"The Argument Sketch" from "Monty Python Live at City Center"
A man walks into an office.
Man: Good morning, I'd like to have an argument, please.
Receptionist: Certainly, sir. Have you been here before?
Man: No, this is my first time.
Receptionist: I see, well we'll see who's free at the moment.
Mr. Bakely's free, but he's a little bit
concilliatory. No. Try Mr. Barnhart, room 12.
Man: Thank you.
He enters room 12.
Angry man: WHADDAYOU WANT?
Man: Well, Well, I was told outside that...
Angry man: DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU SNOTTY-FACED HEAP OF PARROT
DROPPINGS!
Man: What?
A: SHUT YOUR FESTERING GOB, YOU TIT! YOUR TYPE MAKES ME PUKE!
YOU VACUOUS STUFFY-NOSED MALODOROUS PERVERT!!!
M: Yes, but I came here for an argument!!
A: OH! Oh! I'm sorry! This is abuse!
M: Oh! Oh I see!
A: Aha! No, you want room 12A, next door.
M: Oh...Sorry...
A: Not at all!
A: (under his breath) stupid git.
The man goes into room 12A. Another man is sitting behind a
desk.
Man: Is this the right room for an argument?
Other Man:(pause) I've told you once.
Man: No you haven't!
Other Man: Yes I have.
M: When?
O: Just now.
M: No you didn't!
O: Yes I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I did!
M: You didn't!
O: I'm telling you, I did!
M: You didn't!
O: (breaking into the developing argument) Oh I'm sorry, is this
a five minute argument, or the full half hour?
M: Ah! (taking out his wallet and paying) Just the five minutes.
O: Just the five minutes. Thank you.
Anyway, I did.
M: You most certainly did not!
O: Now let's get one thing perfectly clear: I most definitely
told you!
M: Oh no you didn't!
O: Oh yes I did! ___
M: Oh no you didn't! \
O: Oh yes I did! \
M: Oh no you didn't! \
O: Oh yes I did! \
M: Oh no you didn't! \
O: Oh yes I did! \
M: Oh no you didn't! \
O: Oh yes I did! > very fast
M: Oh no you didn't! /
O: Oh yes I did! /
M: No you DIDN'T! /
O: Oh yes I did! /
M: No you DIDN'T! /
O: Oh yes I did! /
M: No you DIDN'T! /
O: Oh yes I did! ___/
M: Oh look, this isn't an argument!
(pause)
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
(pause)
M: It's just contradiction!
O: No it isn't!
M: It IS!
O: It is NOT!
M: You just contradicted me!
O: No I didn't!
M: You DID!
O: No no no!
M: You did just then!
O: Nonsense!
M: (exasperated) Oh, this is futile!!
(pause)
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is!
(pause)
I came here for a good argument!
O: AH, no you didn't, you came here for an *argument*!
M: An argument isn't just contradiction.
O: Well! it CAN be!
M: No it can't!
An argument is a connected series of statement intended to
establish a proposition.
O: No it isn't!
M: Yes it is! 'tisn't just contradiction.
O: Look, if I *argue* with you, I must take up a contrary
position!
M: Yes but it isn't just saying "no it isn't".
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it isn't!
O: Yes it is!
M: No it ISN'T! Argument is an intellectual process.
Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of anything the
other person says.
O: It is NOT!
M: It is!
O: Not at all!
M: It is!
>DING!< The Arguer hits a bell on his desk and stops.
O: Thank you, that's it.
M: (stunned) What?
O: That's it. Good morning.
M: But I was just getting interested!
O: I'm sorry, the five minutes is up.
M: That was never five minutes!!
O: I'm afraid it was.
M: (leading on) No it wasn't.....
(pause)
O: (dirty look) I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to argue any more.
M: WHAT??
O: If you want me to go on arguing, you'll have to pay for
another five minutes.
M: But that was never five minutes just now!
(pause... the Other Man raises his eyebrows)
Oh Come on!
Oh this is...
This is ridiculous!
O: I told you...
I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you PAY!
M: Oh all right. (takes out his wallet and pays again.) There
you are.
O: Thank you.
M: (clears throat) Well...
O: Well WHAT?
M: That was never five minutes just now.
O: I told you, I'm not allowed to argue unless you've paid!
M: Well I just paid!
O: No you didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: I DID!!!
O: YOU didn't!
M: (unable to talk straight he's so mad) I don't want to argue
about it!
O: Well I'm very sorry but you didn't pay!
M: Ah HAH!! Well if I didn't pay, why are you arguing??? Ah
HAAAAAAHHH! Gotcha!
