614 points - today at 2:09 PM
today at 2:34 PM
There was a period of like 2 years when I was a kid where chuck Norris jokes were all the rage on the playground and I made an iPhone app that listed them all.
Jokes like âChuck Norris is able to slam a revolving door.â
Anyway, I âbuiltâ this stupid app when I was like 13, copy-pasted like 300 jokes in there and a random one would show every time you tapped the screen.
Chuck Norrisâs estate blocked the app from going live. I wish I had printed that rejection out and framed it.
today at 2:55 PM
It was so funny how that whole thing happened.
For the first time in over a decade he was suddenly relevant in a way. People remembered he existed, and they were playing off his tough guy image.
And what did he do? Try and shut it down and start suing people. Stupid.
It took him a couple of years to come around to it. If it wasnât for those jokes would he be remembered anywhere as well? Or would he be a much more obscure celebrity by now?
today at 2:59 PM
> would he be remembered anywhere as well?
You underestimate how popular Walker, Texas Ranger was. It wasn't pulling ratings like Seinfeld, ER, or Friends, but it was a solid primetime staple for almost a decade.
I never watched it myself, but the 50+ demo loved it.
today at 3:23 PM
Maybe for people in the US. Internationally? I haven't watched a single episode of WTR, I don't know anyone who has, but everyone knows who Chuck Norris was.
today at 3:32 PM
In France, it was popular enough that everybody knew Texas ranger before the Chuck Norris jokes.
today at 7:25 PM
Same in Slovakia
today at 4:29 PM
Same in Hungary.
today at 7:54 PM
I'm Swedish and I was only vaguely aware Chuck Norris even had a career outside the jokes.
today at 4:48 PM
Seinfeld wasn't at all well known in Italy when I lived there, but WTR was.
today at 4:57 PM
As a gent born and raised in Texas, and has never seen the show - I am pleasantly surprised to see these comments about how popular WTR was internationally. If I had been asked to bet, I would have lost money on this one.
today at 8:02 PM
Yeah. As an American I wouldâve absolutely never guessed it was that popular.
today at 7:27 PM
As others have said, WTR is very well-known in France while most people have never heard of Seinfeld.
Same with Dallas and The Dukes of Hazzard.
today at 7:14 PM
I've got the impression that the big US exports are ones that play into big American stereotypes, e.g WTR, Baywatch, Friends. Not even that they see these shows and get programmed with these stereotypes, but that they have these stereotypes (Texas, California, NYC) and shows like this feed their imaginations and give them detail.
Exported media is weird. Like the huge proportion of British/BBC output (usually period, but also often detective in a way redolent of Christie) that is made primarily for export to foreign consumers who think of British upper-class culture as aspirational.
today at 6:59 PM
> Maybe for people in the US. Internationally?
It was big internationally. But the jokes made Norris known to a whole different generation than the one watching WTR.
today at 4:36 PM
I loved WTR as a child in Spain! (This was like 15 years ago tho)
today at 4:55 PM
It was extremely popular in Russian-speaking areas in the late 90s.
today at 5:03 PM
In Spain it was on the TV also for like a decade, and everybody knows who he is. Also in France.
today at 5:06 PM
Haven't watched it and first time hearing about it too. But I knew who Chuck Norris was.
today at 4:02 PM
I watched it all the time in Canada.
today at 4:59 PM
Lies. Everyone knows The Red Green Show is the only television program legally allowed in Canada.
today at 3:29 PM
It was quite popular in France.
Huuuuuuuuge in South Africa.
today at 6:46 PM
Personally I was at a prime age watching a lot of Conan O'Brien's Late Night show and one of his best skits was the Walker Texas Ranger Lever. They would pick the most ridiculous clips from the show and just run them out of context. IIRC Chuck Norris even showed up on the show one time to give him a "stern talking to". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpIEyn9G6_8
Also, he fought Bruce Lee! One of my favorite face-offs ever filmed, esp in the martial arts movie genre. Not many actors who could say that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlTyJhbTxxo&pp=ygUZY2h1Y2sgb...
today at 4:28 PM
Any person from South Africa from that era will have a certain tv announcement permanently etched in their memories. It goes something like:
"Friday night is action night with Walker Texas Ranger"
today at 5:27 PM
Somehow, I don't think he'll be remembered for Karate Kommandos ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK6hb602588
today at 6:40 PM
Never heard about this series in France. I discovered him through the jokes. I am 55
today at 5:19 PM
The only time I ever saw Walker,Texas Ranger was when I was living in Italy for a few months in the aughts. It was dubbed in Italian. Apparently it was popular there.
today at 3:11 PM
I loved that show! I was a teenager. Peak 1990s.
today at 3:02 PM
And he would be known by those people. I remember him being famous in the 90s.
Would the people who grew up in the early 2000s, or especially 2010s, know much of anything about him?
I mean how much do younger people know about Scott Baio or the Corys or Candice Bergen these days?
today at 3:18 PM
You might be able to argue he was a bigger star than any of them.
His career lasted far longer. He had big movie appearances for 30 years, none of those people accomplished that.
Norris' first movie role was in 1968, first big credited appearance was 1972, Walker Texas Ranger finished in 2001.
today at 6:54 PM
> You might be able to argue he was a bigger star than any of them.
I think that's a hard argument to make.
Candace Bergen's career was just as long. Her first movie role was 1966, she was nominated for an Oscar in 1979, and she was on a popular sitcom from 1988 to 1998 that won her five Emmies and attracted national commentary after criticism from the Vice President.
I was a kid in the 80s and 90s and to me even then Chuck Norris was a B-movie self-parody joke character. He was not an A-list "action star" in the sense that Schwarzenneger, Stallone, or even Van Damme were.
today at 3:09 PM
Haha havenât heard of either of those but I do know that when Chuck Norris does pushups he pushes the Earth down
today at 3:30 PM
The dude was a badass, 6 time undefeated karate world champion (!!!), created his own variant of karate mixed with korean martial arts, was a good friend with Bruce Lee and that scene in Colloseum - probably the coolest thing I saw as a kid growing up behind iron curtain... not many actors can have such a resume on top of their acting career.
Those who cared would/will know him regardless. But obviously those people would be relatively few and far apart.
today at 4:00 PM
An immense amount of time, dedication and talent must have went into all those achievements. This requires mastery of body and mind at an exceptional level. Putting aside all jokes and acting roles, the martials arts is where he earned my full respect and that will also stick in my memory about him.
today at 4:30 PM
He had is own line of denims, with extra stretchy crotches. Makes roundhouse kicking baddies in the face easier.
today at 4:10 PM
Chuck Norris made a Chuck Norris joke in one of the Expendable movies, and for that I'm willing to forgive all his indiscretions.
That is hands down one of my ATF scenes in any movie. Expendables 2 was IMO just about the most "fun" movie I've ever seen as well. It wasn't great cinema, or a specific classic.. but it was fun. I have similar feelings about Gremlins 2 as well. We need more fun movies, but too many people seem to have not been issued a sense of humor these days.
today at 5:36 PM
X1 is also great imo. Just the perfect blend of action, self awareness and cheese.
Maybe https://youtu.be/OBGtINJmFto?t=79
today at 8:15 PM
Yep, this is the one
today at 5:25 PM
> And what did he do? Try and shut it down and start suing people. Stupid.
Isn't that an obligation when you own a trademark? That you sue people, or else you may lose the trademark?
today at 5:31 PM
> Isn't that an obligation when you own a trademark? That you sue people, or else you may lose the trademark?
It's not quite as cut and dry as you suggest. Besides, in which way was a trademark being violated? Last I knew merely talking about and referencing a celebrity by name was not a trademark violation.
today at 3:51 PM
Found out about his passing from my teenage kids. They knew him as some legendary tough guy based solely on the jokes, but had no idea who he actually was. To be fair, looking at some other comments here about his political and personal leanings, I didn't know who he actually was either.
today at 7:47 PM
If it werenâtâŠsubjunctive mood. Sorry, itâs Pedantic Friday in my small world.
today at 5:41 PM
Chuck Norris was and is still an international sensation. Chuck Norris is right up there with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jean Claude Van Damme.
His round kick, Walker Texas Ranger and his fight with Bruce Lee. In Africa, to this day, some TV channels still play his stuff.
today at 3:55 PM
His proximity to Bruce Lee earned him more or less permanent kung fu cinema fame. Walker,Texas Ranger and other work he did definitely boosted it, but the memes clinched it.
today at 3:21 PM
This post certainly wouldn't be here right now.
today at 3:07 PM
Maybe not as well, but between the "Walker gave me aids" clip and Conan's Walker Texas Ranger lever, he'd still have been known well enough.
today at 3:15 PM
Oh good point.
today at 4:09 PM
The quote is âWalker says I have AIDSâ
>> If it wasnât for those jokes would he be remembered anywhere as well?
