A group of young, pioneering historians headed by the brash Professor Chip Bagnall, reinvestigate major events in world history only to find out that what was once held as fact is actually grossly false. Aiming to reeducate the masses, this is History As They Knew It. Hard Facts. Hard History.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Unleash the Beast
After a short hiatus, Civil War Bros is back. Today's guest is Benjamin "Beast" Butler, the notorious Major General of the Union Army known for his brutal martial law regime in New Orleans. We'll get to the softer side of this "beast" and discuss the lighter things in life: Dennis Franz, Mardi Gras and Treme. Let's unleash the beast.
CWB: Beast, my man, how you been?
BB: Can't complain too much, but I now have type II diabetes because of Red Bull's incessant "Unleash the Beast" campaign during the occupation of New Orleans. Jager Bombs, O-Bombs, ad nauseum. They're the ones who made me look like an asshole - Red Bull - pushing that shit on the citizenry and using me as spokesman - never saw a cent! I have a strong feeling the city is in for worse in the future.
CWB: I wouldn't know. Anyway, you and Paula Dean now have something in common. That's fun.
BB: We were both pro-slavery before the war, so two things.
CWB: Disturbing. I'm going to call you Dennis Franz throughout the rest of the show. It's uncanny.
BB: I know, I get it a lot. Wish I could be a Daniel Craig or a Clooney.
CWB: Well, blame that on your father, Franz.
BB: New Orleans was the one place where looks did not matter. Gallons of Red Bull and rum washed away the Franz in all of us. Even under my ridiculously oppressive system - and I think it had a lot to do with my lack of self-esteem, but that's for my therapist - the women folk would still show me their tits. Where else does that happen?
CWB: I have abandonment issues, so, I hear you. Also, I feel like Russia would be like that.
CWB: Do you miss New Orleans?
BB: Somewhat. I miss the food, the boobs and the culture. I do not miss the crime, the smell and the Texans who came in droves to visit.
CWB: Ugh, I think we can all agree on that. I think the rest of the Confederacy hated Texas.
BB: Except for Austin. Super liberal.
CWB: Everyone says that, and to be honest, I just don't care. I'm not packing up and driving through the rest of the state to get to a possibly "fun" place. Plus, let's say I do arrive and the hipsterism drives me fucking nuts - I'll end up in Dallas to counteract the effect.
CWB: Let's get the hell off of Texas. What are your thoughts on Treme?
BB: I just started watching it via my parents' HBO GO account - yeah, I'm totally an adult. I feel like I want to like it, but it's so damn boring. But, if someone asks, I'll say I like it - just because it seems like we're all in on the same conspiracy: we all like Treme because we're supposed to like it. It's like Sorkin's Sports Night.
CWB: You grew up in New Hampshire, what's that all about?
BB: It's syrup and Bode Miller.
CWB: Ah, that guy's a dick.
BB: Best motto in the Union though.
CWB: Agreed. I want to move there just so I can get my "Live Free or Die" license plate.
CWB: Popeye's or Church's Chicken?
BB: Bojangles'.
CWB: Oohh, someone did spend a lot of time in the South.
BB: I have to check my blood sugar.
CWB: Do you want a Red Bull?
BB: Shut up.
CWB: I kid. Has there ever been a test to be completely "prick-free?"
BB: No, and if a product claims so, they're lying.
CWB: Alright, NYPD Blue, since you killed the mood with your five syringes on the table, we'll end it on one last question. Uncle Ben or Cream of Wheat guy?
BB: Uncle Ben. He's family, and rice is much harder to cook than wheat cream.
CWB. Franz, thank you, and the rest of your insulin is in the fridge right next to my Quizno's. Get it out.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Meh. MacDonald.
Myth: Canadian patriot and galvanizing politician,
Sir John A. Macdonald holds the title of first Prime Minister of Canada,
overseeing the newly independent British dominion. Born in rough-and-tumble Glasgow, Scotland,
Macdonald’s family immigrated to present-day Ontario while John was still a
boy. After years practicing law,
Macdonald quickly rose to political prominence in the colonial legislature of
British North America. Amid the chaotic
colonial infrastructure, in which many political parties rose and fell,
Macdonald agreed to party unification with longtime political rival, George
Brown. As a leading figure among his
coalition counterparts, Macdonald spurred his countrymen into action, resulting
in the birth of the Canadian nation on July 1st, 1867. Though some intrigue pockmarked his
illustrious career – including corruption charges concerning the Canadian
Pacific Railway – Macdonald served as Prime Minister for the majority of his
remaining days.
