Consensus | David Mitchell's SoapBox

[sporkafife]

Lol @ the Blackadder reference xD

[Cypher791]

if i watch much more of these ima cough up a lung =D

[CullTheLivingFlower]

Ha, Ptv. Baldrick. -> Blackadder reference.

[samcottle]

I've watched like a hundred of these and I'm still no closer to wanting a dell laptop...however 'joyous' the theme music is (ffs)

[09bikerman1]

@samcottle Come on, the Mitchell crowd should be smarter than that. Firefox + AdBlock Plus = no adds. Not on youtube, not on facebook, not anywhere.

[seekoober]

Ha, I just listened to a discussion as to why group brainstorming is essentially useless.

[255ad]

@seekoober where?

[421ikoom]

pre emptive thumbs up for this video

[heath2357]

*spoilers*

hehe balders...oohhhh now i feel sad for remembering the end of blackadder goes forth...

[310BPM]

as soon as he started talking about "going over the top", i started thinking about Blackadder goes Forth. :) poor guys.

[jagdeepshokar]

In a strong field, this is one of this best:)

[sonkmcmonk]

Private Baldrick! <3

[Waterjello]

I love you Dave!

[MrSelidor7]

It is not unique to your job David. I put up with that nonsense for so long that it came as a breath of fresh air to start work for a tyrant who used to shout things like "don't be so (flaming?) stupid, my 2 year old could come up with a better idea than that".

At least I knew where I stood.

[deek0146]

In response to the comment about all industries where somebody with an idea comes to somebody with money, game development man! The relationship between the developer and the publisher is horrible, worse than authors have it! Big publishers are 90% of the reason games by big publishers nowawayds are on average, shit. Just having to develop a product with the ideals of somebody other than the person developing it stagnates creativity so badly.

[DoYouKnowWhoKnew]

@deek0146 activision being the main offender i think.

[whosaidpie]

Did he just say "If I was in charge," instead of "If I were in charge," ??

Grammatical error David? How rare.

[GotmyplaceinHell]

@whosaidpie either is fine

[whosaidpie]

@GotmyplaceinHell Isn't it subjunctive mood if he is imagining it?

[eggfooyoung24]

So true. Unfortunately :(

[ZOMGMiki]

Laurel and Hardy, AND Blackadder. Awesomeeee~

[Hyperplaterine]

I always mess these things up. While I'm quite bright in most things I can't get the hang of social lying.

[Papped1710]

christ even students do this. in my uni we have society meetings to work out what we're going to do and we waste so much time trying to make sure that everyone agrees. not that the idea is something everyone thinks IS right, rather that the people who disagree have been brought around to the idea they've been arguing with for so long. Fine, we're outvoted, we think you're wrong but we'll do it but for gods sake can we drop it and move on!

[EgoAnt]

Stand up and demand your right to say "I told you so!" =)

[emilymichellenelson]

From history to poetry to Blackadder in one sentence. Is there any area of life into which David Mitchell's genius does not extend?

[kindAhumaNbeinG]

I'm gonna start the next meeting with this video!

[Adamantium9001]

consensus =\= unanimous agreement. Otherwise I generally agree.

[riktiktav]

Sweet bouncing-baby Christ this is so fucking brilliant. I work in government and this is 100% the paradigm that we all work under.

[JoeStunner]

The reason I refuse to engage in what David's talking about is probably why I was sacked from my last job and haven't worked for almost two years.

[unchained1978]

Finally, something on YouTube I don't feel dumber for watching.

[uiruu]

@unchained1978 That's the only kind of youtube I watch! Vlogbrothers, QI clips, bigthink, David Mitchell, etc.

[255ad]

@unchained1978 I don't want to call you a snob but.....

[HaploidCell]

Sadly enough I know this behaviour.

From my MOTHER.

It's always "Would you like to do x?"

x being an annoying task around the household.

So my answer is inevitably "NO."

Then comes the appeal to social guilt "If you live together with other people it is your turn to do x once in a while."

"Where would society be if we all declined to do x?"

"All you do is play video games. If x is so unimportant to you, lets see how you come running once I haven't done x for a week."

Just bloody hand me x, fcol!

[jimboobism]

@HaploidCell true, it seems to be a trend these days in companies for people to say "do you want to do X?" instead of "do X now please" to their staff. I had one colleague before who kept it saying to me so I would answer "no" just to wind him up for a few seconds and then say "but i'll do it anyway as I assume you are asking/telling me to do it".

[TheThirdleg101]

I like how he said "nasty coffee", but when he was on the Graham norton show, he expressed a singular hatred for those who discuss the quality of coffee, as he feels excluded.

