insightful. I shall not pass judgment just yet.

NB- I’m not particularly interested in what anyone has to say about Woke culture. I find the whole label divisive and tedious.

Agreed. He does actually have a point, but he had to spoil it with a tedious dig at 'woke' culture. Still, it's the funniest thing he's done for decades.

 

[Sid in the Sharknado]

I spoke to an Irish undergraduate yesterday who has never heard of Thin Lizzy. I can't see her getting agitated about Rhodes.

Thin Lizzy never helped to dismantle the non-racial Cape Franchise in the name of White supremacy though, did they?

Wait...

No. No they didn't. Still not forgiving all the overdubs on Live and Dangerous though.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The pinko liberal twirling box tickers have won

Regards
DF

No idea what that even means

Tho endgame is students get to cancel any form of genuine debate and just get to listen to their own personal echo chamber

Good luck with that when they finally take a walk in the real world

 

[CheeseRolls]

No idea what that even means

Tho endgame is students get to cancel any form of genuine debate and just get to listen to their own personal echo chamber

Good luck with that when they finally take a walk in the real world

Disappointing. Where is the usual THPP cynicism? Oxbridge debating societies are an anachronism and may have been a means to influence young minds back in the 1950s. Today when there is almost limitless access to what the rich and the famous say and think, they are irrelevant surely.

If you have a bunch of loons looking for some legitimacy, meeting up at a "prestigious" university adds a certain respectability to your fringe views. It is hardly surprising that egocentric student leaders (can there be any other type) sometimes choose to push back on this. No one fails to have a voice as a result of this process, despite all the faux anger and glee on display. Some of the stupid old duffers getting worked up by this, should be forced to attend a few of these events as guests, I can guarantee they would swiftly be back in front of bargain hunt and that would be the last we ever heard of it.

 

[Machiavelli]

No idea what that even means

Tho endgame is students get to cancel any form of genuine debate and just get to listen to their own personal echo chamber

Good luck with that when they finally take a walk in the real world

The good old student life vs real world dichotomy. Showing your age JC (sorry TH)?