Fact: As a historical scholar, I must stress, that
like all historians, little is known about Canadian history. This lack of knowledge stems from the fact
that it is…Canadian history. That being
said, John Macdonald was indeed born in the remarkable and noteworthy nation of
Scotland. As a young Scottish boy he
partook in weekly swordfights, the rescuing of princesses, and of course,
taming dragons and killing Englishmen.
Then, something transpired that would scar young John for the entirety
of his life: his family immigrated to Canada.
Aboard a bland, creaking ship with only a Tim Horton’s providing
sustenance, the Macdonald clan slogged forward to their new home of present-day
Kingston, Ontario. There was some
ice. Some snow. They even espied a moose shitting on the
tundra. John’s father, hoping to
assimilate to British North American norms, built a one-story rancher with one
window, for as the Canadian proverb goes: “Canadians have one window, while God
has two. Deal with it.” John entered law at an early age, quickly
grasping the finer details of British North American law and proving himself a
worthy barrister, but not too worthy, mediocrely worthy. Young Macdonald’s greatest case was the
prosecution of a Canadian menace, “The Toddler Who Accidentally Stole Some
Chewing Gum.” The final arguments,
detailing Macdonald’s persuasiveness, are as follows: JM: “Jury, please accept my apologies for
this trial taking place. I’m sorry. And Toddler Who Accidentally Stole Some
Chewing Gum of great notoriety, I’m sorry for wasting your time. That is all.
Oh, and your honor…I’m sorry.” Toddler: “My deepest apologies.” Judge:
“I’m sorry. Toddler, you are hereby,
regretfully, sentenced to no dessert for one week. With deepest sympathies, court is
adjourned. Oh my, that gavel was loud, I
apologize.” Such passion and conviction
were but precursors to the political genius that would be Prime Minister John
A. Macdonald. Most of John’s success can
be attributed to the fact that he was a bit more aggressive than his
legislative counterparts. He could be so
daring as to ask for a second helping of Canada’s notoriously rich cuisine at
political functions, adding another round of potatoes, sleet and a side of
mashed potatoes to his plate. Such
boldness and cavalierism imbued him with a sense purpose and want to ask the
British High Crown the question that politely stayed in the back of the minds
of most Canadians: “May we, if it’s not too much trouble, govern
ourselves? I mean, I’m sorry, but
yeah.” Even his nemesis, George Brown
and his gaudy off-white house WITH garage, never fathomed such audacity. To the utter shock of John and the
legislature, the British simply replied that they had been waiting decades for
them to ask for autonomy, but it had to come from a Canadian, thereby proving
Canada capable of confronting…anything.
Macdonald spent his remaining days serving as Prime Minister of Canada
and practicing a normal Canadian civil servant routine: skating to and from
work (and at work if possible), hiding under his desk, not watching pornography
and sobbing whenever he dictated to his secretary (often resulting in a
mandatory make-up make out session and tickets to Oklahoma!). Macdonald, however, was unaware of the threat
that would terrify his descendants in decades to come. A breed of people more French than the French
– a phrase synonymous with “complete dick.”
Quebecois.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Quince
Myth: Born just 8 years prior to the outbreak of
America’s war for independence and reared in a household rife with talk of
liberty and doses of austerity, John Quincy Adams already had big shoes to fill
as a mere toddler. His father and the 2nd
president of the United States, John Adams was a man of simple tastes, but
still was an erudite politician and celebrity framer of America and her
ideology. Unlike Adams’ other children,
John Quincy was baptized into diplomacy at an early age, often accompanying his
father on trips to Europe and elsewhere.
He endured harsh seas and seemingly endless voyages in this age of slow
transit – uncomplaining all the while.
Quincy absorbed his father’s tactics as a consummate ambassador, even if
both Adamses were more timid than their political counterparts. Ever aware of the unspoken pressures of
growing up in an American dynasty, John Quincy quickly climbed the bureaucratic
ranks and was appointed ambassador to the Netherlands at the ripe age of
26. In 1825 he became our 6th
president, leaving a trail of milestones like the Monroe Doctrine and the
acquisition of Florida.
