>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^volumptuous:
>> ^dannym3141:
The only comedy to rival the brits over the years has been black american comedians and bill hicks

And Mr.Show, and Office Space, and Big Lebowski, Idiocracy, Strangers With Candy, The State, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Daily Show/Colbert, Zack Galafinakis, The Simpsons, Ren&Stimpy.... we can go on and on and on.

You can list stuff back and forth all day and disagree with what each other person says for fun whether you think it's true or not. So what's the point? Watch:
Mr. Show - definitely not
Idiocracy - see above
Strangers with Candy - see above
George Carlin - HUGE no
Richard Pryor - black comedian, which i listed
Daily show - close but no
Colbert - HUGE no
Now you'll just disagree with me and say those things are fucking great, but some of those make me despair, especially colbert, i can't believe you listed him
Ok so where now.......nope, nowhere, we can just disagree each other out all night, brits have definitely been the leaders in the comedy department. I'll let you have anything else, technology, success, even the things we once held proud like education and health, i'll even let you say we're getting as fat as you guys or possibly fatter, we're no longer quaint - packed with macdonalds and other terrible bland-brands that overtook better individual-brands, i'll let you say we're a bit of a hanger on internationally like the kid that hangs out with the bully, you've got the edge on industry, attractive people, land mass, weather, continental diversity within your country, most forms of entertainment, holidays, tourism, film industry, vehicles, engineering, and shit you're just generally nicer people.
But you can't have comedy, that's definitely ours, and i think i'm probably right in saying that too.. i bet a lot of americans would have to admit we've had the powerhouses of that genre.
(and probably military quality too, i'm taking that with me, that's ours, you can have military quantity and technology, i'm not greedy, and we'll share military embarassment every 1st and 3rd week)
Come on now, fair's fair.


I certainly disagree with you on a few of those. John Stewart is the funniest man on television, bar none.

Also the guy who listed those shows forgot the one, the only;

South Park!

And if you think South Park isn't funny, you must be British or something.

Mitch fucking Hedberg.
Patton Oswalt, Rodney Carrington, Ron White.
Americans have the best animated comedy shows too, simpsons, futurama, south park, family guy, american dad, king of the hill.

British comedy is very different from American comedy. It usually much more satirical and/or quirky than just sit-com or slapstick - and that's not always better.

>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^volumptuous:
>> ^dannym3141:
The only comedy to rival the brits over the years has been black american comedians and bill hicks

And Mr.Show, and Office Space, and Big Lebowski, Idiocracy, Strangers With Candy, The State, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Daily Show/Colbert, Zack Galafinakis, The Simpsons, Ren&Stimpy.... we can go on and on and on.

You can list stuff back and forth all day and disagree with what each other person says for fun whether you think it's true or not. So what's the point? Watch:
Mr. Show - definitely not
Idiocracy - see above
Strangers with Candy - see above
George Carlin - HUGE no
Richard Pryor - black comedian, which i listed
Daily show - close but no
Colbert - HUGE no
Now you'll just disagree with me and say those things are fucking great, but some of those make me despair, especially colbert, i can't believe you listed him

But I prefer the Macintosh operating system.




>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^volumptuous:
>> ^dannym3141:
The only comedy to rival the brits over the years has been black american comedians and bill hicks

And Mr.Show, and Office Space, and Big Lebowski, Idiocracy, Strangers With Candy, The State, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Daily Show/Colbert, Zack Galafinakis, The Simpsons, Ren&Stimpy.... we can go on and on and on.

You can list stuff back and forth all day and disagree with what each other person says for fun whether you think it's true or not. So what's the point? Watch:
Mr. Show - definitely not
Idiocracy - see above
Strangers with Candy - see above
George Carlin - HUGE no
Richard Pryor - black comedian, which i listed
Daily show - close but no
Colbert - HUGE no
Now you'll just disagree with me and say those things are fucking great, but some of those make me despair, especially colbert, i can't believe you listed him
Ok so where now.......nope, nowhere, we can just disagree each other out all night, brits have definitely been the leaders in the comedy department. I'll let you have anything else, technology, success, even the things we once held proud like education and health, i'll even let you say we're getting as fat as you guys or possibly fatter, we're no longer quaint - packed with macdonalds and other terrible bland-brands that overtook better individual-brands, i'll let you say we're a bit of a hanger on internationally like the kid that hangs out with the bully, you've got the edge on industry, attractive people, land mass, weather, continental diversity within your country, most forms of entertainment, holidays, tourism, film industry, vehicles, engineering, and shit you're just generally nicer people.
But you can't have comedy, that's definitely ours, and i think i'm probably right in saying that too.. i bet a lot of americans would have to admit we've had the powerhouses of that genre.
(and probably military quality too, i'm taking that with me, that's ours, you can have military quantity and technology, i'm not greedy, and we'll share military embarassment every 1st and 3rd week)
Come on now, fair's fair.

