CptnChan Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 (edited) I love comedy, but this speech made me think of Ellsworth Toohey: http://youtu.be/gdWKQ36JkwE Ellsworth Toohey: "Don't set out to raze all shrines — you'll frighten men. Enshrine mediocrity — and the shrines are razed . . . Kill by laughter. Laughter is an instrument of human joy. Learn to use it as a weapon of destruction. Turn it into a sneer. It's simple. Tell them to laugh at virtue. Don't let anything remain sacred in a man's soul — and his soul won't be sacred to him. Kill reverence and you've killed the hero in man" Edited October 28, 2013 by CptnChan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted October 29, 2013 Report Share Posted October 29, 2013 I don't think he's actually saying one should bring something down. It's more that one can be playful in situations that are usually solemn. He mentioned funeral services. In college, a close friend drowned and I most of the events around that were very solemn, but when the closest of his friends were alone together, we got to joking about him and laughing so much that the tragedy of a life cut short was partly alleviated by the memories of a life well-lived. Cleese gave a eulogy for Graham -- his colleague from Monty Python. Check it out here: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted October 29, 2013 Report Share Posted October 29, 2013 The Sequel to that (one of the few things that always makes me laugh, no matter how many times I see it): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptnChan Posted October 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2013 For the record I am a very big John Cleese fan, and I do understand the point of using humor in solemn occasions. I was more specifically referring to near the end when he talks about the egotism of the self important. That line just made me think of Toohey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.