Fact: John Quincy Adams, as only his parents called
him, generally went by his better-known moniker: The Quince. He had numerous others, including “Ocho
Quince,” “John Queefer,” “An American in Piss,” “6th Prez and 6
Deep,” and the terribly penned “Bald on Top, Party in the Back, Oh My Deist
Lord He’s Putting Cocaine on Her Crack” (this last is attributed to the once
witty, but now senile and wildly inappropriate Benjamin Franklin). But, it was always The Quince since he
entered Harvard in the mid-1780s. Eager
to distance himself from his father’s shuttered personality, John Quincy turned
to another delinquent Adams: his uncle, Samuel Adams. Sam, much to the chagrin of his “lame, fugly”
brother, John, had been selling his beer-like product to the hormonal
adolescents of Revolutionary Boston since the Tea Party scene flamed out. A horrendous brewer, Sam used fermented
chicken stock and mule urine as his main ingredients; but as the main supplier
for Boston’s teenagers, Quince and the others clung to his uncle’s choice brew,
Tar & Feather’d. Quince often
lamented in his diary about his father’s strict household rules and moral
platitudes: “Jefferson does it for his kids, Rutledge for his, and of course
Mr. Hancock. God, Mr. Hancock is so cool
– wish he were my father. He even lets
us touch his big-ass name. Why am I
forbade to drink at all? Father could
get a clue and become a cool parent and let us drink in the house. I mean, we’re going to get hammered anyway,
why not in the safety of our own homes.
That’s what cool parents do…like John!
He even lets us call him by his first name!” The simultaneous move to a Harvard dorm and
befriending of his seedy uncle unleashed a new, coke-riddled, binge-drinking
John Quincy to the world. On a
particularly uninhibited Saturday night, Quincy outdrank the Russian
ambassador’s son in a classic Russian drinking game of “Drink Vodka, No
Die.” Hours after the ambassador’s son
had passed out, Quincy kept at it until he topped off the feat by kegstanding
one of his uncle’s mules. Dazed, he
raised his fists in glory to the chant of “Quince! Quince!” Short on funds after graduation and already
annoyed by his drunken uncle’s Boston-style racist rants, John Quincy realized
the irony of his situation. In order to
continue his party/socialite lifestyle he needed to enter into politics – the
only line of work in which he had connections, connections that would prove to
be vital. While working as secretary of
state and bangin’ the secretary [Adams Five!], Quince became increasingly
frantic due to Spain’s incursion into Latin America, impeding Adams’ cocaine
supplier. The Quince’s desperate plea
for a continuous supply for coke also turned out to be one of the defining
moments of his political career: The Monroe Doctrine. In short, “any attempt to colonize or
encroach on either North America or South America will be treated as an act of
aggression and treated as such. My boy
Lopez will take a whaler’s paddle to your kneecaps and wish you would’ve been
born a pussy-footin’ Virginian because daddy ain’t gettin’ no snow.” The last sentence was struck from the
document at the behest of Monroe. Two
liver transplants and a deviated septum later, The Quince put down the beer
bong in 1848 and passed away with a grand legacy of foreign service and no
sense of smell.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Franklin, Filthy Franklin
Myth: Benjamin Franklin, renowned Renaissance
man and Founding Father of the United States of America, was known as something
of a promiscuous statesman. Though
Franklin did indeed produce an illegitimate son, William, this stigma of
unbounded sexuality is unwarranted.
Franklin, establishing a common-law marriage with Ms. Deborah Read in
1730, was true to the woman whose hand in marriage was summarily rejected by
her widowed mother prior to their common-law marriage. Furthermore, Franklin was forthright
about his illegitimate son from the onset, bringing the child into his and
Deborah’s home subsequently after the public acknowledgment. Serving abroad as US minister to both
France and Sweden, Franklin was a popular character among both men and women –
he often kept up correspondence with various women, and though tinged with
flirtation, it was generally intellectual in nature. Franklin’s will explicitly stated that his grave simply read
Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, a testament to his love for his wife and ardent
belief in a virtuous life.
Fact: Virtuous? Franklin was the farthest thing from it. Benjamin was a sex-craved deviant, only
empowered further by his dashing good looks. Before one jumps to any judgment regarding Franklin’s status
as “Ye Olde Loin Liberator,” you must remember that standards for general
attractiveness were much different in the 18th century. Hair and rippling delts were inferior
to one’s longevity in a time defined by a shockingly low life expectancy. Good health in old age was the era’s
aphrodisiac. Franklin’s debauchery
started at an early age in Boston, penning less notable – and less staid –
titles as Poor Richard’s Almanac of Boston Taverns and the Pussy Therein. Paling in comparison to Franklin’s much
more praiseworthy almanac, the first was nevertheless exhaustive in its
research of some 350 taverns in colonial Boston and the relative ease of
getting laid at said taverns. As
Franklin continued to climb the political ranks, other noteworthy statesmen of
the day were in awe of Franklin’s sexual prowess; some were even outright
jealous of the old man’s success in the bedroom. Thomas Jefferson, totes hot by today’s standards, did not
hold a candle to Franklin’s supremacy as a Casanova. “He layeth down the French, the British, and even the pearls
of the Orient, and I still sit idle, biding my time with the greatest vaginal
deterrent to have ever lived, John Adams.