>> ^volumptuous:
>> ^dannym3141:
The only comedy to rival the brits over the years has been black american comedians and bill hicks

And Mr.Show, and Office Space, and Big Lebowski, Idiocracy, Strangers With Candy, The State, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Daily Show/Colbert, Zack Galafinakis, The Simpsons, Ren&Stimpy.... we can go on and on and on.


You can list stuff back and forth all day and disagree with what each other person says for fun whether you think it's true or not. So what's the point? Watch:

Mr. Show - definitely not
Idiocracy - see above
Strangers with Candy - see above
George Carlin - HUGE no
Richard Pryor - black comedian, which i listed
Daily show - close but no
Colbert - HUGE no

Now you'll just disagree with me and say those things are fucking great, but some of those make me despair, especially colbert, i can't believe you listed him

Ok so where now.......nope, nowhere, we can just disagree each other out all night, brits have definitely been the leaders in the comedy department. I'll let you have anything else, technology, success, even the things we once held proud like education and health, i'll even let you say we're getting as fat as you guys or possibly fatter, we're no longer quaint - packed with macdonalds and other terrible bland-brands that overtook better individual-brands, i'll let you say we're a bit of a hanger on internationally like the kid that hangs out with the bully, you've got the edge on industry, attractive people, land mass, weather, continental diversity within your country, most forms of entertainment, holidays, tourism, film industry, vehicles, engineering, and shit you're just generally nicer people.

But you can't have comedy, that's definitely ours, and i think i'm probably right in saying that too.. i bet a lot of americans would have to admit we've had the powerhouses of that genre.

(and probably military quality too, i'm taking that with me, that's ours, you can have military quantity and technology, i'm not greedy, and we'll share military embarassment every 1st and 3rd week)

Come on now, fair's fair.

>> ^dannym3141:
The only comedy to rival the brits over the years has been black american comedians and bill hicks


And Mr.Show, and Office Space, and Big Lebowski, Idiocracy, Strangers With Candy, The State, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Daily Show/Colbert, Zack Galafinakis, The Simpsons, Ren&Stimpy.... we can go on and on and on.

>> ^dannym3141:
>> ^quantumushroom:
The answer sure wasn't English comedy.

Unfortunately, we can afford to be arrogant in this department. The only comedy to rival the brits over the years has been black american comedians and bill hicks I'd love to be self deprecating and insult my own nation, but in this at least (and only it seems), we lead the world.


Don't forget Canadians!

>> ^quantumushroom:
The answer sure wasn't English comedy.


Unfortunately, we can afford to be arrogant in this department. The only comedy to rival the brits over the years has been black american comedians and bill hicks I'd love to be self deprecating and insult my own nation, but in this at least (and only it seems), we lead the world.

I know my stuff is too long. I apologize, but I don't want to cut anything.

Atheists are equally ridiculous in their self-satisfaction and complacence. Many of you seem to be content to believe that all religious people are idiots. I am dismayed and disappointed by that attitude.

An old philosophy teacher of mine and I are still in contact. A few weeks ago I asked him a question about theism and science and this was his reply:

"...of people who have a degree in science or claim to know what science is, only an extreme minority really apprehends what science actually is, does, and can do. In fact, I have on several public occasions inadvertently embarrassed even award winning specialized scientists, such as physicists, based on their ignorance about the nature and scope of science, properly speaking.

One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty. People who '...are more than happy to believe that all theists must necessarily be stupid and ignorant,' are people who have either fallen victim to false pride or who have an understanding of science that is extremely immature and indoctrinated."

This is a man that has studied philosophy at several schools in Europe, traveled extensively, has 2 doctorates, has tried being a Pantheist and an Agnostic and I don't know what else, speaks several languages, constantly reads and writes books on philosophy and theism, attends scientific conferences regularly, teaches at universities, and is still one of the most humble men I know. And he thinks that you are immature and indoctrinated. I tend to agree.

^Memorare
Original Sin and infant baptism is made-up drivel.

The question I pose to you is this: How can we expect Christianity to appear to contain truth when there are so many denominations, all claiming to preach truth, which disagree with each other so profoundly? It is logical to assume that most will be preaching things that are false and illogical because the nature of truth is that there can only be one. Maybe each church contains snatches of truth, and maybe one (and only one) of them preaches nothing but.

I will be the first person to admit that many Christians have no idea what science, philosophy, and logic are and that the churches they attend are false, corrupt, and self-serving. If Christianity commits major logical errors, it is because the people misunderstand scripture and misinterpret doctrine. I don't wish to sound self-righteous, because many of these Christians are better people than I and they have earned my love and respect.

