How Many Countries Appear Batshit?

[Malthus]

Heh, I'd rather see that than Larry the Cable Guy. 

[Ed Anger]

I think it is poetically appropriate that Joseph Pujol, better known as Le Petomane (which we may loosely translate as "the fartiste") should emanate from France, without doubt the most pretentious nation on the face of the earth.

I have a hard time imagining the common joe Frenchmen being that pretentious.  French trash culture is pretty trashy.  This sentence seems think every single French person is some sort of grande ecole graduate.

JERRY LEWIS.

Yes, I brought that old chestnut out. Sue me.

[Savonarola]

To further answer Malthus's question, there are a number of late 19th century and early 20th century entertainment for the common man in the Kino collection called Edison:  The Invention of the Movies  http://www.kino.com/edison/  From what I remember bare knuckle boxing (which was then illegal in New York City), Cat Boxing, various dancing girls, and a burlesque trapeze strip-tease act in which the woman strips down to her Victorian foundation garments all on a trapeze.

In addition minstrel Shows, caricature acts which thrived on ethnic stereotypes and quick drawing caricaturists were all common stage acts in vaudeville.

[Eochaid]

I have a hard time imagining the common joe Frenchmen being that pretentious.  French trash culture is pretty trashy.  This sentence seems think every single French person is some sort of grande ecole graduate.

I'm a grande école graduate.... 

Kevin

[Legbiter]

It turns out that the genetic damage caused by proximity to atomic detonations has some... unfortunate long term side effects.

We... did this?

Reminds me of this classic Onion story.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/japan_pledges_to_halt_production

"We honestly had no idea people did not enjoy this stuff," said Cultural Affairs Minister Kazuhiro Nakai, expressing regret for the thousands of hours of bondage porn, rape porn, utensil-rape porn, food-rape porn, frozen-food-rape porn, vomit-enema porn, elder-care-coma-patient-rape porn, and the kind of a porn in which a nubile youth is kidnapped, stripped, tied down in a wading pool and raped. "We are deeply ashamed for whatever it is about these films that has made people around the world vomit so vigorously. Please know that the content was only intended to entertain and arouse."

[fhdz]

Larry the cable guy haters amuse me. If I could come up with an act like that and bring in 30 million a year, I'd be up there in a flash. Plus, I've got plenty of poop jokes.

Reminds me of David Cross whining about it. His agony was delicious. Boo hoo.

David Cross is fucking hilarious, though.

[garbon]

So in order to hate Larry the Cable Guy I have to sip cognac every evening while reading Harper's in my Skull and Bones smoking jacket?

What?

Oh, so you weren't using Larry the Cable Guy as an illustrative example of how our culture (like Japanese culture as posited by Carrot) has declined from great heights to horrible lowbrow tastes?

My apologies if that wasn't the case.

[Ed Anger]

Larry the cable guy haters amuse me. If I could come up with an act like that and bring in 30 million a year, I'd be up there in a flash. Plus, I've got plenty of poop jokes.

Reminds me of David Cross whining about it. His agony was delicious. Boo hoo.

David Cross is fucking hilarious, though.

He seems to be too preachy during his act. I want funny.

GAFFIGAN DOESN'T MAKE ME THINK.

[Lettow77]

Nebraska is the north, after a fashion. It is a colony of the north, more accurately, the north proper ending at illinois.

They can be justly derided as yankees, without really deserving the full venom associated with the term. They fall just above North Dakota on the scale of harmless to offensive northern states.

[fhdz]

He seems to be too preachy during his act. I want funny.

GAFFIGAN DOESN'T MAKE ME THINK.

He ruled on Arrested Development and in Mr. Show.

[katmai]

He seems to be too preachy during his act. I want funny.

GAFFIGAN DOESN'T MAKE ME THINK.

He ruled on Arrested Development and in Mr. Show.

I don't recall Gaffigan on either.

[Ed Anger]

He ruled on Arrested Development and in Mr. Show.

YOUR ELITIST WEST COAST PROGRAMMING IS TOO SOPHISTICATED FOR US BUCKEYES.

In other words, never watched 'em. 

[citizen k]

Nebraska isn't yankee.

They fought on the Union side. 

Hard for the state to do that, as it didn't exist till 1867.

I grant you it wasn't dixie, it was whatever the hell westerners were calling themselves at the time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_in_the_American_Civil_War

The Federal government requested that the Nebraska Territory form one volunteer regiment, with some companies supposed to stay behind to protect the territory. The territorial legislature met in special session in Omaha, and agreed to raise the requested local defense force. Thus, the 1st Regiment Nebraska Volunteer Infantry was formed in June and July 1861, with the future governor of Nebraska and the Wyoming Territory, John Milton Thayer, as its first colonel. However, the promise was reneged, and the regiment was sent eastward in August to fight the Confederacy.

By the end of the Civil War, more than a third (3,157) of the men of military age in the Nebraska Territory had served in the Union army. In addition to the 1st Nebraska, the territory raised three other full regiments of cavalry, as well as a battalion. Thirty-five Nebraskans were killed in action during the Civil War, while another 204 died of other causes, including disease and accidents.

[Queequeg]

So in order to hate Larry the Cable Guy I have to sip cognac every evening while reading Harper's in my Skull and Bones smoking jacket?

What?

Oh, so you weren't using Larry the Cable Guy as an illustrative example of how our culture (like Japanese culture as posited by Carrot) has declined from great heights to horrible lowbrow tastes?

My apologies if that wasn't the case.

Not exactly; I think that mass media has made people like Larry possible, while in the past he would have joked with a few of his buddies about "pampers heads" and the like.  If there ever was a "cultural high point" in America it certainly wasn't the early 19th century though, it was the 1950s-60s, though even that is debatable as television was truly awful back then.

Though I have to admit, that sounds like what I was saying at first, so this was really an issue with my initial post more than your interpretation. 

[Jacob]

Japan is pretty unique. It's the only country I've seen that takes pride in endorsing kitsch on a national level. You're not going to find any public toilet palaces in India or China, certainly.

We need to air-drop adirol on Japan.

I wouldn't be so sure about that.  This is a toilet themed restaurant in Taiwan: http://news.wenxuecity.com/messages/200904/news-gb2312-826992.html