Goddamn John Adams. Well, I
still have Sally Hemmings, but that’s like paying for a prostitute – I feel no
more nobler.” Franklin’s notoriety
as a playboy extended beyond the realm of the United States, as he was a
welcome guest at all of Europe’s greatest galas. Old Benjamin is said to have set the modern precedent of
Halloween as the de facto “excuse to be slutty” day. Paris in 1784 saw the first Bros and Scary Ho’s party, where women of the French elite showed a bit more ankle and
wrist, donning prepackaged costumes such as Sexy Marie Antoinette or Sexy
Homemaker. Though a hedonist at
heart, Franklin used his innate promiscuity for good. He is attributed with single-handedly distracting British
troops by disseminating a pamphlet detailing hot encounters with lonely British
wives – a sure distraction for a British people known to engage in sexual activity
at a mandatory distance of 40 yards.
Death and taxes were not the only two inevitabilities of Franklin’s
life, but rather they were death, taxes and the entrancement of women by
well-coifed side hair.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Blackbeard's Ironic Beard
Myth: Edward Teach, more commonly and
notoriously known as Blackbeard, is the archetype of the 17th
and 18th century pirate who would roam the exponentially popular
trade routes crossing through the Caribbean and coasts of the British colonies
of North America. Little is known
about Blackbeard, but educated speculation points to a man possibly raised in a
respectable, wealthy family; someone who could read and write; and one of many
who capitalized on the increased shipping traffic of the West Indies following
Queen Anne’s War in the early 18th century. Contrary to popular belief, most
privateers-turned-pirates of this day in age were not necessarily of the
fiendish sort most imagine them to be; rather, they were often pardoned by
their respective governments from time to time and compelled to capture and
loot enemy nations’ ships.
Nevertheless, Blackbeard was branded a criminal, as he often utilized
means of intimidation rather than outright slaughter to subdue his
victims. After various operations
outside wealthy port towns such as Charles Towne (Charleston), South Carolina,
Teach settled around the coast of North Carolina. Various colonial governors continued to express concern over
the pirate’s continued escapades, and so it fell upon Lieutenant Robert
Maynard’s shoulders to put an end to Teach’s career aboard his beloved Queen
Anne’s Revenge. Maynard’s men spotted Blackbeard and his men near Ocracoke
Island on the evening of November 21st, 1718. The following morning a vicious battle
ensued, resulting in the death and beheading of Edward Teach, soon to be
mounted on Maynard’s sails both as a warning and a means to collect his bounty.
Fact: Much more is known about Edward Teach
than most historians admit, most likely due to the fact that Edward Teach is
really not worth noting in the annals of history. Born into an upper-middle class suburban Bristol, UK family
and raised in a two-sloop garage type of home, Teach was your classic bored,
suburban white boy. Excelling in
English and Comparative Literature, he finished Eton in 3 years and then opted
to attend the newly founded Sarah Lawrence College to pursue English and
Shakespearean Literature and Effects on Sustainability. He also cited “a need to find my own
path and unique identity in this conformist world” as reasons for matriculating
to a British North American liberal arts college. Concurrently, the age-old off-and on obsession with
moustaches and beards began to hit its stride while Teach was at Sarah
Lawrence. And as history has
consistently shown us, the moustache/beard obsession is often accompanied by
infatuations with pirates, ninjas, gramophones and old-school bicycles (we
currently reside during one of these asinine and tedious times, though
historians agree that a decline is in progress). And so it began.