I hope that if any of you read this it will make you think twice about lumping Christians into unflattering groups. Saying that religious people are stupid and ignorant is every bit as immature, ignorant, and intolerant as saying that black Americans are generally poor and criminal and that Asians are bad drivers.

So what if it was racially motivated? It probably wasn't the sole reason for his endorsement, but it might have played a part in it. I don't understand how that's supposed to be negative or how any white American can even begin to judge him (or any black person for that matter) for it.

He's living in a country founded by slave owners, where slavery was legal for more than two hundred years and would probably remain legal to this very day if it was up to the people of every individual state. All the 43 presidents up to this point were white and black people are still struggling for equal treatment today. For centuries black Americans have dreamed of the day of the Inauguration of a black American President. You can't consider that to be racist, it's just another step towards true equality and a big one at that.

A couple of days ago I read a comment on this site where a member claimed that black people voting for Obama because he's black is the same as white people voting for McCain because he's white. He said it's the same kind of racism. This would be true, if:

• White Americans were at some point enslaved to black slave owners for a period no shorter than 200 years.
  
  
• Half the presidents up to this point had been black Americans.
  
  
• The number of black Americans was about equal to the number of caucasian Americans.
  

But since that's nowhere near the truth I can only shake my head at such a statement.

Saying that race has absolutely nothing to do with Powell's endorsement is foolish too. The question we should be asking ourselves is: So what if it is? Wouldn't he have every reason to yearn for a black president? Wouldn't he rightly see it as a great achievement in the long struggle black people have had to endure? Do you honestly believe that he doesn't care at all about it?

I can understand that you all think you have to deny that there could be any racial motivation on Powell's side, but I honestly don't think that taking race out of the discussion is the right thing to do. You can't fight racism with ignorance. Instead you should be asking people like Buchanan about the possible reasons a black person could have for a racially motivated vote and how the reasons for it can be very different from a white persons racially motivated vote.

>> ^quantumushroom:
The debate is on. Now the question is, would Obama like his ass handed to him or would he like it in a doggie bag?
What we all need right now is change and with it, the hope of a dream. I am dreaming that change will be in the well of hope, that we might all stand together in unity, because the opposite of that unity is standing apart. Many Black Americans didn't have the same opportunities as I, because like me they were not on the dollar bills. Those people on the dollar bills appear all in green, and as I must remind you every two minutes, I am partly African- American in background so if I am accused of being green, that cannot be the hopeful change we all seek to unify.


Well since it is safely after the debates I can safely say this.

Dude QM, You seen the news man, Like McCain lost homes.

Sure he's a good public speaker but that isn't going to do shit when it comes to actually fixing the economy.

What we all need right now is change and with it, the hope of a dream. I am dreaming that change will be in the well of hope, that we might all stand together in unity, because the opposite of that unity is standing apart. Many Black Americans didn't have the same opportunities as I, because like me they were not on the dollar bills. Those people on the dollar bills appear all in green, and as I must remind you every two minutes, I am partly African- American in background so if I am accused of being green, that cannot be the hopeful change we all seek to unify.

My plan to tax ONLY "the rich" will surely not harm you middle class and lower income people, the same way leaving a sunflower in darkness and giving it very little water will not stunt its growth. We are all interconnected in unity until it's time to blame others for the failures of still others. Do not ask me about issues, I am busy having a dream, always having a dream of hope and can't be bothered with clarity that doesn't unify the message of change!

The debate is on. Now the question is, would Obama like his ass handed to him or would he like it in a doggie bag?

What we all need right now is change and with it, the hope of a dream. I am dreaming that change will be in the well of hope, that we might all stand together in unity, because the opposite of that unity is standing apart. Many Black Americans didn't have the same opportunities as I, because like me they were not on the dollar bills. Those people on the dollar bills appear all in green, and as I must remind you every two minutes, I am partly African- American in background so if I am accused of being green, that cannot be the hopeful change we all seek to unify.

yeah i agree with you, especially as european languages come from indian.

lithuanians and londoners use the double negative, but the BBC doesn't.

but...

i do think it is "uneducated" to speak only in your "mother" accent.

learn a different accent and use that for business. Why should business adapt to 10923782937 accents? that makes no sense. educate yourself, learn how to talk in the business arena. NOBODY is born talking business english, even "whites" have to learn it.

I sleep with a trilingual linguistics graduate, and i speak lithuanian (the most archaic indoeuropean language still alive) so you know, i get your point. but i think "tolerance" goes too far into the realm of "impractical" and "lazy".

I used to teach swimming, and i would use a posh correct english accent in the health club and a broad south london accent in the public pools in the rough neighbourhoods. Why not?