O: (pause) No you haven't!
M: Yes I have!
If you're arguing, I must have paid.
O: Not necessarily.
I *could* be arguing in my spare time.
GFA BASIC VERSION 3.5E COMMAND ABBREVIATIONS
ABSOLUTE - AB ACHAR - AC ACLIP - ACL
ADD - AD AFTER - AF ALERT - A
ALINE - ALI APOLY - AP ARECT - AR
ARRAYFILL - ARR ATEXT - AT
BGET - BG BITBLT - BI BLOAD - BL
BMOVE - B BOUNDARY - BOU BOX - BO
BPUT - BP BSAVE - BS
CALL - CAL CASE - CA CHAIN - CHAI
CHDIR - CHD CHDRIVE - CHDR CIRCLE - CI
CLEAR - CLE CLIP - CLI CLOSE - CL
COLOR - C CONT - CON CURVE - CU
DATA - D DEFAULT - DEFA DEFBIT - DEFBI
DEFBYT - DEFB DEFFILL - DEFF DEFFLT - DEFFL
DEFINT - DEFI DEFLINE - DE DEFLIST - DEFLI
DEFMARK - DEFMA DEFMOUSE - DEFM DEFNUM - DEFN
DEFSTR - DEFS DEFTEXT - DEFT DEFWRD - DEFW
DELAY - DELA DELETE - DEL DMACONTROL - DMAC
DMASOUND - DM DRAW - DR DUMP - DU
EDIT - ED ELLIPSE - ELL ELSE - E
ENDFUNC - ENDF ENDIF - EN ENDSELECT - ENDS
ERASE - ERA ERROR - ER EVERY - EV
EXEC - EXE EXIT IF - EX
FIELD - FIE FILES - FILE FILESELECT - FILE
FILL - FI FN - @ FOR - F
FORM INPUT - F INPUT FULLW - FUL FUNCTION - FU
GEMSYS - GE GOSUB - @ or G GOTO - GOT
GRAPHMODE - GRA
HARDCOPY - H HIDEM - HI HLINE - HL
HTAB - HT
IF - I INC - IN INFOW - INF
INLINE - INL INPUT - INP INSERT - INS
KEYDEF - KEYD KEYGET - KEYG KEYLOOK - KEYL
KEYPAD - K KEYPRESS - KEYPR KEYTEST - KEYT
KILL - KI
LET - LE LINE - LI LINE INPUT - LI
LIST - LIS LLIST - LL LOAD - LOA
LOCAL - LOC LOCATE - LOCAT LOOP - L
LPRINT - LPR LSET - LS
MAT ADD - M MAT CPY - M C MAT DET - M D
MAT INV - M I MAT MUL - M MAT NORM - M N
MAT QDET - M Q MAT RANG - M RA MAT READ - M R
MAT SET - M SE MAT SUB - M MAT TRANS - M T
MAT XCPY - M X MID$(v,v)= - MI v,v)= MENU - ME
MKDIR - MK MODE - MOD MONITOR - MO
MOUSE - MOU
NAME - NA NEXT - N
OPEN - O OPTION BASE- OPT BASE
PAUSE - PA PBOX - PB PCIRCLE - PC
PELLIPSE - PE PLOT - PL POLYFILL - POLYF
POLYLINE - POL POLYMARK - POLYM PRBOX - PRB
PRINT - P or ? PROCEDURE - PRO PSAVE - PSA
PSET - PS PUT - PU
QSORT - QS QUIT - Q
RANDOMIZE - RA RBOX - RB RCALL - RC
RC_COPY - RC_ READ - REA RECALL - RECA
RECORD - REC RELSEEK - REL REM - RE
RENAME - REN REPEAT - REP RESERVE - RESE
RESTORE - RES RESUME - RESU RETURN - RET
RMDIR - RM RSET - RS RUN - RU
SAVE - SA SEEK - SEE SELECT - S
SETCOLOR - SET SETDRAW - SETD SETMOUSE - SETM
SETTIME - SETT SGET - SG SHOWM - SH
SOUND - SO SPRITE - SPR SPUT - SPU
SSORT - SS STICK - STI STOP - ST
STORE - STOR SWAP - SW SYSTEM - SY
TEXT - T TITLEW - TI TOPW - TO
TOUCH - TOU TROFF - TROF TRON - TR
UNTIL - U
VARPTR(v) - V:v VDISYS - V VOID - V
VSETCOLOR - VSE VSYNC - VS VTAB - VT
WAVE - WA WEND - WE WHILE - W
WRITE - WR
This list was compiled by Brian Lehne.
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