Youâre assuming the jokes make people dive deeper. In reality I know the jokes and didnât have a clue who he was and never cared enough to find out. The reality is the probably didnât make much of a difference to how well he or his work was actually known.
today at 4:58 PM
No, I didnât mean it that way. I meant they wouldnât even know the name.
Not that they actually know about him past the tough guy persona of the jokes.
today at 5:34 PM
The Ruby gem "Faker" is used for generating fake data for testing, like legit-looking names, emails, phone numbers, lorum ipsum text, etc. About 10 years ago I was working on a messaging app, and wanted some real messages to see in the UI while I was developing it. One of the best engineering decisions I've made in my career was to pick the Chuck Norris Facts generator for the messages, so every time I re-seeded my local db or looked at a review app on staging, I was greeted by two fake people sending a half-dozen Chuck Norris facts to each other.
https://github.com/faker-ruby/faker/blob/main/lib/locales/en...
today at 6:45 PM
Jeff Dean got his Chuck Norris app published by Chuck Norris.
today at 2:43 PM
I'm pretty sure they were all the rage when _I_ was at school, but that was long before the iPhone.
I'm curious on what grounds they blocked the app.
> I'm curious on what grounds they blocked the app.
The app probably used his pictures or his name, which are easy candidates for copyright or trademark-claims.
today at 4:39 PM
Mentioned below in a few comments but it was on the grounds of using his name/likeness.
(Not the parent poster) I found out about them in 2008-2009, and they were quite popular online and offline.
today at 2:52 PM
If you're curious, maybe you can look into Chuck's lawsuit against Penguin's book of Chuck Norris facts. He would eventually "co-author" his own book. The obvious guess here is trademark infringement (over use of Chuck's name/likeness) and/or copyright (if some of these facts were lifted from his book).
today at 4:03 PM
Interesting. I get the likeness thing, but surely one could publish jokes about anyone they wish and that would be satire or fair use or something?
Facts and copyright is an interesting one, because I'm surprised a fact can be copyrighted, unless it's the wording specifically.
today at 4:18 PM
For better or worse, in the US you can pretty much sue anyone for anything. A court certainly requires more evidence to declare liability than Apple would to remove an app.
As far as copywriting facts, are you really under the impression that Chuck Norris is the only man who can factually slam a revolving door? :)
today at 7:24 PM
I knew of "Walker, Texas Ranger" but the jokes definitely kept him relevant to my generation (age: 49) for a resurgent period of time.
The only one I remember offhand:
"Chuck Norris doesn't do pushups, he pushes the world down."
today at 4:19 PM
The expendables had a scene that was basically the meme in live action, highly recommend. Itâs all over YouTube.
today at 4:49 PM
That scene makes the movie one of the few 10/10 movies in my opinion. It's perfect for the target audience.
Seeing my dad, who grew up on these actors' action flicks, laugh himself to tears when Chuck Norris appears is one of my favourite memories.
today at 3:08 PM
John Wick wears Chuck Norris pajamas. RIP to a legend.
Was this before or after Mike Huckabee started publicly offering Chuck Norris as his solution to "border security" on the campaign trail?
today at 3:35 PM
In India, we have Rajni (Rajnikanth) jokes that keep increasing in number and are still pretty popular...
I remember reading 'The Vinci Code' in college which was very popular those days and getting a SMS from a friend almost the same day, "Rajnikanth gave Monalisa that smile!".
I'm still enjoying the Nolan jokes / memes, but in a weird way because of course, via https://www.reddit.com/r/CroppedNorrisJokes/
today at 4:53 PM
I did something similar when Microsoft gave away Windows Phones for every app published on the app store. I used the Chuck Norris API though. The one I used is sadly no longer available (I think it was called CNDB). But there's a new one: https://api.chucknorris.io
today at 4:52 PM
Only God could defeat Chuck Norris.
today at 5:58 PM
Well, that remains to be seen
today at 7:06 PM
today at 4:08 PM
I printed out all the jokes on my dad's home office printer and sold copies at school. This was pre smartphones.
In had one app like that from Cydia Loved it.
today at 3:42 PM
i created a Facebook App that did something similar, it posted random jokes on your wall
This was like 2005-2006
today at 4:25 PM
Having been near the epicenter, I recall that Vin Diesel jokes (same format) pre-dated Chuck Norris ones. I always found it a shame that the Chuck Norris ones caught on; Vin Diesel is, imo, a better role model.
