Tales From Speaker's Corner

[Josquius]

What exactly do you rant about?

[Richard Hakluyt]

I miss that chap who used to patrol the streets of London carrying a placard exhorting us to eat less protein so that we wouldn't be so lustful. Ah, here he is, a grade "A" nutter :

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

[Brazen]

I miss that chap who used to patrol the streets of London carrying a placard exhorting us to eat less protein so that we wouldn't be so lustful. Ah, here he is, a grade "A" nutter :

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

Oh, me too! No trip to central London was complete without seeing him.

I've never been to Speaker's Corner, or at least not in my adult life to actually listen and debate  Maybe something to be corrected the next time there's a Languish fest hereabouts.

[mongers]

I miss that chap who used to patrol the streets of London carrying a placard exhorting us to eat less protein so that we wouldn't be so lustful. Ah, here he is, a grade "A" nutter :

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

Oh, me too! No trip to central London was complete without seeing him.

I've never been to Speaker's Corner, or at least not in my adult life to actually listen and debate  Maybe something to be corrected the next time there's a Languish fest hereabouts.

Maybe even conduct a languish 'thread' live. 

That would certainly bemuse most onlookers. 

[merithyn]

Carter, Jak and I went to Speakers' Corner on our Sunday in London some seven years ago now. They boys, then 10, had a very lively debate with an American Cowboy *coughs* who was espousing his beliefs about Christianity and how Islam was evil, etc. By the end of the debate, the crowd was cheering the boys and booing the cowboy. I was actually quite proud of them, as they never devolved into typical 10-year-old boy stuff. They kept it logical, which was the cowboy's undoing. Logic has no place in religion, though he did his best to make it so.

I was rather pleased because it showed that not all Americans were as ignorant and bigoted as that old man was. In fact, one young Muslim couple, who were also arguing with the cowboy, later gave the boys a pat on the back and said that they'd saved them from thinking all Americans were stupid. (I'm sure they were just boosting the boys' self-esteem, but I wonder how far off that actually was. )

[mongers]

Carter, Jak and I went to Speakers' Corner on our Sunday in London some seven years ago now. They boys, then 10, had a very lively debate with an American Cowboy *coughs* who was espousing his beliefs about Christianity and how Islam was evil, etc. By the end of the debate, the crowd was cheering the boys and booing the cowboy. I was actually quite proud of them, as they never devolved into typical 10-year-old boy stuff. They kept it logical, which was the cowboy's undoing. Logic has no place in religion, though he did his best to make it so.

I was rather pleased because it showed that not all Americans were as ignorant and bigoted as that old man was. In fact, one young Muslim couple, who were also arguing with the cowboy, later gave the boys a pat on the back and said that they'd saved them from thinking all Americans were stupid. (I'm sure they were just boosting the boys' self-esteem, but I wonder how far off that actually was. )

Lovely story Meri, just goes to show young people do want to be challenged and do stuff out of the ordinary. 

The cowboy preacher is still there, he now even has a mini-me sidekick, though from what I've seen over the years, what you've said and how he is now, his preaching as diminished into just a bit of an 'act'.

You'd be surprised, but on the whole the people who most appreciate the Speaker's Corner tradition are the American tourists.

[Josquius]

I wonder if this is the same cowboy preacher who used to come to Durham sometimes

[Valmy]

Logic has no place in religion, though he did his best to make it so.

Sort of.  Religion should not be some sort of logical construct relating to the physical world.  I think, however, when you are doing religious stuff you at least need your logical brain awake so you can, you know, be careful of bullshit.  It is when you turn it off entirely and start getting carried away you become prey for charlatans.

But that is pretty much true about anything I guess.

[mongers]

I wonder if this is the same cowboy preacher who used to come to Durham sometimes

The one I was talking about and possibly Meri saw is this guy:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/moreton/3976670990/

[merithyn]

Yep, that's the guy. I have pictures of the boys talking to him at Speakers' Corner. I'll have to see if I can scan them somewhere to post.

[mongers]

Yep, that's the guy. I have pictures of the boys talking to him at Speakers' Corner. I'll have to see if I can scan them somewhere to post.

That would be good, there's are rather nice active flickr group you could poste them to:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/speakerscorner/pool/

[mongers]

Forgot I had an interesting chat with a young chap called Chris, he was selling most of his remaining possessions on the the Monday and on Tuesday was planning to leave London to go and live with some friends in Happy Valley in North Wales.

He was only taking what he could carry, a change of clothing, tent and walking stick.

I think if you feel you're trapped in London living in a small flat in a none too nice area, maybe, if you're still young, these sorts of upping sticks and trying an this sort of adventure is a good idea.

Good luck to him.