Friday Fundies #11
28Aug. 09
I spent some time in my 20’s living in London. It is an experience I highly recommend. Great music, great shops, great dope and some truly fascinating people and conversations.
One of the coolest places I liked to hang out was at a place in Hyde Park called Speakers Corner. Its basically a place where people get on their soapbox (literally sometimes) and speak their piece and debate until they froth at the mouth. I even became friends with one of them. Here are a few examples of the crazy that you can experience for free every weekend. Bless em’. I just wish we had somewhere like this in every city.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
There’s actually a speakers corner in Sydney across from the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I’ve only come across it once (I think it was on a Sunday), but there were lots of… interesting characters.
August 30th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Oh, here you go:
There is a Speakers’ Corner in the Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia established in 1878. Official outdoor ‘free’ speech first appeared in the hustings and hanging grounds of Hyde Park Sydney in 1874. Free speech in this form was banned following a serious riot between Catholics and Orangemen. However following the formalisation of free speech in Speakers’ Corner in London it was decided in 1878 that The Domain would be the place for free speech in Sydney. Other Speakers’ Corners are found in King George Square and The Powerhouse in Brisbane, Australia. In Melbourne, Speakers Corner was originally held in Birrarung Marr where the original site is still visible. This site has lost some popularity over the years and Speakers Corner (Now called “Speakers Forum”) is currently held outside the State Library of Victoria on Sunday afternoon from 3pm. (From Wikipedia)
I think when I went there I met a Catholic-hating atheist, an atheist-hating Catholic and a guy talking about cubic time. The audiences were nothing like the ones in these videos though.
August 30th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
We should totally record On The Street there…
August 31st, 2009 at 10:25 am
Wow, that is definately worth checking out.
September 1st, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Apols if this has been noted, or is well known but Melbourne has a rather vibrant SC history, now known as Speakers Forum/Soapbox Oratory.
Sundays 3 — 6 pm on the State Library Lawns. If you love free speech, the right to be heard and a vigorous debate, there’s many a reason to check it out. YouTube channel here;
http://www.youtube.com/speakersforum
Historically Melbourne [and from family tales, Sydney also] has a healthy past in citizen speaking. During the Depression it became a popular destination, perhaps suiting financial and political trends.
The old Birrarung Marr in Melbourne is now truly in the technological age given one may add its toilet to “My Toilets”. Although public parks and a list of “My Toilets” might take some explaining ;-)
http://www.toiletmap.gov.au/toilet.aspx?type=toilet&id=64760804-c552-4976-a176-ca26b3b14e0a