I bet Vin wouldn't have blocked your app.
today at 5:24 PM
> Chuck Norrisâs estate blocked the app from going live. I wish I had printed that rejection out and framed it.
Seeing the youthful spirit run headfirst into the corprocracy of locked down devices and app stores is depressing. Twenty years ago you would have made a webapp or flash animation, most likely avoided scrutiny and not even been shaken down. Thirty years ago you would have made a QBasic program and floppy/email/dcc it to your friends, completely illegible to the corprocracy. But these days simply trying to publish through the common channels, and you're immediately subject to restrictions made for businesses.
today at 2:56 PM
today at 2:24 PM
Death had to take Chuck Norris sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.
today at 6:11 PM
Chuck Norris never slept, he just waited
today at 4:47 PM
And yet death was defeated. And with that, Chuck Norris took up its mantle.
they were better when they were Vin Diesel jokes.
today at 3:05 PM
The Vin Diesel jokes I remember had an absurd quality to them beyond "He's really tough." One I recall fondly was "Vin Diesel writes Donkey Kong Fan Fiction."
Chuck Norris jokes were making rounds well before Vin Diesel was even born.
today at 4:43 PM
The Chuck Norris fact page that really kicked this all off started as a Vin Diesel fact page.
Most of the original funny Chuck Norris facts were from the original Vin Diesel ones.
today at 7:52 PM
The kids today don't know their internet lore. smh.
Is this a joke?
today at 2:45 PM
Haha, good one.
I will have to steal this one for my upcoming valedictorian speech.
The crowd is going to love it.
today at 2:58 PM
I believe it's stolen from a quote said about Teddy Roosevelt
https://markloveshistory.com/2018/01/06/death-had-to-take-ro...
Except is was said by Vice President Thomas R. Marshall upon Theodore Rooseveltâs death and co-opted as a Chuck Norris joke.
Teddy Roosevelt was the Chuck Norris of his day. It is appropriate.
today at 7:40 PM
All due respect, no comparison, teddy is a real legend not just cinema. Lets not conflate the two. Much love to chuck though.
today at 5:02 PM
I think that comparison is quite unfair to Teddy, and overly flattering to Chuck Norris.
Historian, sheriff, war hero, governor, explorer, and a successful President who reshaped America largely for the better. While Roosevelt was human, he led a life that very few have ever matched.
That said, the line does fit them both.
today at 6:37 PM
Literally saved Football.
today at 2:57 PM
It's a kickass obituary, no matter the subject!
today at 3:00 PM
I agree!
It is funny because you usually think of Death as something inevitable and people just accept it but then ... some of these guys put up a fight. Mega-LMAO!
from his instagram for his last birthday ( https://www.instagram.com/p/DVtiSHbETbX/ )
I donât age. I level up. Iâm 86 today! Nothing like some playful action on a sunny day to make you feel young. Iâm grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love. Thank you all for being the best fans in the world. Your support through the years has meant more to me than youâll ever know. God Bless, Chuck Norris
today at 3:40 PM
Literally 10 days ago
today at 7:08 PM
Jokes aside, this octogenarian was living his golden years enviably. He was summiting peaks last fall, doing 500 lb barbell curls, and still sparring in his birthday video just 10 days ago. Weâve all gotta go sometime, but the way Chuck Norris went out was the way Iâd want to goâable to do it all right up until the end. He was a lot of folksâ childhood hero, but that title is freshly renewed in my eyes. I have new inspiration in my fitness endeavors going forward.
> 500 lb barbell curls
?
today at 2:29 PM
He was supposed to die last year, but death took a while to muster the courage to call him.
today at 5:26 PM
Death once had a near-Chuck experience
today at 2:14 PM
He finally defeated life
today at 2:22 PM
While normally making jokes after a person's death would be socially questionable, in this case Chuck Norris himself loved the Chuck Norris jokes. For me at least, a good sense of humor is maybe the most endearing personality trait. RIP
today at 3:04 PM
Fundamentally, I'd argue that very little should ever be unreasonable or out of bounds to make jokes about; what is important is that it's good humour.
Case in point: https://theonion.com/hijackers-surprised-to-find-selves-in-h...
And, as you say, in Chuck Norris' case, it's virtually obligatory.
today at 3:19 PM
> Fundamentally, I'd argue that very little should ever be unreasonable or out of bounds to make jokes about; what is important is that it's good humour.
