Chuck Norris facts
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Chuck Norris facts are satirical factoids about martial artist and actor Chuck Norris that have become an Internet phenomenon and as a result have become widespread in popular culture. The facts are normally absurd hyperbolic claims about Norris's toughness, attitude, virility, sophistication, and masculinity.
The facts typically claim that Norris is a tough, all-powerful super-being. Chuck Norris facts have spread around the world, leading not only to translated versions, but also spawning localized versions mentioning country-specific advertisements and other Internet phenomena. Allusions are also sometimes made to his use of roundhouse kicks to perform seemingly any task, his large amount of body hair with specific regard to his beard, and his role in the action television series Walker, Texas Ranger.
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Background
Chuck Norris Facts originally started appearing on the Internet in early 2005. Conan O'Brien's Chuck Norris jokes on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (which generally center on Walker, Texas Ranger) have been seen as an inspiration for the fad. The exaggerated style of these facts is similar to a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch called "Bill Brasky". Due to the popularity of this phenomenon, similar jokes have been created for various other celebrities, as well as fictional characters.
Norris' response
Norris responded to the Chuck Norris facts on his official website with a statement. Admitting some of the statements were indeed humorous, he said he tries not to take any of them seriously, and he hopes that such statements will interest people in real facts about him contained in his literary works.[1] On October 23, 2006, Chuck Norris' first column for WorldNetDaily consisted of yet another response. It began similarly to the above quote from chucknorris.com, but then disclaimed Norris' own prowess in favor of God and Jesus Christ.
One of the satirical facts made of Norris states that "There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live". In the aforementioned article, he wrote:
It's funny. It's cute. But here's what I really think about the theory of evolution: it's not real. It is not the way we got here. In fact, the life you see on this planet is really just a list of creatures God has allowed to live. We are not creations of random chance. We are not accidents. There is a God, a Creator, who made you and me. We were made in His image, which separates us from all other creatures. By the way, without Him, I don't have any power. But with Him, the Bible tells me, I really can do all things — and so can you.[2]
On November 29, 2007, Gotham Books, the adult division of Penguin USA, released a book entitled The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the World's Greatest Human.[3] Norris subsequently filed suit in December against Penguin USA claiming "trademark infringement, unjust enrichment and privacy rights".[4]
On October 7, 2009 Tyndale House Publishers issued The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book, which was co-written and officially endorsed by Norris.[5]
Prominent mentions
In the March 20, 2006 issue, TIME magazine interviewed Chuck Norris, calling him an "online cult hero." In the answer to their last question, he called the Chuck Norris Facts "weird but wildly popular sayings" and quoted one: "Chuck Norris can divide by zero."[6]
In 2011, a commercial for World of Warcraft featured Chuck Norris and included its own "Chuck Norris facts" in the dialogue.[7]
Inspirations and similar trends
In India, there exist similar jokes in the form of factoids and quotes about Indian film actors Rajinikanth.[8] The factoids about Tamil actor Rajinikanth are inspired by Chuck Norris facts in that those follow the same pattern as Chuck Norris facts.[9][10]While some Rajinikanth jokes are original, many of them are circulated with Norris' name replaced by Rajinikanth's.[11] A page on Tumblr was formed to create similar facts for the Doctor Who character Rory Williams.[12]
Bibliography
- Ian Spector: The Truth About Chuck Norris: New York: Gotham Books: 2007: ISBN 1-59240-344-1
- Chuck Norris & Todd DuBord: The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book: 101 of Chuck's Favorite Facts and Stories: Tyndale House Publishers: 2009: ISBN 1-4143-3449-4
References
- ^ Chuck Norris. "In response to the "Random facts" that are being generated on the Internet". http://www.chucknorris.com/html/events.aspx?type=3. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
- ^ "On Chuck Norris 'mania' sweeping the Net". WorldNetDaily. 2006-10-23. http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52567.
- ^ Ian Spector. The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human. Gotham. ISBN 978-1-59240-344-8.
- ^ Kearney, Christine (2007-12-21). "Chuck Norris sues, says his tears no cancer cure". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2129580420071222. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
- ^ The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book. Tyndale House Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4143-3449-3
- ^ Keegan, Rebecca Winters (2006-03-20). "People". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1172246-2,00.html. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
- ^ Benedetti, Winda (November 21, 2011). "Chuck Norris lends his face, fists to 'World of Warcraft'". In-Game. MSNBC.com. http://ingame.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/21/8937607-chuck-norris-lends-his-face-fists-to-world-of-warcraft. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
- ^ Iyer, Meena (October 11, 2011). "Rajinikanth vs Chuck Norris". Times of India. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-11/news-interviews/30263638_1_tamil-superstar-rajinikanth-chuck-norris-jfk-assassination.
- ^ Venkateswaran, N.; Ravi, Bhama Devi (October 16, 2010). "'I am what I am'". The Times of India Crest Edition. http://www.timescrest.com/culture/i-am-what-i-am-3770.
- ^ "Rajini humour". Times of India Crest Edition. October 16, 2010. http://www.timescrest.com/culture/rajini-humour-3776.
- ^ Rajinikanth jokes sell out faster than his tickets
- ^ "Facts about Rory Williams". Tumblr. http://rorywilliamsfacts.tumblr.com/. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
