Living in a Box

Idols. Leaders. Inspirations. We all need them. The problem is, they're generally human, and humans die. And when they die, they're gone, at least physically speaking. Of course you can say their spirit lives on, and stuff like that, but unfortunately, they're not there, and considering my only interactions with massively influential people is that I get shouted at by them, it's quite a big difference.

Anyway, this needn't be a problem anymore, thanks to taxidermy. Enter academic behemoth University College London - so attached were they to their utilitarian founder Jeremy Bentham, they stuffed him:

Quote: "Hiyaaaa!"

What is better is that they have also put him in an action pose, inside a box on which is written 'JEREMY BENTHAM'. Anyway, I was reminded by this as I walked past him the other day, and by this rather stoic notice on the BBC's front page:


Apparently they got Stuffed Bentham and made him attend the UCL big wig meetings, where they would vote on things and Jez would be marked down as 'absent'. Touching stuff. It's quite easy to be sentimental about things after you've stuffed said things and they can't shout back at you: 'I AM NOT ABSENT, I AM JUST FULL OF FEATHERS'.