Oh deer
November 23, 2011 8:36 AM   Subscribe

 
Some background as to why this is supposed to be funny would have been helpful (and possibly also made it funny)
posted by Poet_Lariat at 8:40 AM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


Can't blame the dog for chasing his dreams.
posted by chambers at 8:41 AM on November 23, 2011


I believe it's actually Fenton.
posted by The Thnikkaman at 8:42 AM on November 23, 2011


Fenton.
posted by SyntacticSugar at 8:44 AM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]


So Gilbert Gottfried's dog is named Benton?
posted by justkevin at 8:44 AM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]


God - it really is Fenton (and even funnier!).
posted by Jody Tresidder at 8:46 AM on November 23, 2011


I just learned there are herds of deer in the middle of London.
posted by DU at 8:50 AM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]


I thought it was completely hilarious without any context but then I have dogs and I have yelled about Jesus at them on more than one occasion. Did you know that a Springer Spaniel can carry a live gosling around without harming it for several minutes even while being chased by enraged geese? Now you do.
posted by mygothlaundry at 8:55 AM on November 23, 2011 [12 favorites]


Watched this the other day and was really struck by the thought that anyone that would name their dog "Fenton" would be made particularly irate by it doing something as uncouth as chasing a herd of deer. The way he says "Jesus Christ" is just pitch perfect.
posted by nathancaswell at 9:05 AM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]


Yeah, this would be the moment all my little frustrated herder-doggie dreams came true. I laughed out loud, as the kids abbrev.
posted by lumpenprole at 9:05 AM on November 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


Yeah, I think it's best if you see the original video first, and without any context as to who Fenton is and why he's so enraged the man. The timing of dog's appearance is exquisite.
posted by Ian A.T. at 9:08 AM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


Whoa! That dog probably feels the way a nerd does when he kills 20 orcs with one fireball.

Also, I thought this post was going to be about Glen Benton saying things about Jesus Christ.
posted by ignignokt at 9:09 AM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


Watched this the other day and was really struck by the thought that anyone that would name their dog "Fenton" would be made particularly irate by it doing something as uncouth as chasing a herd of deer.


Spot on, nathancaswell

For me, it's the upper middle class rage in the owner's voice: this is not a man who couldn't care less what other people think - this is a dog owner who knows the rules about taking dogs to the famously deer-dappled Richmond Park, and knows why they exist, and knows there is no excuse for letting a dog off the leash, for whatever reason and he knows that - in other circumstances - he would be the sort of bystander who would be looking on in head-shaking disapproval thinking: "...what sort of utterly irresponsible fool let's a dog get off the leash in Richmond Park...". So Fenton's owner is in a sort of waking nightmare of social embarrassment - along with his (doubtless) genuine panic about an animal/park walker getting hurt...

(I used to catch the train from Barnes to Richmond every day for school.)
posted by Jody Tresidder at 9:09 AM on November 23, 2011 [21 favorites]


I saw that last night and have been screaming, "FENTON! FENTON! Oh, JESUS CHRIST" to anyone who will listen.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:10 AM on November 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


Poet_Lariat: “Some background as to why this is supposed to be funny would have been helpful (and possibly also made it funny)”

The video is of a man frantically trying to prevent his dog from chasing a large herd of deer. He is shouting in a loud, agitated voice which many seem to find quite comical.

If that isn't enough background for you to find this funny, I guess maybe it's just not funny for you. But it is funny for me.
posted by koeselitz at 9:13 AM on November 23, 2011 [7 favorites]


The timing of dog's appearance is exquisite.

I actually didn't even notice the dog the first time. I was so mesmerized the prospect of Gilbert Gottfried suddenly appearing.
posted by DU at 9:17 AM on November 23, 2011


The more I watch it, the funnier it gets.
posted by jquinby at 9:19 AM on November 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


Magnificent. Feels like a viral for The Thick of It.
posted by longdaysjourney at 9:23 AM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]


Yeah me too jquinby, and also somehow profound. We're lucky to be living in an age where little visual treats like this are captured for the world to enjoy. It's like a cinéma vérité version of a Phillip Larkin poem.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:25 AM on November 23, 2011 [7 favorites]


This reminds me of when my boxer would spot deer in the alleys on our walks. I would give the deer a looong head start, then run with the dog--on his leash--and make it all OOOH HUNTING.

He thought that was awesome, would rock the Serious Face.
posted by everichon at 9:33 AM on November 23, 2011 [7 favorites]


Benton! Fenton! WENTON! RENTON! STATION! BENSOOON! HATIAN! Oh JESUS CHRIST! DENTON! Oh Jesus Christ. FENTOOON!

...

Oh Christ!
posted by cmoj at 9:36 AM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


I agree with everyone who says it's the exasperation in the voice that's hilarious. Fenton just does not give one fuck and he's having the time of his young life. The owner on the other hand can feel his world crashing down around his ears. Particularly when Fenton chases the deer into the road.
posted by jontyjago at 9:38 AM on November 23, 2011 [12 favorites]


I thought yesterday's repeated viewings of the original video + Jurassic Park squeezed every last ounce of convulsive laughter out of me.

