History Main / SoapboxSquare

* ''VideoGame/TheGameOfTheAges'': A man in the Laorsis square stands on a soapbox to protest littering. His soapbox turns out to be the object of this particular puzzle, and you use it several times in your later adventures.

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* ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'': Sigil, the main city of this TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons setting, has The Hall of Speakers. Anyone may come, check in and speak whatever they want when the podium isn't occupied by usual factions' bickering or (very rarely) some sane attempt at law-making. Just don't be surprised if a boring speech summons [[ProducePelting a rain of rotten tomatoes]] from [[{{Hell}} the Abyss]].

* ''VideoGame/FableI'': The [[AdventureGuild Heroes' Guild]] has a stone Boasting Platform outside the front door for amateur speechifying. A few characters make plot-significant announcements there, and if the Hero accepts a ChallengeRun on a quest, he's shown on the Platform, bragging about it to a crowd.

** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', on Omega there is a Batarian religious fanatic going on long rants about the evils of humanity. The humorous part is that his entire audience is a group of curious humans.

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* ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' features one.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', a lot of big speeches seem to be made near the statue of Jebediah Springfield.

* In ''Let 'Em Eat Cake'', Union Square, Manhattan plays host to a surprisingly well-mannered group of protesters, whose messages include "Schultz's Restaurant Is Unfair to Union Labor," "Union Labor Is Unfair to Schultz's Restaurant" and one addressing the workers of China in Yiddish. They are perturbed when the agitator Kruger energetically takes the stand with his anti-everything platform. Mary also happens to be selling her blue shirts there, and this is how they become the uniform of the revolution.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', on Omega there is a batarian religious fanatic going on long rants about the evils of humanity. The humorous part is that his entire audience is a group of curious humans.
-->'''Mad Prophet:''' You, sir! You are a blight!

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* [[TabletopGame/{{Planescape}} Sigil]] has The Hall of Speakers. Anyone may come, check in and speak whatever they want when the podium isn't occupied by usual factions's bickering or (very rarely) some sane attempt at law-making. Just don't be surprised if a boring speech summons [[ProducePelting a rain of rotten tomatoes]]. From [[{{Hell}} Abyss]].

A public square or park where all sorts of people (possibly including the SoapboxSadie) can be found WavingSignsAround and making impassioned speeches about various subjects; usually political, but sometimes rather more bizarre. Crowds will gather to variously cheer or jeer. Generally, the quality of the speeches made won't be very high, and will be on such topics as outlandish [[UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories conspiracy theories]], [[NostalgiaFilter how things were better back in the old days]] and the verbal equivalent of the StronglyWordedLetter. In short, at a Soapbox Square you will see very few [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman well spoken gentleman]] but a heaping helping of [[TalkativeLoon babbling loons]].

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* In the {{Literature/Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', Sator Square is described as generally holding several ranters, haranguers, and self-absorbed mumblers at any given time, all of which declaim at the top of their voices. The crowds generally cheer them no matter what they're actually saying, to egg them on. However, on this particular occasion, Commander Vimes notices with some disquiet that [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness this time they're not]]: They're actually ''paying attention'', and nodding thoughtfully in agreement, while someone agitates for an all-out war with a neighbouring country. Fortunately, he deescalates the situation by repeatedly snarking at the speaker's claims until he realizes who's heckling him.

A public square or park where all sorts of people (possibly including the SoapboxSadie) can be found making impassioned speeches about various subjects; usually political, but sometimes rather more bizarre. Crowds will gather to variously cheer or jeer. Generally, the quality of the speeches made won't be very high, and will be on such topics as outlandish [[UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories conspiracy theories]], [[NostalgiaFilter how things were better back in the old days]] and the verbal equivalent of the StronglyWordedLetter. In short, at a Soapbox Square you will see very few [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman well spoken gentleman]] but a heaping helping of [[TalkativeLoon babbling loons]].

* Blueberry Park in Creator/DanielPinkwater's story ''The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death'', where three speakers go on simultaneously about the virtues of vegetarianism, getting the British out of Kenya, and DemonicPossession. The protagonist then decides to make a speech himself and brave the hecklers.

* In the {{Literature/Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', Sator Square is described as generally holding several ranters, haranguers, and self-absorbed mumblers at any given time, all of which declaim at the top of their voices. The crowds generally cheer them no matter what they're actually saying, to egg them on. However, on this particular occasion, Commander Vimes notices with some disquiet that [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness this time they're not]]: They're actually ''paying attention'', and nodding thoughtfully in agreement, while someone agitates for an all-out war with a neighbouring country.

* In the {{Literature/Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', Sator Square is described as generally holding several ranters, haranguers, and self-absorbed mumblers at any given time, all of which declaim at the top of their voices. The crowds generally cheer them no matter what they're actually saying, to egg them on.

--->'''Mad Prophet:''' You, sir! You are a blight!

* In ''TheSimpsons'', a lot of big speeches seem to be made near the statue of Jebediah Springfield.

* Some universities have a special area near the quad where campus speech codes are not enforced. Naturally, [[HilarityEnsues this brings the weirdoes out of the woodwork.]]

* [[{{Planescape}} Sigil]] has The Hall of Speakers. Anyone may come, check in and speak whatever they want when the podium isn't occupied by usual factions's bickering or (very rarely) some sane attempt at law-making. Just don't be surprised if a boring speech summons [[ProducePelting a rain of rotten tomatoes]]. From [[{{Hell}} Abyss]].

* ''BrokenSaints'' features one.