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John Cleese's War on Wokeism
Reason TV ^

Posted on 08/07/2022 4:49:42 AM PDT by ToxicMasculinity

The Monty Python legend says political correctness is ruining creativity in all aspects of human activity.

From shows and movies ranging from Monty Python's Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers to Life of Brian and A Fish Called Wanda, the comedian John Cleese has uproariously and relentlessly satirized politics and religion while stretching the boundaries of decorum and good taste like so many silly walks.

Now 82, Cleese—who studied law at Cambridge—has recently set his sights on political correctness and wokeism, which he says are the enemy not only of humor but of creative thinking in all areas of human activity.

(Excerpt) Read more at youtube.com ...


TOPICS: History; Humor; Society; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: comicgreats; creativity; johncleese; wokeism
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We must, to resist, practice with guns and knives, and sharpen our rapier wit. He's worth listening to for the latter purpose. Incidentally, there is a Best of Monty Python series on Netflix, which shows skits I never heard of before and which has me rolling on the floor.
1 posted on 08/07/2022 4:49:42 AM PDT by ToxicMasculinity
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To: ToxicMasculinity

This is an Ex parrot!


2 posted on 08/07/2022 4:52:37 AM PDT by Cowman
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To: ToxicMasculinity

His generation helped make radical activism part of mainstream politics. Putting all your eggs in the progressive basket has consequences!


3 posted on 08/07/2022 5:00:23 AM PDT by 100%FEDUP (I'm seeing RED!)
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To: ToxicMasculinity

It’s Brahms!


4 posted on 08/07/2022 5:03:37 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
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To: 100%FEDUP

But what worked for them can work for us, too. In fact, it has. Rush Limbaugh used humor like a switch blade. Latma TV in Israel, like a sledge hammer, but it still went viral a few times. Now there’s Babylon Bee and Greg Gutfeld, but it’s only the beginning.


5 posted on 08/07/2022 5:03:38 AM PDT by ToxicMasculinity (At this point, what difference does it make.)
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To: ToxicMasculinity

A friend of mine is a stand up comic. Clean and good for family. He will not do colleges anymore. He said “every word is scrutinized” and even the slightest remark is taken the wrong way. He dealt with students yelling at him backstage every time. Pathetic. These people don’t even know what they’re missing.


6 posted on 08/07/2022 5:06:01 AM PDT by albie
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To: ToxicMasculinity
Cleese is a truly brilliant man who's not afraid to ruffle a few feathers.
7 posted on 08/07/2022 5:08:06 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Covid Is All About Mail In Ballots)
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To: albie

I think Jerry Seinfeld has a similar mindset, or did a few years ago. It’s pretty bad when comedians aren’t allowed to be funny any more.


8 posted on 08/07/2022 5:09:20 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam (Sometimes when you get to where you're supposed to be, it's too soon.)
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To: albie

I hear comedians in the UK are experiencing “visits” from the authorities over certain lines they have in their routine.

Now we have a generation becoming police officers that think this is not just ok but is their main place in society.


9 posted on 08/07/2022 5:15:43 AM PDT by fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing of poor moral choices among everybody)
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To: ToxicMasculinity

Be careful celebrating Cleese— he is an acidic, virulent anti-Trumper.


10 posted on 08/07/2022 5:17:17 AM PDT by IncPen ("Inside of every progressive is a Totalitarian screaming to get out" ~ David Horowitz)
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To: ToxicMasculinity
John Cleese is the only person I know who included the names of Anton Checkhov *and* Ludwig Wittgenstein in a comedy series in which he was starring!
11 posted on 08/07/2022 5:17:49 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Covid Is All About Mail In Ballots)
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To: ToxicMasculinity

We must, to resist, practice with guns and knives, and sharpen our rapier wit.


the battle is fought on many fronts.


12 posted on 08/07/2022 5:20:32 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: IncPen
Yes,and that puts him in agreement with 99% of Europe's population.OTOH his position on wokeism puts him in disagreement with many Europeans. His attitude toward Trump is no more noteworthy than is my attitude toward Boris Johnson.
13 posted on 08/07/2022 5:21:21 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Covid Is All About Mail In Ballots)
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To: albie

Think back to the album that Tom Lehrer released 60+ years ago of a concert he did at Harvard.


14 posted on 08/07/2022 5:23:10 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Covid Is All About Mail In Ballots)
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To: ToxicMasculinity

But what about pointed stick?


15 posted on 08/07/2022 5:23:35 AM PDT by P.O.E.
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https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4083705/posts#comment


16 posted on 08/07/2022 5:38:59 AM PDT by deport
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To: ToxicMasculinity

Problem is Cleese and his cohorts laid the groundwork for wokism. Monte Python trashed the West. They went through Western history like a bull in a China shop, using ridicule, one of Alinski’s most potent weapons, to do it. He was one of the Barbarians in the gate.


17 posted on 08/07/2022 5:59:41 AM PDT by Ge0ffrey
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To: ToxicMasculinity

“We must, to resist, practice with guns and knives, and sharpen our rapier wit. He’s worth listening to for the latter purpose. Incidentally, there is a Best of Monty Python series on Netflix, which shows skits I never heard of before and which has me rolling on the floor.”

Actually I believe we only need to do one thing to fix all of this. Use Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals against the left. Everything they believe that needs to happen to destroy Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness must be thrown back in their faces with ridicule and disdain.


18 posted on 08/07/2022 6:23:15 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (DJT24)
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To: ToxicMasculinity
I have little sympathy for people like Cleese. Cleese was always a big supporter of the Labor party and often enabled those who eventually try to cancel him. He also ridiculed anybody was even a little bit conservative. Now Dr. Frankenstein is being attached by the monster he created.

And BTM, I was huge Monty Python fan and huge Fawlty Towers fan and loved the movie A Fish Called Wanda.

19 posted on 08/07/2022 6:35:42 AM PDT by Sir_Humphrey ( I wiIl not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own!i)
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To: Ge0ffrey

The Pythons satirized aspects of British life that deserves to be satirized. But they also blistered woke leftism as far back as the “Loretta” bit in Life of Brian.


20 posted on 08/07/2022 6:44:51 AM PDT by Bruce Campbells Chin
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