On a personal level, I couldn't agree more. I do hope that culturally we get to that point at some time :-)
today at 2:37 PM
Giving people reason to laugh while you are old and dying is a superpower. I wish i will have it, too.
I can only assume Chuck has decided to relieve the grim reaper of his duties, leaving us all here to meet our own end not with a scythe but a roundhouse kick.
today at 2:54 PM
Shades of Piers Anthony's "On a Pale Horse," Death showed up to take Chuck Norris and Chuck killed him, taking his place.
today at 3:14 PM
I loved that series, until the last book. Maybe the novelty had worn off.
It's been a long time since I read it, but didn't the current Death decide to retire and pass the role on?
If you're referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_a_Velvet_Cloak - note that it was written a couple decades after the prior books of the series, for a different publisher, to a different length. Those would be yellow flags with almost any author.
Chuck Norris once slapped Pi so hard it became rational for a moment.
RIP dude, weâd continue the jokes, may your soul laughs as hard as we do.
Chuck Norris once bet 42 is a prime. He won.
today at 4:05 PM
Sorry, but these Chuck Norris jokes are more like Bruce Schneier facts: https://www.schneierfacts.com/
today at 6:21 PM
I used to love the Schneierfacts, I mean I still do, but I used to as well.
They were obviously a bit more niche, but that made them funnier to my mind.
> For Bruce Schneier, all zeros of the Riemann zeta function are trivial.
today at 2:20 PM
I'm sure he'll get better soon
Chuck never dies.
today at 2:49 PM
one of my favorite stack overflow questions: Why does HTML think âchucknorrisâ is a color?
https://stackoverflow.com/q/8318911
today at 4:34 PM
I came to the conclusion a long time ago that early browser developers must have really been on quite a lot of drugs.
today at 7:02 PM
And the beast shall come forth surrounded by a roiling cloud of vengeance. The house of the unbelievers shall be razed and they shall be scorched to the earth. Their tags shall blink until the end of days. â from The Book of Mozilla, 12:10
Some recent discussion on that one a couple Advents ago:
https://htmhell.dev/adventcalendar/2024/20/ (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42468318)
today at 8:08 PM
Death will soon realize that he messed with the wrong man.
today at 4:38 PM
I remember trade chat (/2) in wow on the Medivh server would often turn into Chuck Norris jokes. There were always about how bad ass Chuck was. How tough and impossibly manly.
One of my favorites.
Chuck Norris jumped into a lake. Chuck Norris didn't get wet. The lake got Chucked.
Trade chat (like /b/) was never great, but one of the first WoW addons I developed was designed to filter out garbage like this, and make idling with your guildies in Ironforge tolerable.
It's funny for a while, in measured amounts, and then it becomes tiresome.
Anal [Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker]
today at 6:01 PM
17 years ago we launched the first "Chuck Norris Facts" app for Android (March 2009). It was a big success until end of 2010 when Chuck Norris sent his lawyers after us to get the app removed from the Android market. Chuck Norris won, we took the app down
today at 2:42 PM
I fear the crime wave as the thugs hear about this and take the streets back. Be careful out there people.
today at 3:10 PM
From Reddit: "I heard that the opening 27 minutes of Saving Private Ryan were loosely based on a game of dodgeball played by Chuck Norris in 2nd grade." ;-)
Chuck Norris didnât die, we simply phased out of his reality.
Chuck Norris (and Michael Landon) were golden age role models for young men. Strong but thoughtful, firm but compassionate, and deeply principled but also practical. Yes, these were acting roles but they picked those roles for a reason. Rest in peace, Chuck.
"Deeply principled" really doesn't describe Obama birther conspiracists.
today at 3:36 PM
Chuck Norris was no role model, unless you want your young men to grow up as fascist Christian nationalist homophobes.
It's depressing your comment is being shadowed. You'd think the HN crowd would be more intellectual. Chuck Norris did have shitty views.
today at 5:40 PM
And it is not as if he was great at acting or as martial artist.
Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan were in a completely different league.
today at 5:35 PM
Iâm used to it by now, but thanks.
today at 5:00 PM
[dead]
He was openly maga and a homophobe and a transphobe. I wouldnât consider these qualities for a role model.
> I wouldnât consider these qualities for a role model.
I assume that most of the people here aren't considering becoming a homophobe because they think the chuck norris jokes are funny.
today at 3:16 PM
Many like myself did not know this as a kid in the 80s-90s. Some of the movies he made like "sidekicks" left a positive impression at that age.
today at 3:41 PM
In the 80s-90s his positions would have aligned fine with the center left.
Some of them, perhaps. I don't think the center left would ever have been into the birther conspiracy.
There were conspiracy theories in the 80s and 90s too.
today at 6:32 PM
There is a huge difference between general conspiracy theories and the birther lie which was more racist astroturfing than a legitimate conspiracy
today at 4:31 PM
Forget the 80s-90s - Even California passed prop 8 in 2008.
today at 4:04 PM
Save it for reddit
GP said "these were acting roles." They were talking about the characters, not the actors behind them.
today at 3:22 PM
But then he said he "picked them for a reason" implying that he chose those characters based on the characteristics he shared with them
today at 3:37 PM
Whatever the reason, it wasn't because his characters were "openly maga and a homophobe and a transphobe," because they weren't. Bruce Lee movies and Texas Ranger didn't address those issues at all.
And in spite of his flaws, it's possible that he had some good qualities as well, or at least aspired to them. So maybe those other qualities were what he looked for in the characters he played.
today at 3:50 PM
Doesn't seem like he aspired all that hard, since instead of expressing empathy for people who weren't like him, he continued to be a bigot in nearly every aspect. But sure, if you were a white cis straight guy I'm sure he was perfectly kind.
today at 3:57 PM
You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become a Faceboot psychosis villain. It's basically the politics version of "Why is everything so cold?"
I think you forget that Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act and put in the policy of âDonât ask donât tellâ and Obama supported it originally.
Of course they both had a change of heart- was it true change or they saw the direction of the political winds? Who knows?
I donât know Chuck Norrisâs views on LGBT. But if he was a self proclaimed âborn again Christianâ and a rabid Trump supporter, I can only guess. But I no more expect people who were insulted by what he said (which I personally donât know) to give him more grace or reverence than I do is a Black man who couldnât give two shits about a dead racist podcaster.
Other people no more need to âcontextualizeâ homophobia than I feel a need to âcontextualizeâ the racism of a dead podcaster.
> put in the policy of âDonât ask donât tellâ
DADT was a significant improvement over the status quo of "we ask, you tell, and then you get dishonorably discharged". Considering it evidence of homophobia is revisionism. Did it go far enough? No. Was it a good step towards where we wanted to go? Yes.
And the Defense of Marriage Act?
today at 3:46 PM
> It passed both houses of Congress by large, veto-proof majorities. Support was bipartisan, though about a third of the Democratic caucus in both the House and Senate opposed it. Clinton criticized DOMA as "divisive and unnecessary".
Sure doesn't seem like a Clinton issue?
Again he still signed it. Itâs like Susan Collins who always has âserious misgivingsâ about things that her fellow Republicans do and then votes the party line anyway trying to stay in her partyâs good graces while at the same time not pissing off her liberal constituents
today at 4:15 PM
> Again he still signed it.
It was gonna be law either way; signing it removed a political weapon from the folks pushing its passage. Arguing this is something Clinton did to gay people is counterfactual.
today at 4:21 PM
Thatâs a really poor excuse to sign on to something that you disagree with. I would not sign a petition for making the âConfederacy Dayâ law if I lived in Mississippi just because it would become law anyway. You have to stand for something.
Would you think it was okay if Tim Scott signed such a law just so his fellow Republicans couldnât hold it against him in the primary? Well actually I wouldnât be surprised if he didâŠ
> Thatâs a really poor excuse to sign on to something that you disagree with.
It's a pragmatic excuse.
Not signing changes nothing; clear statements that it's bad law; avoid giving the assholes pushing it more likelihood of winning the next election.
A clear statement of it being a bad law is not signing it. Should he not do anything that would give assholes an excuse to argue with him?
Am I suppose to be okay if he signed a law overturning âBrown vs Board of Educationâ because it would become law anyway?
Was the fact that he signed off on executing a mentally retarded man because it would show he was âtough on crimeâ just him being âpragmaticâ?
https://jacobin.com/2016/11/bill-clinton-rickey-rector-death...
Getting back on topic, I donât get to praise Chuck Norris because of his anti-racism stances but then dismiss his stances against non straight people.
today at 6:55 PM
today at 4:11 PM
[flagged]
Half the country didn't vote for Trump. Not quite 2/3rds of the voting eligible people in the country voted to begin with, and not even half of those people voted for Trump.
