The Off Topic Topic

[Jacob]

What are the local "tough" boy names?

[HVC]

It's England so... Cecil?

[Josquius]

What are the local "tough" boy names?

Surnames as first names are a key one. Jenson is weirdly common.
Dale, Dean, that sort of traditional stalwart....
Then there's some old school gangster sorts that can blow both ways. Tommy, Regie.

[Tonitrus]

Any thoughts on the little Riyadh Comedy Festival kerfuffle? 

(exec summary: a bunch of well known comedians took money directly from the Saudi government...some colleagues and Human Rights Watch blasting them for it/re: Jamal Khashoggi)

The likes of Chapelle or Louis CK taking the payoff doesn't surprise me...Bill Burr was a bit of a surprise though.

[Syt]

Radical idea in 1925's newspaper:

[Syt]

The likes of Chapelle or Louis CK taking the payoff doesn't surprise me...Bill Burr was a bit of a surprise though.

True, Bill usually seems smahter than that.

[Josquius]

The comedians in Saudi... Not quite in the same league as footballers over there.
It is just for a one off show and stand ups will often do stupid niche gigs like the British Sock Industry Annual Awards. It's how they pay their bills.
If they totally change their tune afterwards and remove jokes the regime dislikes even when performing back home then thats an issue but if they're in Saudi and go "well the next part of my act is about a friend of mine who... Likes rainbows.... So skipping ahead 10 minutes. Hey. I get paid all the same." then joke about this at home then hats off to them on the pay day.

Radical idea in 1925's newspaper:

Content not viewable in your region?

[Syt]

I keep forgetting that imgur is now blocked in UK

[garbon]

Nah, fuck those comedians.

[Tamas]

The comedians in Saudi... Not quite in the same league as footballers over there.
It is just for a one off show and stand ups will often do stupid niche gigs like the British Sock Industry Annual Awards. It's how they pay their bills.
If they totally change their tune afterwards and remove jokes the regime dislikes even when performing back home then thats an issue but if they're in Saudi and go "well the next part of my act is about a friend of mine who... Likes rainbows.... So skipping ahead 10 minutes. Hey. I get paid all the same." then joke about this at home then hats off to them on the pay day.

Radical idea in 1925's newspaper:

Content not viewable in your region?

It is a VERY radical idea from 1925.

[Josquius]

Works with VPN on.
Sad to see even back then they were letting cars run rampant.

[Admiral Yi]

Any thoughts on the little Riyadh Comedy Festival kerfuffle? 

(exec summary: a bunch of well known comedians took money directly from the Saudi government...some colleagues and Human Rights Watch blasting them for it/re: Jamal Khashoggi)

The likes of Chapelle or Louis CK taking the payoff doesn't surprise me...Bill Burr was a bit of a surprise though.

Were they supposed to be performing for free?  I don't get it.

[Jacob]

Were they supposed to be performing for free?  I don't get it.

I believe the sentiment is that they should've declined to go because the Saudi regime is odious. I expect this is considered particularly the case for comedians whose schtick is built on the idea of speaking truth to power.

I'm surprised you didn't get it. You're normally pretty perceptive.

[Sheilbh]

This is something I think I got totally wrong. I thought the Saudi (and Gulf more generally) diversification and soft power push - through sports, e-sports (and now EA), tourism, this sort of thing etc - would be a real uphill battle. I think I've hugely underestimated it.

If you look at the way young people and the rest of the world perceive those states, it's been so successful.

[HVC]

Is it that surprising? Money talks and artists have been getting flak for going to the Middle East for a while. I vaguely recall a whole thing about Beyoncé going to Dubai. Besides, Burr has only been a liberal darling for a few years, right? It's not like his set was very PC. I mean a running theme in set is partner abuse.


*edit* I do like some of the poster edits where Cosby is a headliner