That said, I am a huge fan!

[robjs89]

yea.. fuck you stanley

[DJFriction]

Private Baldrick! Wew

[MrGeorgecave]

@DJFriction Wew?



[z3r0t0l3r4ns]

To anyone responding to casoo120:

Please stop validating the feminist paranoia that everything a man says is misogynistic by acknowledging it. Anyone who still believes that women are oppressed in our current society is an idiot and not worth the time it took you to listen to them, let alone a response. I'm not saying there aren't still sexists out there, but sadly these days most of them are women.

[MissTracyLord]

I love it when i'm watching a video, and something like the Baldrick reference shows up, and I immediately scrol down to comment on it, only to see that someone else already has....and it has 201 likes. :)

[koenan1]

David : Arthur

Webb : Ford

Gillan : Trillian

And though I'm not a fan, it'd be a nice match. Brand : Zaphod

[TheVampireCabbit]

Have you guys met Stanley? He's real nice...

[greatsayain]

I think I would love to live in a society run by David Mitchell. I find myself agreeign with him on every topic. sometimes her even phrases things they way i have in my head.

[jadenjak]

YAY!

references

[nauticalChicken]

Lol, baldrick. Best show ever.

[NicosMind]

Baldrick does agree though

[cdduker]

who is stanley?

[allconspirer]

@cdduker Its a Laurel and Hardy reference, Ollie Hardy would often blame Stan Laurel for getting him into trouble... Laurel and Hardy were magnificent comedians, look them up!!

[Alexc3217]

I disagree with 2 people.

Thumb whoring!

[casso120]

This sounds like you're discussing patriarchy. Just thought I'd point it out since you're a man and probably haven't noticed.

[AtomicDonut]

@casso120

Patriarchy is a social system in which the role of the male as the primary authority figure is central to social organization, and where fathers hold authority over women, children, and property. It implies the institutions of male rule and privilege, and is dependent on female subordination.

He is not discussing patriarchy. It's also absurd to say that even if he was he didn't notice because he's male.

[IncongruousTom]

@AtomicDonut Furthermore, I'm pretty sure these fake consensus meetings are mostly a result of feminine influence in management. I can't imagine a 19th century factory foreman getting all his workers round and having a touchy feely meeting convincing them that working harder for no extra pay is in everyone's interest

[IoEstasCedonta]

@casso120 I can kind of see that...

...but he probably didn't notice because he's not a college sophomore who's just been told by his favorite professor to "make men conscious of their privilege" or whatnot. Hint: you're no more female now than you were in high school - would you have then seen this and thought "hey, kind of like patriarchy"? Maybe, but somehow, I doubt it.

[Ryoushadow]

@casso120 Jesus, you really pulled that deep out of your ass, sexist.

[WillShakespeare2007]

It is because they want to stay chummy with you as you are famous, may make them more money in the future and may even be more powerful than them one day. I am further down the pecking order in the same business and when I get a no it is just a no or an unreturned phone call or email.

[carpeinfinitum]

Stanley! hahaa :D

[Fredigundis22]

There's a whole section of Stuart Sutherland's "Irrationality" devoted to the perversity of committee decisions.

[withirishlove]

He also just summed up American democracy! It's socially acceptable to pretend that we're a democratic country when there isn't one American BUSINESS that isn't a monarchy or aristocracy power-wise. Politics don't mean anything compared to the businesses that run our lives, and it's just more convenient socially to pretend we're all gung-ho about democracy:)

[mamaca55]

@withirishlove: Agreed. One of my favourite bosses was fond of saying, when faced with a plan contrary to his own "you may live in a democracy - you don't work in one". Since I now live in a duopolistic political system, and am not even a citizen, I also no longer live in a democracy, but I still pretend to be gung-ho about a system I have no direct experiece of.

[greyareaRK1]

A Laurel and Hardy reference! A*s-covering, aka corporate thinkology, is also why large corporations outsource their decision making to consultants and so-called think tanks. You can move up the ladder quickly in a corporation if you're prepared to actually make decisions, provided you're prepared to a) commit career seppuku when something goes wrong, or b) are graced with the ability to deflect negative blow-back with the haughty resolve of the true corporate douchebag.

[bitcloud1]

Stanley! *air fist!*

[TheConciseStatement]

This is about the Coalition, isn't it David?

[redgeorgieredgeorgie]

@TheConciseStatement This was done in 2009 so it couldn't have been. However I see what you mean. It is kind of relevant to the coalition.