Less than 1/3rd of eligible voters voted for Trump.
Not all people that voted for Trump consider themselves Republicans, much less MAGA, when MAGA is only 50-60% of Republicans.
So in reality less than 1/6th of the US voting-eligible population is MAGA. Not half.
And that was at the election - roughly 20% of Trump voters now openly profess regret in voting for him, though I don't think we have data breaking that down as self-proclaimed MAGA vs. otherwise. I suspect if you were not self-proclaimed MAGA you're more likely to be open to regret, but I'm sure at least some of them were MAGA.
This is so much copium. Because of the electoral college, if you lived in California, NY, Missippi etc it doesnât matter who you voted for for President, you knew where all of electoral votes were going.
Poll after poll shows 35-40% of the country supports Trump.
today at 8:00 PM
None of that changes the fact that the statement that half the country is MAGA because half the country voted for Trump is untrue.
Significantly less than half the country voted for Trump. This is objective fact.
Significantly less than 100% of Trump voters identify as MAGA. This is objective fact.
Approving of Trump as President is also not the same thing as being MAGA, though the overlap is quite likely reasonably high at this point.
You can make an argument that there are more MAGA people than I estimated, but the argument I was referring to was basing it all off of voters for the 2024 election. If you want to make a different argument, we can look at it on its merits.
today at 8:12 PM
I gave an analogy earlier that if you have 10 friends and asked them where they wanted to eat dinner and six said letâs get Italian and the other 4 said âLetâs kill Ralph and eat himâ, you still have a shitty friend group.
If 40% of the country still supports everything thatâs going on, that tells you a lot about this country. Especially seeing that because of the 2 Senators per state regardless of population, gerrymandering and to a lesser extent the electoral college, they have outsized influence on the government.
Exactly how can you approve of what Trump is doing and not be MAGA?
today at 6:51 PM
Unless poll after poll is contacting and registering answers from 100% of people in the country, that's only 35-40% of the people who answered the poll, which is a much, much smaller number.
today at 6:56 PM
Statistical sampling has been an accepted technique for over a century now
today at 5:54 PM
Stating objective facts is not "copium".
It is simply false that "half the country [voted] for Trump".
today at 4:13 PM
Well he was against gay marriage and against the Boy Scouts of America allowing gay kids.
If I have 10 friends and ask them all where they want to eat for dinner and 6 said letâs go to this nice Italian spot and the other 4 said âletâs kill Ralph and eat himâ, that still means I have a shitty friend group.
today at 5:57 PM
It's more like 3 say "let's get Italian", 3 say "let's get Mexican", 3 say "I'm not hungry", and 1 says "let's kill Ralph, and eat him seasoned with Italian spices". Then the first 3 say "great idea!".
> You say "openly MAGA" as if it were a crime or something to be ashamed of.
maga is absolutely something to be ashamed of
today at 6:22 PM
It is absolutely something to be ashamed of, and a moral crime.
today at 6:24 PM
today at 4:35 PM
> You say "openly MAGA" as if it were a crime or something to be ashamed of
Can you explain why it's not something to be ashamed of?
today at 5:01 PM
I'm not American, but I don't see anything shameful about the fact that some people want to put their country of origin before the interests of other countries. I know I'd rather my politicians take care of my country first.
That isn't inherently against compassionate care for the rest of humanity. It just means that a government's primary responsibility is to its own citizens and, given that resources are finite, I would prefer my elected officials to secure more of them for our region when possible.
Whether Trump's approach is flawed is certainly up for debate (he's definitely insane and a tyrant), but efforts to "Make America Great Again" are not inherently bad.
(I'm actually from one of the countries targeted by ICE, btw. I'll just be respectful enough not to go to your country uninvited.)
today at 5:45 PM
Those points are fine, but not the root of what makes MAGA shameful. You can go about having that opinion and take actions towards it without being racist, anti-LGBT, generally hateful, and backing an administration that has been proven time and time again to be deceitful in every facet and tuned to the interest of the wealthiest.
today at 5:23 PM
You have a very narrow and rose colored view of what maga is. To us living in the US, maga stands for pedophilia, misogyny, racism, fascism, homophobia, transphobia, corroption and much more.
