Talks to Watch

Oscar, James and George in the company of Bertie

99K views · Oct 29, 2009 · 2:52 · 0 HN recommenders · 3 mentions · discussed 2019–2021

A Monty Python sketch in which Oscar Wilde, James Whistler and George Bernard Shaw trade witticisms in a stuffy literary salon with Bertie.

Why Hacker News points people here: Used as a joke when commenters mention Oscar Wilde or the tone of literary salons.

What Hacker News said 3

JokeneonateJun 2019

“that my mind leaps immediately to it anyway”

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That's a haunting image, but it's so close to the premise of this classic Monty Python sketch that my mind leaps immediately to it anyway: this video .

in “Oscar Wilde’s talk inspired his rise and led to his downfall” · view on HN
JokekeanzuMar 2020

“Reminds of the Oscar Wilde sketch.”

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A TikTok spokesperson said the goal was to prevent bullying on the platform, tying the document to a report from December that showed that the company was suppressing vulnerable users’ videos in a misguided effort to prevent them from becoming the centre of attention that could turn sour. Now that is some fine spin! Reminds of the Oscar Wilde sketch. this video

in “TikTok told moderators to suppress posts by “ugly” people and the poor” · view on HN
JokedangOct 2021

“the literary salon Monty Python were making fun of here”

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Internet flaming is only interesting for a little while, and then it gets boring and a little sickening, like a sugar high. Actually, it's usually not even interesting (in the intellectual sense) to begin with. It's exciting, agitating, activating—things that are easy to confuse with interest. Real interest is quieter and a little more stable. I'm a big fan of classic hard-hitting literary wit, but it doesn't work on the internet. You need a smaller, closed system for it to work—like the literary salon Monty Python were making fun of here: this video .

in “Why HN is the way it is, and why we hope it will stay that way” · view on HN