Then I clicked on the Starship Troopers video. Now I'm wiping away tears...again.
posted by prinado at 10:12 AM on November 23, 2011


It's viral advertising. He's actually saying "HeadOn!"
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:23 AM on November 23, 2011


Jody Tresidder: "For me, it's the upper middle class rage in the owner's voice"

Absolutely. That 'Jesus Christ!' is a the battle cry of furiously impotent Posh Dads everywhere, more usually heard directed at misbehaving children named Arthur or Tilly in the damp gardens of stately homes, campsites with really rather excellent facilities, local history museums in sleepy market towns, the wine aisle of a North London branch of Waitrose, &c..
posted by jack_mo at 10:29 AM on November 23, 2011 [15 favorites]


what about the deer that might have been killed or injured crossing the road? what about the motorists who might have been injured or killed striking a deer? it's really difficult for me to find this funny in any way. the guy's a goddam twit no matter what his vocal inflections might be. most dog owners are way fucking dumber than their dogs.
posted by kitchenrat at 10:58 AM on November 23, 2011


They fuck you up, your Labradors.
They may not mean to but they do.
posted by tigrefacile at 10:59 AM on November 23, 2011 [16 favorites]


Personally, when I saw "Benton" I was expecting Eriq LaSalle from ER.

Likely that part in the opening credits when he does his little kung fu punch. (That was always our favorite.)
posted by Madamina at 10:59 AM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]


Also, it's vaguely reminiscent of this Alan Partridge clip (Dan! Dan! Dan! Dan!)

& this Meerkat clip (Alan! Alan! Alan! Alan!)

We love a bit of pointless repetition in the UK!
posted by DanCall at 11:08 AM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK

I WANT TO CHASE THE DEER RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK RICK

RICK

I don't want to chase the deer, Rick! Don't make me chase the deer!

posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:16 AM on November 23, 2011 [3 favorites]


Personally, when I saw "Benton" I was expecting Eriq LaSalle from ER.

Oh, dear lord, please someone do an ER mashup.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 11:17 AM on November 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


Benton vs Fenton. What's the name of that effect when the sound of the consonant changes depending on the movement of the lips, despite it actually being the same consonant? There was an amazing video going around of a professor demonstrating the effect.
posted by Conductor71 at 11:36 AM on November 23, 2011


Needs more Robert Guillaume.
posted by humboldt32 at 11:38 AM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


The last time I heard someone cry "Jesus Christ" like that, he was burned in a Wicker Man.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 11:39 AM on November 23, 2011 [10 favorites]


Oh, Bunny Ultramod, would that I could click little plus sign a thousand times and more.
posted by Occula at 12:15 PM on November 23, 2011


Conductor71, you're thinking of the McGurk effect.
posted by Richard Holden at 12:25 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


what about the deer that might have been killed or injured crossing the road? what about the motorists who might have been injured or killed striking a deer?

I can think of a lot of other things that would have been extremely unfunny if they'd happened during this incident.

However, they did not.
posted by oliverburkeman at 12:26 PM on November 23, 2011 [4 favorites]


Seriously. What if a Holocaust had broken out?
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 12:27 PM on November 23, 2011 [7 favorites]


I just learned there are herds of deer in the middle of London.

Well, its about 7 miles from the middle of London, but yes its still definitely considered part of the city. Its a beautiful park, mostly left natural, and its the biggest green space in London. You can see it here, its the big green/yellow patch in the bottom-left corner.

I think this video is funnier if you're used to the accent and know Richmond, because that lets you imagine a quite detailed backstory for the Fenton and his owner.
posted by memebake at 1:10 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


kitchenrat: "what about the deer that might have been killed or injured crossing the road? what about the motorists who might have been injured or killed striking a deer? it's really difficult for me to find this funny in any way."

I feel the same about "Why did the chicken cross the road?" gags. What about the stray feather that might have lodged itself in the eye of a speeding lorry driver as he overtook an elderly lady on a bicycle with a frayed brake cable? What about the unvaccinated, immunosuppressed infant in its pram, which might be innocently breathing in the vicinity of the chicken, which for all we know might be a infected with an especially virulent strain of avian influenza?
posted by jack_mo at 1:16 PM on November 23, 2011 [10 favorites]


Yeah I got linked to the original and the American Werewolf video on Twitter with no context, and it quickly became obvious to all my coworkers that I was not, in fact, working.
posted by grapesaresour at 1:21 PM on November 23, 2011 [2 favorites]


I saw this a few days ago with zero context and no idea what the park was, or why this guy would be so upset, and still thought it was hilarious. I always think that getting mad at a dog for doing a particularly doggish thing is like getting mad at the ocean for getting you wet.
posted by codacorolla at 1:55 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


From the YouTube comments:

For sale one Black Dog [DOESN'T answer] to... Fenton
Benton
Denton & Jesus Christ


(FTFY emphasis mine)
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:09 PM on November 23, 2011 [1 favorite]


I giggled controllably.
My best mate at school,(erm in the 50´s) where surnames were often used , even by the kids, was called Fenton. Our school was not far from Richmond.

So I posted the link to him on FB. Only to discover he had not even replied to my birthday wishes last year.

Fenton. Fenton. Fer chrissake.
posted by jan murray at 3:43 PM on November 23, 2011


Hilarious.

ALSO: Is there a plugin someone has that gets rid of gloomypants funkilling comments like kitchenrats from threads like this? You must be fun at parties
posted by AzzaMcKazza at 3:57 PM on November 23, 2011


You can just feel whats going through that dogs head

LEEEEROYYYY JENKINS!!!!
posted by Blasdelb at 7:10 PM on November 23, 2011 [4 favorites]


LEEEEROYYYY JENKINS!!!!

Someone's actually done a Leroy Jenkins mashup but it's not very good...

Meanwhile: Bambi, The Thing, Wicker Man, Hitler
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:13 AM on November 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


Please, please, the tunnel scene from 28 Days Later!!
posted by Occula at 9:25 AM on November 24, 2011 [1 favorite]


« Older oooo-WHEEEEEEE-oooooooo ...   |   ...Happy with the idea of a Democratic... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments