Monty Python

An Open Letter to All Monty Python Fans

To all fans and friends of Monty Python, et. al.;

I thank you in advance for your taking the time to read this open letter, and respectfully request your earnest attention.

Like many of you, I too am a fan of dry humor, such as that for which British comedy is well known. It is true that this type of wit is frequently misunderstood and under-appreciated, for without a certain type of personality and an understanding of culture the humor is lost. Some of us felt alienated by our quirky tastes in jokery, deemed by more "mainstream" individuals as unfunny and boring.

All that changed with the advent of the internet. What excitement we felt when, after adding a rare gem quoted from an obscure episode of Flying Circus to one's Usenet signature, we received a positive response! Indeed, the internet turned out to be a haven for like-minded individuals, where is was easy to find another person who "gets it". It became a mark of quiet pride to declare oneself a Monty Python Fan, and to quote their work was a signal to others that you are one of those elite, one who "gets it".

However, for a long time now there has been a tendency for many these individuals to overestimate the value of being a Monty Python Fan. Whether this lack of understanding of social nuances is a product of the Internet Age or innate in these individuals I do not know. Either way, the result is endless repetition of overused half-witted quotes, ruining the obscurity that originally made the lines quoteable, and sucking out completely what humor (if any) there ever was in the line.

If you will forgive me for being blunt, I will put it in simple layman's terms: You are not cool or elite or funny for quoting Monty Python. Shut the fuck up.

Therefore, I humbly ask you to curb your quoting. Thank you in advance.