4 ms·

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

• jackconnor 8y ago
  Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
  • ljm 8y ago
    The story of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone is lost on many in this thread.
    • xamlhacker 8y ago
      So is the Monty Python reference.
      • jacobmoe 8y ago
        Oh, now we see the violence inherent in the system.
        • anon49124 8y ago
          Help, help, I'm being repressed!
        • theoh 8y ago
          Anonymous downvoting is the violence of HN (and it's probably a lot more antisocial than we admit). Politely pointing out errors is... well, it's something else. Probably at least OK. Sorry I don't have a Monty Python line for this comment.
          • anon49124 8y ago
            Yes, sigh. Cyberdisinhibitionism: accountability and boundaries are reduced, lack of impact seen for committing such repressive acts leads to it. Next on front-page HN: How sheep's bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes
          • kwhitefoot 8y ago
            > probably a lot more antisocial than we admit). More like definitely. What function does downvoting really perform anyway? And what function is it supposed to perform? I see lots of perfectly reasonable comments going grey with no explanation at all.
      • ljm 8y ago
        Touché :)
    • thaumasiotes 8y ago
      The sword in the stone really isn't the right story here; you want Arthur receiving Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake.
      • ryandrake 8y ago
        ...her arm clad in the purest shimmering silmite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water... (Couldn’t resist)
        • gumby 8y ago
          Honestly as I kid I thought that she would be clad in slime -- but I still would eagerly have grabbed the cutlery.
        • qohen 8y ago
          s/silmite/samite Per Wikipedia[0]: Samite was a luxurious and heavy silk fabric worn in the Middle Ages, of a twill-type weave, often including gold or silver thread. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samite
  • norvig 8y ago
    I mean, if I went around sayin' I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away!
    • jackconnor 8y ago
      "Moistened bint", haha. This quote reminds me just how funny their wordplay and use of language was.
    • escherplex 8y ago
      ...That depends on the time and the place.
      • fao_ 8y ago
        > you paraphrased that from a quote in the urban dictionary (funny line) No, it's a quote from Monty Python. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/quotes/qt0470593 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071853/quotes/qt0470593
        • escherplex 8y ago
          Oh, that was the third DDG reference. Still a funny line.
    • 8bitsrule 8y ago
      And here, all these years, I was hearing "moistened bink". Makes more sense now. (Surely Python deserves some kind of Silly Award for widely distributing UK slang.)
• bdz 8y ago
  https://old.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/4k83qf/cmvstrange_women_lying_in_ponds_distributing/ https://old.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/4k83qf/cmvstr...
• anon49124 8y ago
  Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you.
• Yetanfou 8y ago
  Now where did that quote come from again? Ah, yes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sprrQ1OLW6g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sprrQ1OLW6g