Teach first grew mutton chops, and then graduated to a full-on thick,
black, Arcadian Fire-worthy (think Arcade Fire but with fifes) beard while
dissecting the possibility that Chaucer might be gay in his senior level
English seminars. Since Teach
wasn’t that much of a fan of the Orient (Oh sure, he would laugh at a good
ninja joke now and then out of respect), he opted for the pirate route. After graduation, his beard thicker
than ever, friends began to call him Blackbeard, an ironic nod to
the matter-of-factness the nickname evoked. Armed with a Comparative Lit degree, Teach quickly found
work at a local coffee house near Wilmington, North Carolina – The Pirate’s
Press. Unaware that he was effectively becoming irrelevant to both
British and colonial society, Blackbeard plummeted headfirst into a social
abyss filled with “Arrrrghs” and eye patches. He and his friends even went so far as to carry fake
doubloons on their person, so whenever they’d encounter each other at the Pirate’s
Press or a King James Jam Festival ironic
hilarity would ensue. The evening
of November 21st, 1718 was a fateful night for Teach. Soon after leaving a DIY silk screen
printing press workshop, Blackbeard – who was now lacking in depth perception
due to the constant wearing of an eye patch combined with ill-walking skills
due to a youth large blouse adorning his much larger frame – tripped over a
fixed-gear clipper ship anchor right onto a Lieutenant Maynard’s holstered
sword. Blackbeard expired a few hours
later. A few friends tattooed his
date of death and a beard onto their arms, but besides those few attempts of
immortalization, Teach’s memory was lost to the world.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Galaxy Quest Galileo!
Myth: Galileo Galilei, one of the most
recognizable names attributed to the dawn of modern science. While living during an age of both
religious and scientific tumult, Galileo audaciously challenged the long-held
beliefs of the Vatican, supported a Copernican heliocentric model (that is to
say the sun existed at the center of our solar system) and risked death at the
hands of the Roman Inquisition.
Galileo vastly improved the telescope during his lifetime – born in 1564
and dying in 1642 – and made momentous discoveries such as confirming the
existence of the four largest moons of Jupiter. Tireless analysis of sunspots and forays into the realm of
physics, including the oft-debated concept of falling bodies, marked Galileo as
a man of science. Though to be a
man of science during this age of papal dominance, was to be a marked man in a
perilous sense. Objections to his
work came from both scientists and clergy alike, and in 1615 the Inquisition
labeled him a heretic following a purported verbal attack on Pope Urban
VIII. Galileo was ordered to
recant and sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of his life after being
found "vehemently suspect of heresy.” Though sentenced to house arrest, it was during this period
of incarceration that Galileo wrote one of his most celebrated works – The
Two New Sciences.
Galileo has earned such appellations as the “Father of Modern Science”
for his contributions to astronomy, physics and philosophy, and he continues to
embody the idea of a great mind and man ahead of his time.
Fact: Galileo was a dweeb. Notice that I do not give him the title
of nerd, for that would insinuate that he did in fact contribute
to the scientific community. No,
the supposed genius was more of a dweeb.
For historical purposes, let us further define dweeb: a person who
ostensibly has a great mind, but unfortunately just appears to have the
attributes of a genius (lack of social skills, scoliosis, eating boogers,
obsession with Mr. Bean, terrible at all sports except running). Galileo lived with his parents until
the age of 34, a time during which he was infatuated with the cult Sci-Fi
Commedia dell’Arte troupe Martians of Pisa! Giuseppe Galilei, Galileo’s annoyed
albeit concerned father, remarked, “He would spend days on end watching repeats
[mind you, repeats during this day in age consisted of one going over a
transcribed leaflet detailing previous performances] with just a can of Prego!
lying on his bloated stomach. It was difficult to watch as a father,
but what really sent him out the door was the constant masturbation. His mother just could not endure the
thought of her son defiling himself and sinning 12 to 14 times a day.” After being ousted from his house,
Galileo had no job, no skills and only the ability to recite all 15 seasons of Christopher
Columbus: Cyborg Slayer on which to
rely. Ultimately he found himself
among the Lil’ Bambinos, a program founded by Pope Urban VIII to keep at-risk
Italian youths off the streets. He
was by far the oldest individual in the club, and his fellow Bambinos
incessantly teased him for his odd behavior and autistic tendencies. He absolutely adored the movie Contact.
