John Cleese

[Muttonindistress]

A quite good article in the a Telegraph today about John Cleese and cancel culture. These last two paras especially interesting.

“‘In it, Cleese explains that the great attraction of extremism is that it gives you enemies, and thus an outlet for bilious hatred for those with “a lot of anger and resentment” in them anyway. Both the hard left and the hard right offer plenty of options: authorised enemies of the Left include the police, the City, judges, public schools, fox hunters “and, of course, moderates”, while authorised enemies of the Right include vocal minority groups, unions, welfare spongers, peaceniks, the BBC “and, of course, moderates”.

Focus on any of these, and “you can strut around abusing people … and still think of yourself as a champion of the truth, a fighter for the greater good and not the rather sad paranoid schizoid that you really are”.

Blimey, don’t hold back John.

I’m going to try and put a link in separate post, but don’t know if will work.

www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/bring-back-old-john-cleese-pythons-skewered-cancel-culture-40/

‘In it, Cleese explains that the great attraction of extremism is that it gives you enemies, and thus an outlet for bilious hatred for those with “a lot of anger and resentment” in them anyway.'

Not sure how his statement will be taken on here, but I think it's spot on. All the nasty political ideologies have a group or groups in their crosshairs, and when any old bullshit is aimed at that group, it is applauded without consideration for truth or nuance. Blanket statements are given a free pass, and certain fundamental 'truths' are held up as sacred.

I'm sure everybody will agree totally with it, because everybody will consider it to be about other people. After all it couldn't possibly be about themselves because they know they are RIGHT!

That is a good article. It illustrates the polarisation of beliefs very well and is applicable to lots of different political situations. There are endless examples across mumsnet boards of the demonisation of various groups. It says something quite depressing about human psychology that these polarisations seem so easy to create.

@Mysterian

I'm sure everybody will agree totally with it, because everybody will consider it to be about other people. After all it couldn't possibly be about themselves because they know they are RIGHT!

The talk is of extremists - both on the left and the right. Let's be charitable and assume that ten percent of people are right wing extremists and a similar amount left wing. I think it's fair that the remaining majority "will consider it to be about other people" as you put it.

I'm not an extremist, are you?

I am surprised that there has been no objection to some of the Monty Python sketches or films, given cancel culture.

The Life of Brian is basically Twitter culture now.

Anyone with a decent level of self awareness will be able to ask themselves the 'Are we the baddies?' question. The strength of satire like this is not in the extra brickbats it gives us to throw at other people, but the way it enables us to laugh at our own tendencies to the ridiculous.

That's why humour is often the first target of the control freak, and why humour challenges the establishment. If you can see your own weaknesses clearly enough to laugh at them, you can see them clearly enough to take them into account in all your behaviour.

Anyone who doesn't question what bits of their own attitude may be the target of Cleese's work here is indeed the target. I'm always asking the questions of myself. If you're not, you're a bit silly.

Excellent post as always floral

I'm not an extremist, are you?

Would anyone answer yes?

@Aesopfable

I'm not an extremist, are you?

Would anyone answer yes?

My mother claims that I tend to be an extremist, and she's not an idiot by any means. Though I think actually I am more of a contrarian.

I am surprised that there has been no objection to some of the Monty Python sketches or films, given cancel culture.

The Life of Brian was banned in loads of cinemas when it was first released.
But I know what you mean all the sketches where they dress as women and do on.

@Mysterian

I'm sure everybody will agree totally with it, because everybody will consider it to be about other people. After all it couldn't possibly be about themselves because they know they are RIGHT!

Oh no. It absolutely describes me circa 15-24. I knew everything. Everyone else was stupid. Pro-vegetarianism, feminism, anti-colonialism and Thatcher. Marching and sit-ins and protests.

Oh to be so sure again.

Spot on article - as an put and proud 'moderate', I do get fed up with the way that being moderate, which is virtually a British trait, has been demonised recently.

We are historically a nation of moderates, of wishy-washy centrists, who haven't been bothered to have a proper revolution in 350 years and whose Civil War was a tame affair compared to most other countries.

whose Civil War was a tame affair compared to most other countries.

Sorry, about the tangent, but my history nerd side can't let this one go. The English Civil War (or War of the Three Kingdoms) resulted in the death of an estimated 4% of the population of England, 6% of Scotland, and 40% of Ireland. "Tame" is not the word I would use.

And I think a lot of countries worldwide would laugh at the idea that Britain was historically a nation of moderates and "wishy-washy centrists".