Justin Bieber ludicrously challenged Tom Cruise to a battle…so it’s a thing now. You have to pick a famous person who is 31 years older than you to a fight. That’s getting a bit tricky in my case, since I’ve got to find someone who is 93 years old. Fortunately, I have a contender: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. She’s 93 years old, exactly right.
I think I can take her. Pretty sure, anyway. If I win in a trial by combat, do I get to take over her throne?
At the very least, you should get her hat.
I’d settle for that. That is an awesome outfit.
No offense PZ, but my money is on HRM. She’s a tough ol’ bird.
Um PZ, you do know she is allowed to choose a champion, right?
Bill Cosby is 81. I am 50. He’s got it coming, but now he’s done time, he’s probably got a shank carved from a spoon or something. I need to be careful.
Yes, you can have her throne but only if you kill Brexit.
If you end up on the throne, PZ, I want to be appointed Lord Justice to His Royal Majesty. I can represent you at the JCPC and poke my nose into all sorts of Parliamentary business without actually having a vote where my general unreliability might cause problems.
In the meantime, I can turn out white papers on the common law privileges of citizens to strike parliamentarians with chilled, sweetened dairy products and overthrowing the ridiculous English defamation law.
I challenge Dame Helen Mirren! Come on out, you –
actually I’m kind of concerned now.
Hmmm…. I think I have a problem. Where am I going to find a famous person who is 101?
whheydt @9 Katherine Johnson was born in 1918 but she’ll use mathematics and physics to toss you all around the room.
If you win, PZ, you’ll be the head of the Church of England. Kill that. And Brexit, too.
I also choose to engage in a duel with her, with trucks of WWII UK vintage.
Start of cargo run to finish, counting unloading.
The prize, Knaught of the realm, awarded by a well balanced dueling sword, especially blunted.
Seriously, PZ, are you seriously ready to take on a Queen, who wore combat boots and drove trucks in the military?
Even money, we could get an engine rebuilt before you could manage to figure out.
Figuring out advanced biology, that’s your world.
Anything in between, open for evidence, discussion and consideration.
Although, there was an interesting coincidence observed with my old joke of, “God save the queen!” ‘from her get’, which garnered massive humor in her subjects.
Oddly, leading to today’s lineage of succession.
Obviously, not being a subject, I was far from alone. ;)
Why not pick somebody who is fictional or already dead, so you win by default? I don’t see any rules forbidding it written down anywhere.
Do you have a plan for countering her horcruxes?
Just don’t say “You and what army”, as she is the commander-in-chief of British armed forces.
HAHAHAHA! I’m taking our Rodrigo Duterte.
I just did a Google search for famous 82 year olds, while looking for potential opponents. Looks like I can challenge the actual Pope under this scheme. Just the excuse I needed to get back to pushups and sit-ups.
A lady who not young but comes from a family that managed to run a county for roughly a 1,000 years? Good luck but my money is on Her Majesty. Vive la reine
I am so not taking on Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
Get her hat, PZ, but I think she will take the fight.
I’m stuck between taking on Putin or Tony Blair. I’m not sure if I feel up to a challenge today.
I choose Xi Xinping!!!
Now we just need someone who is 41 years old to take on Donald Trump. Fortunately a quick search shows hit eldest son to be that age. We can only hope the match ends in mutual destruction for the both of them.
#18 @jrkrideau
I didn’t think the Hanoverians have been over there that long.
Indeed. I believe that role traditionally falls to her equerry, who is currently Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah. I don’t fancy PZ’s chances.
In fact, PZ already has: the last person to bear the title “Queen of England” was Queen Anne, last of the Stuart monarchs. In 1707, the title was abolished with the Act of Union between England and Scotland, and she became Queen of Great Britain (and of Ireland and officially, France – I’m not sure whether they were still claiming Jerusalem at that point). Anne was admitted to have died in 1714, although there were rumours she’d been dead for years before that – the succession was looking a bit iffy, and suspicious minds thought she’d been replaced by a lookalike or something.
No point facing her directly. Find her phylactery.
Does it have to be one person? I’m pretty sure I could take both Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter simultaneously, and they’re both 31 years older than me.
Let’s see, at 39, I have a choice between Meryl Streep, Richard Gere, or Jeff Bridges (or my own father, but these things only happen in a galaxy far, far away).
I think I’ll pick the Big Lebowski, since there’s a chance Meryl Streep actually drank that potion Isabella Rossellini gave her.
quick google Warren Jeff’s! He’s scum & I can probably take him. As my prize I will claim his many wives (& free them)
Yay! I got Robert Mugabe! I also got Bush Sr, but he’s kicked the bucket.
Stephen Hawking! No, wait a minute, that wouldn’t look good, even if he was still alive… How about Muhammed Ali? OK, he’s dead too… (Fortunately, for my sake.) Harrison Ford? No, he could probably still take me… OK, I guess it comes down to either Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, or Ted Kaczynski… Tricky choice.
Great American Satan @16
Fancy a tag team match?
I could challenge Hugh Grant or Jeremy Clarkson. Much as I dislike many of Hugh Grant’s movies it’s got to be Clarkson.
If you beat the queen you will become head of the church of england and “protector of the faith”. Pretty sure that gives you the right to challenge the pope to a brawl….
@24 Wrote ” Anne was admitted to have died in 1714, although there were rumours she’d been dead for years before that – the succession was looking a bit iffy, and suspicious minds thought she’d been replaced by a lookalike or something.”
