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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 18, 2014 at 5:21 pm
(July 18, 2014 at 5:10 pm)atheist04330 Wrote: i still don't get it
Great - wonderful; first-rate; very good: We had a great time. That's great!
Grate - to reduce to small shreds by rubbing against a rough or sharp perforated surface: to grate carrots
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 18, 2014 at 5:25 pm
Personally, however much I may share his skepticism of religion, he really strikes me as being an asshole.
I personally think there are better atheists to admire.
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_nMIcrXrfF_tbYQmlzve...IXbn3rjuEw]](https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_nMIcrXrfF_tbYQmlzveqsaTSDuDSB15_Gsvc5SDdY76kIXbn3rjuEw)
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRpsBn2i8oVS5ZOoUnlOWq...3KzzBhlulM]](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRpsBn2i8oVS5ZOoUnlOWqsFea3pYSCdCyqmUxRHR3KzzBhlulM)
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrOWV9X-1POoCo-2ayHlu...Dwfqo_tURk]](https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRrOWV9X-1POoCo-2ayHlunWCUcvmAhWED6iufSghcmrVpbZDwfqo_tURk)
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 18, 2014 at 6:08 pm
(July 18, 2014 at 5:25 pm)DeistPaladin Wrote: Personally, however much I may share his skepticism of religion, he really strikes me as being an asshole.
I don't think he's an asshole, he's just one of those guys that doesn't apologise for saying what he likes. I can kinda respect that. At the same time, I do find him a tad annoying.
However, I will always have immense respect for any man who can make a room full of stuck up actors squirm in their seats as he rips asshole after asshole:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXQShfw0EKg
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 18, 2014 at 8:14 pm
I've always admired his atheist stance and share many of his views. Not so much a fan of his writing or comedy, I'm afraid - that's just me. Re the Golden Globe speech, here's his appearance on CNN defending his 'offensive' remarks. I apologise for the unavoidable exposure to unhealthy levels of Piers Morgan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpsR1FEInK8&hd=1
At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant.'
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 18, 2014 at 8:38 pm
good thing i have flash blocker...
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 18, 2014 at 8:52 pm
Ricky Gervais is one of my favorite humans.
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 19, 2014 at 7:50 am
(July 18, 2014 at 8:14 pm)Stimbo Wrote: I've always admired his atheist stance and share many of his views. Not so much a fan of his writing or comedy, I'm afraid - that's just me.
Part of why I think he's an asshole has nothing to do with his atheism or his being outspoken about it. I admire Hitchens, for example, who certainly was never one to tread lightly when discussing the sacred beliefs of others. But Hitchens also struck me as a man of character, even if I didn't agree with everything he argued for.
Part of Gervais' "comedy" is making constant fun of an idiot friend of his. I mean, he's done not one series on him but multiple different ones. Yes, I got it, your friend Carl is dumb. At first, that was mildly amusing hearing Carl's crazy views but after a while, it's starting to look like you're trying to get laughs by beating up a crippled man.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 19, 2014 at 9:39 am
(This post was last modified: July 19, 2014 at 11:10 am by Napoléon.)
(July 19, 2014 at 7:50 am)DeistPaladin Wrote: Part of Gervais' "comedy" is making constant fun of an idiot friend of his. I mean, he's done not one series on him but multiple different ones. Yes, I got it, your friend Carl is dumb. At first, that was mildly amusing hearing Carl's crazy views but after a while, it's starting to look like you're trying to get laughs by beating up a crippled man.
This is where I think there's an obvious culture divide between American humour and British humour. What most Americans in my experience fail to 'get' is British banter. When Ricky is taking the piss out of Karl he's not taking the piss out of the person necessarily, he's taking the piss out of the caricature he portrays. Also, amongst British people it's fairly common to take the mick out of your mates. If you can't call your pal a cunt without him taking offence then he's not really a pal. Self deprecation is something we're good at, but I don't think much of the rest of the world really gets it. In American comedy the main character is usually the hero, in British comedy the main character is usually a cunt.
Ricky's whole persona of David Brent in the Office for instance was taking the piss out of the stereotypical office boss who loves himself but is actually very insecure. Karl Pilkington is funny because, in many ways he's the stereotypical uncultured Englishman. It's the views and ideas that Karl expresses that Ricky highlights as funny, not necessarily Karl himself. It's not like he's the first comedian to do this style of comedy. I also wouldn't feel too sorry for Karl, he's probably in on every single joke. He's also obviously more clever than his TV persona would indicate as he used to be the producer of Ricky's radio show XFM. They really are good mates, it's not a beatdown of a crippled guy.
The thing with Gervais is, he knows how to milk something. I can see why people find that annoying.
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 19, 2014 at 10:01 am
The difference in British humor was highlighted to me in the show Brittas Empire.
A few episodes had characters seriously injured, and as I recall, the writers managed to kill someone for a laugh too.
I'm not criticizing, just noting how I saw things in that show that would be unusual to be shown in a US comedy. I really enjoyed the show, and the lead character, was a cunt.
(he played another cunt, Arnold Rimmer, in Red Dwarf too)
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RE: Ricky Gervais
July 19, 2014 at 10:02 am
(This post was last modified: July 19, 2014 at 10:03 am by LostLocke.)
(July 19, 2014 at 9:39 am)Napoléon Wrote: This is where I think there's an obvious culture divide between American humour and British humour. No no. The biggest difference is that you guys insist on adding a 'u' where it's not needed.
Now, hand over your tea and God save the Queen. 
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