In reply to this comment by SDGundamX:
I'm not against having a standardized vocabulary, spelling, or grammar. What was specifically the topic of the video that comment was a reply to was the uproar over a black teacher teaching kids that they were "uneducated" if they said "axe" instead of "ask." And it simply isn't true. It has nothing to do with education and everything to do with English having multiple dialects. And historically, the dialect spoken by white Americans has always been considered okay, regardless of how far from the supposed standard it is (which is why I brought up the Boston pronunciation of "car" as "ca-" and the non-existent Southern contraction "y'all") while the dialects of minorities such as Black Americans and Latin Americans has traditionally been frowned upon.

Thinking there is a standard English pronunciation is delusional. There are accepted standards (plural) of English, most of which are based on white, affluent speech. Now that English is an international language, however, that will surely change. Take India, for instance. They say things like:

"Open the air conditioner."

Instead of:

"Turn on the air conditioner."

Is it wrong? Not if everyone in India talks that way. As more countries embrace English and make their own personalized changes to the language you'll see less arguing about what is "educated" and "uneducated" English and more open acceptance of the fact that people who live in different places speak English differently--and get along just fine without needing "standard" English.

In reply to this comment by MINK:
i see nothing wrong with there being a "business english" standard, or "bbc english". Of course it's not ebonics or half spanish.

I learned Lithuanian to help me get work in Lithuania. I don't swear in front of new clients. I don't walk around talkin fakkin sarf landan aksent and insistin dat peeples rispek my rights, innit.

almost all jobs involve speaking to people, and therefore the way you speak is part of your job performance. What's wrong with that?

In the UK there was a trend for putting call centres in scotland because the scottish accent was judged to be the most trustworthy. What should I do, cry "discrimination!" and insist on more call centres in liverpool (an accent nobody can understand or trust)?

bear in mind i am not at all anti immigration, i just think that it's normal to have a separate language and etiquette for business, and there's no way that's going to be based on a fringe accent, it's gonna get melted down to "average".

People never used to say "gonna" on TV. Now they do. Things change. It's ok. There's many other ways to oppress minorities if that's what you want to do. Eradicating accent prejudice is never ever going to work.

I'm not against having a standardized vocabulary, spelling, or grammar. What was specifically the topic of the video that comment was a reply to was the uproar over a black teacher teaching kids that they were "uneducated" if they said "axe" instead of "ask." And it simply isn't true. It has nothing to do with education and everything to do with English having multiple dialects. And historically, the dialect spoken by white Americans has always been considered okay, regardless of how far from the supposed standard it is (which is why I brought up the Boston pronunciation of "car" as "ca-" and the non-existent Southern contraction "y'all") while the dialects of minorities such as Black Americans and Latin Americans has traditionally been frowned upon.

Thinking there is a standard English pronunciation is delusional. There are accepted standards (plural) of English, most of which are based on white, affluent speech. Now that English is an international language, however, that will surely change. Take India, for instance. They say things like:

"Open the air conditioner."

Instead of:

"Turn on the air conditioner."

Is it wrong? Not if everyone in India talks that way. As more countries embrace English and make their own personalized changes to the language you'll see less arguing about what is "educated" and "uneducated" English and more open acceptance of the fact that people who live in different places speak English differently--and get along just fine without needing "standard" English.

In reply to this comment by MINK:
i see nothing wrong with there being a "business english" standard, or "bbc english". Of course it's not ebonics or half spanish.

I learned Lithuanian to help me get work in Lithuania. I don't swear in front of new clients. I don't walk around talkin fakkin sarf landan aksent and insistin dat peeples rispek my rights, innit.

almost all jobs involve speaking to people, and therefore the way you speak is part of your job performance. What's wrong with that?

In the UK there was a trend for putting call centres in scotland because the scottish accent was judged to be the most trustworthy. What should I do, cry "discrimination!" and insist on more call centres in liverpool (an accent nobody can understand or trust)?

bear in mind i am not at all anti immigration, i just think that it's normal to have a separate language and etiquette for business, and there's no way that's going to be based on a fringe accent, it's gonna get melted down to "average".

People never used to say "gonna" on TV. Now they do. Things change. It's ok. There's many other ways to oppress minorities if that's what you want to do. Eradicating accent prejudice is never ever going to work.

This video reminds of this great article that seeks to update some of our views on the subject

"The genes that build America." The Guardian.


From the discovery that presidential hopeful Barack Obama is descended from white slave owners to the realisation that the majority of black Americans have European ancestors, a boom in 'recreational genetics' is forcing America to redefine its roots. Paul Harris pieces together the DNA jigsaw of what it really means to be born in the USA.