Chuck Norris facts
Chuck Norris Facts are satirical facts 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, "alpha-male status", sophistication and masculinity, for example:
- If you can see Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris, you may only have seconds to live.
The facts typically claim that Chuck Norris is some type of irate, all-powerful superbeing. The Chuck Norris facts have spread around the world, leading not only to translated versions, but also spawning localized versions mentioning country-specific advertisements, other Internet phenomena. Allusions are also sometimes made to his use of roundhouse kick attacks 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.
Background
Chuck Norris Facts were originally seen 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. Chuck Norris Facts followed facts based on actors Vin Diesel and Bob Saget. The exaggerated style of these facts is similar to a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch called Bill Brasky. These are similar to tall tales such as those of Paul Bunyan. Chuck Norris Facts surged the gaming community shortly after a Chuck Norris Fact generator was introduced as a World of Warcraft addon in early 2006[1].
Norris's response
Chuck Norris responded to the Chuck Norris Facts on his official website, chucknorris.com, with a statement. He was generally surprised and flattered by the attention. Admitting some of the statements were indeed humorous, he tries not to take any of them seriously, and he hopes that such statements will interest people in real facts about Chuck Norris contained in his literary works. [2] 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." Upon hearing this, Chuck replied:
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.[3]
Norris appeared in a 2007 commercial for Mountain Dew where he had his revenge on the two fictional webmasters of a popular site that featured Norris in a humorous light, undoubtedly a reference to the Chuck Norris Facts meme.[4] However, in December 2007, Norris sued when these statements were published in book form by Penguin in November of the same year.[5]
Prominent mentions
- Norris has appeared on The Tony Danza Show and The Best Damn Sports Show Period, and has been questioned regarding the satirical facts. In the latter show, he read up the current Top 10 facts, as well as mentioning his favorite one was "They once tried to carve Chuck Norris' face into Mount Rushmore, but the granite wasn't hard enough for his beard".
- Rolling Stone magazine featured a short blurb regarding the facts.
- 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]
- On an episode of The Daily Show in a parody of Alaskan senator Ted Stevens' comments about the Internet being a "Series of tubes", John Hodgman stated that beneath every American home there were indeed a series of tubes and they could be used to send various pieces of information, mainly Chuck Norris Facts.
- On "Boys Do Cry", a 2007 episode of Family Guy, Peter Griffin mentions a Chuck Norris Fact that, when challenged by Brian, turns out to be true when Chuck Norris suddenly appears and punches him with a fist concealed under his beard.
- One of GaiaOnline's February 2006 'monthly collectibles' is presumably named after Chuck Norris. The Item itself has a suggesting name (Chyaku Norisu) and its description resembles one of the Facts: "There are only two things in the world that can cut diamonds ... other diamonds and CHYAKU NORISU!!"
- Several Facebook applications exist which generate Chuck Norris Facts for visitors to read.[7]
- Famed Internet writer and author Maddox dedicated an entire chapter of his bestseller The Alphabet of Manliness to Chuck Norris facts.
- Governor Mike Huckabee, as a 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate, made a campaign video with Chuck Norris called HuckChuckFacts[8]. In it, he tells Chuck Norris facts, while Norris responds with endorsements of Huckabee. Rival Republican candidate Mitt Romney responded with a Chuck Norris Fact-themed advertisement of his own [9].
- In Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny Chuck Norris descends from "The Heavens." Chuck proceeds to kick Indiana Jones in the crotch and crush Batman's head. He is defeated by Gandalf, Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Black Knight, Benito Mussolini, The Blue Meanie, Cowboy Curtis, Jambi the Genie, RoboCop, The Terminator, Captain Kirk, Darth Vader, Lo-Pan, Superman, "Every single Power Ranger", Bill S. Preston and Theodore Logan, Spock, The Rock, Doc Ock, and Hulk Hogan.
Spin-off jokes
Due to the popularity of Chuck Norris facts, and in order to keep this style of jokes fresh, other celebrities have become the target of similar jokes. Bob Saget facts are in fact the opposite of the Chuck Norris facts, pointing out Saget's sensitivity. For example, "every night, the boogeyman checks under his bed for Chuck Norris; but then Bob Saget comes in, gives the boogeyman warm milk and quietly reads him a bedtime story." This style has also been applied to other celebrities, such as Linux kernel hacker and creator Linus Torvalds[10], actor Vin Diesel[11], Kevin Federline[12], Ron Paul,[13] Mr. T, Bob Barker, Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders, Bruce Schneier[14], Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, professional Magic: The Gathering player Jon Finkel,[15] Albus Dumbledore[16], Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels, and Cambridge astrophysicist Dave Green[17], Bruce Lee, and various other persons. These jokes have also been extended to fictional characters, such as the television series 24 character Jack Bauer[18], the Star Wars character Kyle Katarn[19] and Batman. On the DVD re-issue of Road House, Kevin Smith's commentary track gives several Chuck Norris facts retitled to reference Patrick Swayze's character Dalton.
References
- ^ Curse Gaming - The original addon can be found at http://wow.curse.com/downloads/details/2242/
- ^ Chuck Norris. "In response to the "Random facts" that are being generated on the Internet". Retrieved 2004-12-04.
- ^ "On Chuck Norris 'mania' sweeping the Net". WorldNetDaily. October 23, 2006.
- ^ Miller, Liz. "Chuck Norris Gets His Vengeance". The Daily Reel. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ Kearney, Christine. "Chuck Norris sues, says his tears no cancer cure". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
- ^ Keegan, Rebecca Winters (Mar. 20, 2006). "People". Time. Retrieved 2006-06-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Facebook Search for 'Chuck Norris' Accessed February 03, 2008
- ^ "HuckChuckFacts". Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ^ "Roundhouse Kick". Retrieved 2008-01-03.
- ^ "Linus Torvalds Facts".
- ^ "Vin Diesel Facts Page".
- ^ MuddButt.com
- ^ Ron Paul Facts - The Beginning
- ^ "Schneier Facts". Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ "Jon Finkel Facts".
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Dave Green Facts". Retrieved 2008-02-04.
- ^ "Facts on Jack Bauer".
- ^ "Kyle Katarn Is So Tough".