Talk:The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves - The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves

References and Notes

If somebody could improve the references and notes, it would be most appreciated. --Sharkface217 04:33, 4 November 2007 (UTC)

And if you could get that to me by Sunday, that'd be great. â€"Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.81.116.111 (talk) 23:36, 15 March 2009 (UTC)

Old version, pre-redirect - this article is currently a "redirect with possibilities". Also google points to this talkpage as the top result for the phrase. Just noting for later. â€"Quiddity (talk) 05:24, 13 June 2014 (UTC)

Attributed to Captain Bligh?

I've often seen this quotation (or similar quotations) attributed to Captain Bligh, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame. A Google search for "until morale improves" bligh will back me up. I'm not saying that it actually originated with Bligh, but should the article mention its connection with Bligh? How long has it been attached to Bligh? I'm surprised that Snopes.com doesn't seem to have an entry on the quotation. --Quuxplusone (talk) 01:32, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Snopes is too busy being derailed internally with a flood of political ideologues right now to worry about such pesky things as 'facts' and 'reality.' <!//â€" ☠ ʇdɯ0ɹd É¥sɐq ☠ // user // talk // twitter //â€"> 00:37, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

KMFDM - Free Your Hate

This saying is in the lyrics of KMFDM's song Free Your Hate. â€" kentyman (talk) 06:01, 3 June 2009 (UTC)

Deletion

This is a clear candidate for deletion. No references, and probably no hope of them. The allegation that it dates to WWII Japanese submarine warfare seems specious without anything to back it up; that idea is common on the web, but could well derive from this article. Wikipedia is not "Know your meme", nor is it appropriate to have articles explaining every phrase in the language. I'll put it up for deletion next week unless there are strong objections. 64.9.62.127 (talk) 18:24, 21 June 2012 (UTC)

Agree. The only vague reason to keep it is that it's linked from a couple of other pages (none of which are closely related to the content of this page). --129.94.166.204 (talk) 03:59, 5 November 2012 (UTC)

I just tried to learn the history of this phrase. Google pointed me to the wikipedia link, which is just a redirect to Morale, which makes no mention of the phrase. Seems like the redirect link was planned for removal nearly 2 years ago, yet it remains. Not sure what has to be done to get this page deleted. (talk) 1 May 2014 â€" Preceding undated comment added 18:58, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

FWIW, this was at some point the caption to a Far Side cartoon. It could surely predate that, of course. -- Kendrick7^talk 03:10, 12 July 2014 (UTC)

Disagree. Phrase seems strangely relevant. Heard it somewhere before, just a matter of time until it's found. â€" Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.8.237.142 (talk) 05:01, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

This is a joke, a play on words

Nothing more. The joke is that beatings would not improve morale at all but would instead make it worse. It's simply a funny saying. Baabaablacksheep500 (talk) 10:33, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks for clearing that up. I thought it was a mathematical theorem. <!//â€" ☠ ʇdɯ0ɹd É¥sɐq ☠ // user // talk // twitter //â€"> 00:32, 30 July 2016 (UTC)

Candide (1759)

"The same idea is expressed by Voltaire in "Candide" (1759). When Candide asked why the English had shot their Admiral (the one who had failed to execute his orders to invade Mallorca), he was told this drastic action had to be taken" etc ..... "the full sentence carries considerably more weight: "Dans ce pays-ci, il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral pour encourager les autres.""

https://www.englishforums.com/English/TheBeatingsContinueUntilMorale-Improves/ndwmp/post.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Minorca_(1756)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Byng

203.87.118.12 (talk) 00:30, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

Attribution.

The earliest attribution I can find for this is William Bligh, albeit it is clearly a joke implied that he said it. Contrary to earlier posts that it was something to do with the Japanese navy in WWII. I can only find spurious reference to that. Either way it's clear the attributions are being made in a tongue in cheek fashion and it is improbable that any of the accused were the authors of the line, but it's an interesting hunt to find where it first showed up. Unfortunately the redirect has hijacked this phrase to the wiki entry on morale, which is kind of retarded given that this phrase is what we're all here for. <!//â€" ☠ ʇdɯ0ɹd É¥sɐq ☠ // user // talk // twitter //â€"> 00:33, 30 July 2016 (UTC)