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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1286 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 13, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Today is the 15th anniversary of Fenton's run across Richmond Park, London. There are so many elements here that consistently make it funny to me: the fact that the cameraman doesn't laugh until right at the end, the off-camera shouting getting increasingly more desperate, the deer start moving, leading to the big reveal of Fenton the dog nailing life, and his out-of-breath owner desperately trying to catch up while dropping exasperated "Jesus Christ"s... it's a great video.

It got me thinking about virality, as in, would this video still do the kinds of numbers it's clearly capable of doing if it were released in current year? Would the uploader be able to resist adding a bunch of tiktok "FAAAA" sounds or other nonsense over it? So much about what makes the video good is how understated everything is. It just kinda happens--nobody is directing the action or commenting on it. Mr. Beast would probably edit it significantly. Would people be able to sit through the first 16 seconds of the video, a bunch of boring, everyday, out-of-focus deer, before we even hear the first "Fenton!" without abandoning it and scrolling for more interesting content?

I like to think so.

Well I enjoyed it. My issue with the beginning wasn't that it was boring or out of focus, but that the camera shake threatened to make my eyes bleed.

Worth though.

I think that's mostly because he's zoomed-in quite a bit, probably in an effort not to disturb the deer, which could be another layer of comedy given what happens

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