Ye olde English conspiracy theory ,me thinks .
By the way, totally putting money on Cruise.
I hit the jackpot. Rupert Murdoch. ! That bastard’s 88. So are Bernie Ecclestone and Raul Castro. Yeah, Rupert’s for me. Come out your disgusting old Randian Jackanapes!
She doesn’t fight fair, I hear. She’ll invite you in for tea and crumpets, make some pleasant small talk about the weather, and, while you are least expecting it, signal her Chamberlain to release the hounds, er, Corgis. No mere mortal can withstand those beasts.
P.Z. I’m pretty sure that she could take you.
Your only hope is to fight dirty. A Queen does not stoop to such low tactics.
I don’t know, I mean look at this family: the Queen Mum lived to be…what? 101? 102? The Queen is 93 and still doing about a zillion public engagements a year, plus she’s outlived how many prime ministers? Not to mention she served in the military during war time. Let’s face it, she may be immortal, or at least indestructible.
Personally, the Queen match-up I want to see is her kicking the crap out of Donald Trump. She’d wipe the floor with that man-baby! She’s like a grandma gnome ninja!
What kind of ridiculous pics are they going to display once Drumpfh has been gone for a few decades?
PZ, a word (okay, 1008 words) of caution: https://imgflip.com/i/2n6wnp
Ooh, this is my chance! I am SO kicking Donald Trump’s ass! Do I get to use my giant Mjolnir to crush him to a pulp?
#22 @khms
#18 @jkrideau
Yes, the Hanoverians have only reigned in Britain since 1714.
@9 & 10: Katherine Johnson is a mere 100 until August 26. This is how I know:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_living_centenarians
I for one would honored to take on Gudrun Zapf-von Hesse, though she looks pretty fit and is of course a font of wisdom, so I’m not sure about my chances.
By the way, thinking of the Royals, the great Marina Hyde, on the Trump trip to the UK (&c):
Oooh, I get Pat Robertson.
I’m going down to the basement to start training. I’m going to want some endurance for this one.
I don’t really want to fight anybody, but I guess if we all have to fight someone 31 years older than me it should be someone really contemptuous that it would be nice to get a few dirty hits on. I don’t have to look too hard. Harvey Weinstein is 31 years my senior.
Watch out for those Corgis, PZ.
Hmm, let’s see… 79 years old…
Nancy Pelosi – nope
Tina Turner – nope
John Cleese – nope
Lily Tomlin – nope
Grace Slick – nope
Ginger Baker – nope
Julie Christie – nope
Margaret Atwood – nope
Peter Fonda – nope
John Lewis – nope
Herbie Hancock – nope
Lance Henriksen – nope
Chuck Norris – Ooooh… sooo tempting, but let’s face it, he’d probably kick my ass
Al Pacino – nope, and he’d definitely kick my ass
Starting to look like it boils down to Ali Khamenei, David Koch, or Jim Bakker… decisions, decisions…
Oh my Gordon Bennett, I’m spoiled for choice. George Clooney, Eddie Murphy, RuPaul, Tilda Swinton (I would lose, but it’s tempting just to get beaten up by her), Jean-Claude Van Damme, Stanley Tucci, Antonio Banderas, Colin Firth, Tim Cook (do I get Apple if I win?)…
But really, there’s only one choice I can reasonably make here.
COME THEN, NEIL GAIMAN! FROM HELL’S HEART I STAB AT THEE! UPON MY VICTORY I SHALL IMBIBE YOUR WRITING POWERS, AND BE AS UNTO A GOD!
Cartomancer, I just turned 41! I’d take him, but I’d fight dirty, and put a bunch of MacDonalds out to bate a pit trap.
Great. Checking people born in 1930, I get the likes of Apollo astronauts, Inspector Harry Callahan, 007, and Sandra Day O’Connor.
@Ragutis: I’m same year as you are. Dibs on Anita Bryant.
I’ll take Pope Benedict XVI (04/16/1927). All that riding around in the popemobile couldn’t have been good for his stamina, and mine hasn’t been that great since my stroke last year, so it should be about even.
Apparently I get a shot at Mitch McConnell or the unabomber. No contest, have to go with Mitch.(other options were Martha Stewart, Bernie Sanders, Lynne Cheney & Streisand, actually I lucked out, it’s an extensive list)
You’re going to have to avoid her strengths, those potential weapons she’s highly experienced with. If you see her pick up a fly rod, that’s trouble. She can wrap you up with a good cast. Don’t let her get her hands on a wrench, and needless to say, run if she see anything in her hands labeled “Purdy’s”.
Ooh, I get Henry Kissinger. I’ll get me steel-capped boots out.
At 52, I get a chance to beat the crap out of two celebrities known for creeping on, then marrying, underage girls – Woody Allen and Jerry Lee Lewis. I see no downside to this.
The mildly deranged penguin complains that, using the current duration of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun as the definition of one year, 31 such years before she hatched does not compute, as the Big Bang — the beginning of time — happened in the interim. As such, she suspects her choices are limited to the Weeping Angels, a certain sandwich dropped by a careless wizzard, and the entire Universe. Since she seems to in perpetual confusion with the latter anyways, doing the seemingly-ultimate “return to orbit and nuke” would just be a minor detail. Until I remind her that’s a lot of cheese to make glow, albeit a lot of darkness for it to glow in…