[PocusUK]

There must be a switch in the youtube devoted part of our minds that whenever war or anything related to it is mentioned in whatever context it sends out an internet based odour that attracts all the FUCKING RETARDS

....I was doing so well until the end

[jpl10380]

Pte Baldrick!!! :D

[DJAngiePangie]

Oh!! I told you so!! I have to bite my tongue so often not to say that. Especially with a particular friend of mine who acts so condescendingly when she thinks she is correct and almost always gets proven wrong.

[limeginger]

brilliant

[agbook2007]

Groupthink!

[DraculasHenchwoman]

BALDRICK!!

[nolbie]

Why are the soldiers heroes? I could never think someone without the ability to think for themselves were heroes. All military personell sucks! Except for those who are just there because they like killing people or want to die.

[lordsummerisle87]

@nolbie

Your ignorance of the structure, mechanics and role of the military abounds.

[nolbie]

@lordsummerisle87 Please elaborate. That's the only way i'll learn.

[MrPocketGuitar]

@nolbie Please shut up you overeducated fuckheads. Piss off.

[captainpanic08]

@MrPocketGuitar There is no such thing as 'over-educated'.

[MrPocketGuitar]

@captainpanic08 Ok, over-educated was possibly the wrong word. But pompous, ignorant, "know-it-alls" would be more appropriate.

[elvee88]

@captainpanic08 isn't that a very educated thing to say.

[captainpanic08]

@elvee88 Why is that?

[elvee88]

@captainpanic08 oh sorry, i thought u were educated and would understand me without any explanation, i was wrong, dont worry about it, its nothing....

[charliewij777]

@nolbie if you're going to be so disrespectful its "all military personnel suck!"

cretin

[nolbie]

@charliewij777 Thank you! But I think it should be "Cretin." (I apologize in advance for my appalling english.) Why should't I be disrespectful? I know the youtube comment section is ill suited for such a debate, but I am genuinely interested in your opinion.

[Crabpeopleseb]

@nolbie We sleep soundly in our beds, safe in the knowledge that rough men stand ready to visit violence on all that would try to harm us. It is only thanks to these soldiers that your sat in your computer chair with your mcdonalds induced fat spilling over the sides.

[nolbie]

@Crabpeopleseb If the russians wanted to invade, our crappy army wouldn't be able to do jack shit about it. I live in Norway and before the russians starts gearing for war our army doesn't contribute to our safety in the least. Perhaps I would like the army more if I lived in a country that had been pissing most of the world of for decades, or centuries if you're british, and now were under "threat".

[belisariusorb]

Very true insights. I never agree to coerced consensus - I always disagree openly and state my mind frankly. Of course that's why I was sentenced to eternal exile from the UK.

Now my chums in the Peruvian highñands say how much they enjoy my blunt outspokenness.

[RayCathode100]

Same can be said for the Conservative-LibDem coalition talks! Good stuff!

[imissrose123]

hahahahaha the mention of black adder had me in stitches! love you sometimes david.

(private baldrick is a character in a comedy show called black adder, for those of you who don't know).

[Thatwasnotme]

Man, this is the best one of the soapbox rants!

[annoyingweirdo]

@Thatwasnotme

Nah, the male grooming one was best imo :)

[videodaddy99]

Yes it's true. But at the same time, it really doesn't make a difference. If you say, hey I disagree but I do it your way and the project goes fine you'll be the 'troublemaker'. If the project goes belly up you'll have to deal with the mess anyway and telling the boss "told you so' will just make him mad because you put salt in his fresh wound.

If it works, the boss will say, see it was my idea, it if fails the boss will blame it on the poor people who 'didn't execute his idea right'.

[HeyMrPresto]

David, 

You just gave a stunningly accurate description of my meetings (as a management consultant) with my public sector clients. They ask my advice, then don't like it and try to get me to agree that, funnily enough, they were right all along and I was just being a bit of a silly...

I say "Certainly we can do it that way - it's your money, but I disagree that it is the right thing to do" - and it's remarkable, 1) how much people don't like me saying that, and 2) how right I am...

[plankton50]

I agree

[DrSparrowShrike]

LOL pvt. bouldrick FTW

[superphilman2]

It's like that M&W look sketch about finding the ancient roman VHS tape, and the one historian who sees how utterly retarded the discovery is, is persuaded to put his reputation on the line to keep social equilibrium.

[ladyfish81]

Bravo! I have been disciplined at 2 different jobs for voicing a dissenting opinion. Seems I'm not "a team player." And you're right; "I told you so" IS a beautiful phrase.

[starve2act]

Hoorah for the Blackadder reference.

[chiffmonkey]

@starve2act The Somme - A Cunning Plan if ever I saw one.

[MSSiren]

Sadly, this sums up my entire job.