Legend Monty Python comedian John Cleese joined Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast Monday for a lengthy conversation, which included a discussion of whether America might suffer the same fate as Yugoslavia.
Maher and Cleese were deep into a discussion about how individuals within society must form “rituals” for getting along or risk the collapse of the entire social structure.
The topic came up following the copius consumption of tequila, with Cleese claiming that the reason British people drink so much is because it is the only way to break down the stifling politeness so prevelant in our society.
“We now live in a culture where politically we do the exact opposite,” Maher claimed, suggesting Americans are pretty much incapable of getting along when they hold differing political worldviews. “It’s always picking and polarizing until we’re at this … we’re at a real Sarajevo kind of moment.”
Maher appears to be referring to the Siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from April 1992 to Feb. 1996. The siege came during the Bosnian war, which led to the collapse of Yugoslavia and claimed roughly 100,000 lives. Some of the core factors leading up to the war included massive cultural and religious divisions between regions and ethnic groups, the U.S. State Department notes. (RELATED: Reboot Of Iconic British Comedy Series ‘Fawlty Towers’ Won’t Be ‘Woke’ Apparently)
Cleese seemed quite taken with Maher’s suggestion that America could fall in a similar manner.
“It can happen. Sarajevo hosted the Olympics in ’84 and seven years later you were getting sniped at if you went out for milk,” Maher continued.
Cleese told the host that he was in Sarajevo after the war for a film festival and was given a tour of the underground tunnels used during the conflict. He also learned that fighters turned an underground carpark into a cinema so they could unwind with comedy films — often featuring Cleese’s old troupe, Monty Python — after a long day of civil war. (RELATED: United States Vs. Florida Alliance Vs. Western Forces: A New American ‘Civil War’ Movie Is On The Horizon)
The legendary comedian told Maher that the interaction convinced him of the power of laughter to move people “to a more positive part of their mind.” So, I guess if America is going to fall into civil war, then we should all prepare by adding “Monty Python” movies to our survival supplies. I know this last paragraph reads a little sarcastically, but I actually mean this.
The best cure for a bad day is always a good laugh.