12 replies to this topic

[Veteran]

It's funny that I haven't seen Letterman's interview with David Cameron yet know all about it because apparently we're making a big deal about knowledge of the Magna Carta.

Now, if a someone over here were fortunate enough to land an interview with Barack Obama, would they ask him about his knowledge of the declaration of independence? No, they wouldn't. So why the fuck did the Magna Carta even come up?

Isn't it deliberate mocking of Britain? I've no respect for Cameron for failing to point this out.

"What does Magna Carta mean? Sorry, I've no idea. What does in flagrante delicto mean, Dave?"

[J-Roc]

Letterman is just trying to stay relevant, he hasn't been funny in ages for most people, or ever for me.

[wisp]

Letterman is an unfunny douche. I don't know why people still watch him.

[Sir Deimos]

Letterman has never been funny. Leno stopped being funny years ago. The only late night talk show worth watching is Conan. And that has been the truth of it for years.

[J-Roc]

Letterman has never been funny. Leno stopped being funny years ago. The only late night talk show worth watching is Conan. And that has been the truth of it for years.

Conan is a hack. Give me some Ferguson!

[Steel Samurai]

Man the only good late night talk show host there ever was was Ed Sullivan.

[Wolf O'Donnell]

From what I've read, the Magna Carta appears to be a big deal in the US.

http://www.independe...day-765920.html

No idea why.

[Sir Deimos]

Letterman has never been funny. Leno stopped being funny years ago. The only late night talk show worth watching is Conan. And that has been the truth of it for years.

Conan is a hack. Give me some Ferguson!

Nowadays maybe. I'm more inclined to agree. But in his prime...

I want to see Tina Fey get a late night talk show.

[Selena]

I wouldn't say that's true - most Americans probably don't even remember what the Magna Carta is! My school textbooks only had maybe a paragraph devoted to it. Letterman was just trying and failing to be funny, I suppose. Though I guess it may make certain Brits a bit wary of the fact that a politician isn't especially familiar with one of the more important civil rights documents in British history.

Which is funny, because I doubt any major politicians - in any country - can quote from important documents like that offhand. I would question whether or not US officials could remember which constitutional amendment is which, at least outside of the ones on free speech and the right to bear arms. "Scholarly" politicians are no longer desired; just ones that you can have a beer with. Which is a top rate method for selecting public servants, isn't it?

[Egann]

Uhh, yeah. I know a bit about the Magna Carta. Of course, I'm...odd. My family is steeped in religious and political history; we even had a cat named Cromwell. I'm what a statistician would call an "outliar."

[Hana-Nezumi]

Yeah... just Letterman trying to be funny but failing miserably, as usual.

[Showsni]

I may not know much about it, but I do know one thing - it's usually just called Magna Carta, with no "the" in front. At least, if you're trying to be posh.

[Wolf O'Donnell]

I wouldn't say that's true - most Americans probably don't even remember what the Magna Carta is! My school textbooks only had maybe a paragraph devoted to it. Letterman was just trying and failing to be funny, I suppose. Though I guess it may make certain Brits a bit wary of the fact that a politician isn't especially familiar with one of the more important civil rights documents in British history.

From what I read, it appears as if Letterman asked David Cameron what Magna Carta translates to in English. This is not the same thing as not knowing what Magna Carta is, so although I don't like him very much, we can at least forgive David Cameron that. A knowledge of Latin isn't strictly necessary to be a politician.

Which is funny, because I doubt any major politicians - in any country - can quote from important documents like that offhand. I would question whether or not US officials could remember which constitutional amendment is which, at least outside of the ones on free speech and the right to bear arms.

I personally don't think it matters. What are we electing a politician for? One who can make the right decisions or one who just knows stuff?

Once in 1921, Einstein visited the US and was submitted to the Edison test. A news reporter asked him one question from the test: "what is the speed of sound"? Einstein famously replied that he didn't know but also that it was unnecessary to know when such information was readily available in books.

http://www.scilogs.com/the_science_talent_project/einstein-vs-edison/
http://elomdus.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/einstein-vs-edison-victory-for-iyun.html

"Scholarly" politicians are no longer desired; just ones that you can have a beer with. Which is a top rate method for selecting public servants, isn't it?