Galileo’s The Two New Sciences was no groundbreaking scientific text, but rather a tome consisting of
the following lines scrawled over and over again: “Jodie Foster says, ‘Dad, do
you think there's people on other planets?’ And her Dad says, ‘I don't know, Sparks. But I guess I'd say
if it is just us... seems like an awful waste of space.’ I totally agree with that. There’s gotta be aliens out there. I know it.” Without his beloved basement in which to fulfill his need
for all things sci-fi, Galileo quickly plunged into deep depression. Yet, he was smart enough to know that
the Vatican, specifically Urban VIII, would not tolerate heretical remarks
aimed at the church. Thus, in an
unprecedented display of boldness, Galileo submitted a text to the Vatican
detailing his belief that Jesus was actually an evil twin of Jessur, the prince
of Uranus. The Church was quite
ruthless during these turbulent times, but they were careful not to execute
someone without formidable power or sway, so they resorted to another
punishment in which to inflict upon the dweeb Galileo – house arrest in the
basement of his parents’ abode.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Oxford Man
Myth: The University of Oxford, more commonly
referred to as Oxford University, is one of the world’s most prestigious
academic institutions, consistently ranking in the top 10 across several
veritable publications. Though the
actual foundation date is unknown, there is record of teaching occurring in the
year 1096, making this hallowed institution nearly a millennium old. Students, both undergraduate and
graduate, converge upon this sleepy cerebral town from myriad countries,
displaying disparate financial backgrounds and tutorial interests. One can study quantum mechanics to
American history to medieval literature within the centuries-old halls that dot
this English town’s landscape with their eerie gargoyles and imposing wooden
doors. Steeped in tradition and
excellence, Oxonians still take examinations wearing traditional academic garb
(it was mandatory that students where academic gowns at all times up until the
1960s) and can walk the same pristine grounds as 26 prime ministers, 12 saints,
47 Nobel Prize winners, Sir Walter Raleigh, Stephen Hawking, Oscar Wilde,
Aldous Huxley, Edwin Hubble, Samuel Johnson, J.R.R Tolkien, along with other
notable alumni. An ever-demanding
institution, Oxford continues to push the boundaries of research and produce some
of the world’s most prominent leaders, thinkers and innovators.
Fact: Oxford University was actually founded
in the year 1000, ninety-six years before the estimated date of
establishment. Ironically, the
year 1000 was the infamous Year of the Waspy Douchenozzle in
Chinese culture, only to later be replaced by the Year of the Ox during the
next cycle. Medieval manuscripts
point to a well-known knight, belonging to the Order of the British Face (a
fearsome group of warriors with equally fearsome British faces), as founder of
the university: Malcolm Turtlepenis of Wuxley, better known among his comrades
as Malcolm in the Middle due to his
tendency to shield himself among others during battle and his habit of telling
tired-out jokes about marriage.
Turtlepenis came from a long line of wealthy noblemen, but his courage
was non-existent, thus often shaming the family name and Wuxley. Malcolm did not want to lose his right
to his estates as first-born son of Hedleywinthashley Turtlepenis, so he
utilized his innate cunning to save face – or at least British face.* A scholar was not one to fight
because of his lack of athleticism and Asperger-esque proclivities, and Malcolm
had the monetary means to establish his own house of learning – a place he
could namedrop so others knew he didn’t have to live the life of a warrior, or
even work at all for that matter.
So in the year 1000 A.D., Turtlepenis left the Order and claimed a deed
to land northeast of London where oxen were common and rivers were
numerous. Indulging his false
sense of wit, he executed a classic British tradition and entitled the budding
college Oxford, thereby setting
off a polite stream of chuckles.
Tea followed. The original
charter for admission to Oxford mandated only the following: Item I - A man entering Oxford must
enjoy Monty Python and only Monty Python, and when in the presence of other
Oxonians must make reference to a Monty Python bit, everything else is below an
Oxford Man; Item II – When asked where one goes to college, an Oxford man will
simply reply “in England” and field the inevitable further questions with
equally vague answers until said student arrives at the answer of Oxford, thus
feigning humility; Item III – Must be able to run awkwardly, though if one’s
gait is athletically acceptable, he may yet be admitted if he reaches the trust
fund threshold, wears driving shoes, and exhibits the proper shaggy hair as to
say “yeah, I’m rich, who the fuck cares.”; Item IV – Wear a large pinky ring. Those were the four items to which
Oxford men had to abide. And so
began the “education as status” phenomenon that spawned the likes of Harvard,
Cambridge, Yale, Booth School of Business** and Cornell. If you accepted the last school as
fact, you just failed the infamous Dewey Inquiry into College Caste Systems,
better known as DICCS.
*Sadly, British Face is now a verified genetic disorder with
no known cure
**Booth School of Business at University of Chicago is only
recognized in the finance and corporate sectors because it’s only fucking
business school. It’s like a
masters degree in Frat Studies and Psychopathic Methods (apologies to my
current boss and brother-in-law).
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