In 1972 listeners to England's Radio 3 program In Parenthesis were treated to a roundtable discussion of a few cutting-edge new works of social anthropology and musicology. First up was a discussion of La Fornication Comme Une Acte Culturelle by Henri Mensonge (translated as Henry Lie). This book argued that "we live in an age of metaphorical rape" in which "confrontation, assault, intrusion, and exposure are becoming validated transactions, the rites of democracy, of mass society." This sparked a blisteringly incomprehensible debate, which eventually segued into an exploration of the question "Is 'Is' Is?" Finally, the audience heard a rousing deconstruction of the 'arch form' of the sonata's first motif. Listeners seemed to accept the program's discussion as a legitimate exploration of new trends in the arts. Thankfully, it was a parody.
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Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.

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>>>>>This sparked a blisteringly incomprehensible debate, which eventually segued into an exploration of the question "Is 'Is' Is?"<<<<<

Reminds me of Bill Clinton's testimony to escape prosecution for sexual harassment of Paula Jones. "...depends on what the definition of 'is' is..."
Posted by DaVis  on  Wed Jan 05, 2005  at  12:25 PM

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Bill Clinton does come to mind immediately. The whole thing sounds just like graduate seminars at Berkeley--years of day after day of April Fools' Days. Sort of like Bill Murray's Groundhog Day only 4/1 instead of 2/2.
Posted by Losa  on  Tue Mar 29, 2005  at  08:04 PM

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Reminds me of something I heard once - a single word strung together four times in a sentence.

"A gentleman working at a sign printing company was reprimanded by his boss for using too much space between words in a recent sign for a Fish & Chip shop. 'Son, you have put too much space between fish and and and and and chips.'"
Posted by Bryan  in  Leavenworth, Kansas  on  Tue Apr 05, 2005  at  01:00 PM

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Just received word that someone had responded to what I typed. I don't see anything. BUT, I did notice that I made a mistake in my previous comment (probably what someone was pointing out).

The word "and" is strung together FIVE times consecutively and not four.
Posted by Bryan  in  Leavenworth, Kansas  on  Wed Apr 06, 2005  at  11:04 AM

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sorry Bryan, i dont get it. Only makes sense to me if theres 3 'ands'
Fish & chips
"too much space between FISH and AND and CHIPS" its only 3 'ands'How does 5 ands work?
Posted by Melissah  on  Thu Apr 07, 2005  at  10:42 PM

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he means "between fish and &, and & and fish."

spelling out the and and removing the comma, you get "between fish and and and and and fish". 5 ands.
Posted by Al  on  Sun Apr 10, 2005  at  08:41 PM

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Look at it this way.

"too much space between Fish and & and & and Chips"

In other other words, there is too much space between "Fish and &" and there is too much space between "& and Chips".

Is this making sense yet?
Posted by Danielle  on  Mon Apr 11, 2005  at  07:10 AM

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...between "fish" and "and", and "and" and chips!
Posted by Jimmy  on  Wed Apr 13, 2005  at  07:47 AM

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LOL. Thanks, everyone. Great description, Danielle.

Don't think the "joke" made me smile as much as seeing the responses did.
Posted by Bryan  in  Leavenworth, Kansas  on  Mon Apr 18, 2005  at  10:56 AM

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Think 5 words in a row is impressive?

Try the famous Chinese poem, "The Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den."

The same word is repeated 92 times in a row to yield a comprehensible story.

(Chinese is a tonal language, so the pitch you use when you speak can change the meaning of the word. That's how this poem works.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Eating_Poet_in_the_Stone_Den
Posted by Kent  on  Sat Jul 30, 2005  at  11:13 AM

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This one's a lot like the Sokal Affair.

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/sokal.html
Posted by Funkaloyd  in  New Zealand  on  Thu May 18, 2006  at  08:22 AM

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"Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put two hyphens between the words Fish and And, and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign' have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and Chips, and after Chips?
Posted by homophones  in  seas  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  01:39 AM

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In other news, Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Is there a recording of this somewhere?
Posted by Oreoboros  on  Sun Apr 01, 2007  at  04:54 AM

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There's a gender mistake in the title, it should read:
"La Fornication Comme Un Acte Culturel"
Not many french speaking people listnening to that show ...
Posted by kino  on  Mon Apr 02, 2007  at  05:33 PM

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i love the responses. they are awesome. amazing how one thing will release the floodgates...he he.

by the by, that chinese poem is HORRENDOUS! i speak chinese and i about fell out trying to read it. lol.
Posted by Aryana  in  south cackalack  on  Tue Apr 03, 2007  at  10:57 AM

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