Chuck Norris Facts

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Chuck Norris Facts in Rolling Stone.
Chuck Norris Facts in Rolling Stone.

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:

There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.

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 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.

Contents

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. Chuck Norris Facts followed facts based on actors Vin Diesel, Mr. T, 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 add-on 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

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, such as Linux kernel hacker and creator Linus Torvalds,[10] actor Vin Diesel,[11] Kevin Federline,[12] Ron Paul,[13] Mr. T,[14] Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders,[15] Bruce Schneier,[16] Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow,[17] professional Magic: The Gathering player Jon Finkel,[18] Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels,[19] Cambridge astrophysicist Dave Green,[20] actor Bruce Campbell,[21] and various other persons.

These jokes have also been extended to fictional characters, such as the television series 24 character Jack Bauer,[22] the Star Wars character Kyle Katarn,[23] Batman,[24] Captain Falcon[25] from the F-Zero games, Albus Dumbledore,[26] and High Overlord Saurfang from World of Warcraft.[27]

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."

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

  1. ^ Curse Gaming - the original add-on can be found at http://wow.curse.com/downloads/details/2242/
  2. ^ Chuck Norris. In response to the "Random facts" that are being generated on the Internet. Retrieved on 2004-12-04.
  3. ^ "On Chuck Norris 'mania' sweeping the Net", WorldNetDaily, October 23, 2006. 
  4. ^ Miller, Liz. Chuck Norris Gets His Vengeance. The Daily Reel. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
  5. ^ Kearney, Christine. Chuck Norris sues, says his tears no cancer cure. Reuters. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  6. ^ Keegan, Rebecca Winters. "People", Time, Mar. 20, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-06-20. 
  7. ^ Facebook Search for 'Chuck Norris' Accessed February 03, 2008
  8. ^ HuckChuckFacts. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  9. ^ Roundhouse Kick. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.
  10. ^ Linus Torvalds Facts.
  11. ^ Vin Diesel Facts Page.
  12. ^ MuddButt.com
  13. ^ Ron Paul Facts - The Beginning
  14. ^ 4Q.cc >> Top 100 Facts for Mr. T
  15. ^ Bob Sanders facts - Unofficial Indianapolis Colts Fan Forums
  16. ^ Schneier Facts. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
  17. ^ Tim Tebow Facts
  18. ^ Jon Finkel Facts.
  19. ^ Cole Hamels Facts dot com
  20. ^ Dave Green Facts. Retrieved on 2008-02-04.
  21. ^ ~*~ Bruce Campbell Facts ~*~
  22. ^ Facts on Jack Bauer.
  23. ^ Kyle Katarn Is So Tough.
  24. ^ Random Batman Fact
  25. ^ Captain Falcon Facts
  26. ^ Mugglecast#Segments
  27. ^ Saurfang facts - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft

External links