It absolutely has nothing to do with putting america first, it has everything to do with putting trump first. Im afraid you have made the mistake of listening to a politicians words instead of watching his actions. Every word from his mouth is a lie.
today at 5:30 PM
> To us living in the US
I'm not MAGA but it still doesn't stand for those things to me, or a massive percentage of the rest of the country.
today at 5:51 PM
That's absolutely what it stands for. To see this you need only listen to what they say and observe what they do.
today at 5:53 PM
I know he's a liar. He is probably mentally ill and definitely not very bright. But I was not talking about Donald Trump. I was talking about the principle of wanting to make one's country "great."
> To us living in the US maga stands for...
This is not true. The GOP won the popular vote, centrists see some advantages in MAGA, and even some Democrats are against MAGA without going to the extreme of painting them all as pedophiles and corrupt.
You are in the minority with that opinion.
today at 6:02 PM
"Make America Great Again" is propaganda and you're analyzing it as if it were a truthful mission statement.
Or more aptly, you're commenting on the title instead of reading TFA.
MAGA does not mean what you think it means for the people who actually live here.
today at 4:46 PM
I'm not american but I see technically nothing wrong with MAGA for me. it doesn't mean you must be transphobe or homophobe etc. but what people do under MAGA is another thing. sometimes it feels like for them it means "run america into the ground" or "get rid of all the best about america". GRABA if you like
today at 5:32 PM
You mean things done under MAGA led by a president who said on national TV that Haitians are eating pets and led the âbirtherâ conspiracy ?
today at 4:41 PM
Being maga is diametrically opposed to supporting your country, as we've seen in particular this time around, but was also clearly visible in 2016-2020.
Rampant abuse of the legal system to target individuals, despite claiming (without evidence) that that was that the Democrats did against them
Total disregard for the constitution
Threats towards the judiciary
A million other things that I can list - but I'm sure you've heard them all and just don't care, so there's probably not much use in me continuing.
The entire point of MAGA is that they see âtheir countryâ as one where uppity negroes like Obama should have known his place, itâs DEI whenever a minority has a position of influence and power yet they keep lowering the standards for both ICE and the DOJ and RFK JR with no medical knowledge is the head of HHS.
America wonât be âgreatâ until minorities, non Christians and non straight people know their role.
today at 4:51 PM
Indeed. And supporting MAGA is supporting the destruction of your country.
today at 4:54 PM
To believe in "Make America Great Again" you have to believe that America is not great, and this implies you are ashamed of your country. Shame is built in to MAGA.
That's some grade AAA ignorance hard at work. Or did you mean supporting Israel?
My country is not a cult of personality.
today at 4:56 PM
MAGA is not "the country". It's a collection of disgusting people that will take everything for themselves, even from others "in the group".
today at 5:18 PM
Anyone not ashamed to be MAGA is a psychopath. It absolutely is a shameful, hateful stance to embrace.
MAGA isn't a political platform, it's a cult of personality.
Witness the abrupt reversal in public opinion on foreign wars in the last month.
today at 4:44 PM
today at 4:45 PM
He was vocally against gay marriage
He was a vocal proponent of the birther conspiracy theory about Obama
today at 4:50 PM
You are talking to deaf ears on this forum. Chuck was a great role model for real men, and I don't give a flying duck about what the majority on this forum thinks about that.
today at 6:36 PM
Real men don't hate gay people and aren't scared about where people pee
Masculine, kind, and fatherly. What a man. I want to be more like Chuck.
today at 5:14 PM
What part about Chuck was a great role model for real men?
The homophobia? The racism? The infidelity? The conspiracy theories?
Or just because he was a martial artist and actor that had a bunch of low effort memes?
today at 5:22 PM
Just out of curiosity, could you (or anyone else) give a couple of examples of what you would consider "great role models for real men"? Or "good role models for well-adapted men", if you'd rather use less inflammatory language.
today at 5:44 PM
Fred Rogers, Terry Crews, Lin Manuel Miranda, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Steve Irwin and Dave Grohl to name a few.
Fred Rogers advised François Clemmons, an openly gay cast member, to remain closeted and even suggested he marry a woman to protect the show's viability.[1]
Terry Crews? Porn addict. [2]
Lin Manuel Miranda "blindly asks BIPOC performers to act in a piece detailing historical events benefiting their oppressors." [3]
Henry Cavill undermined the #MeToo movement saying he feared being called a "rapist" if he pursued women. [4]
John Cena buries talent... used his backstage influence to undermine the momentum of new stars (remember The Nexus in 2010, CM Punk etc) [5]
Steve Irwin fed a crocodille while holding his month-old son, putting him in danger. [6]
Dave Grohl? Chronic infidelity. [7]
All these men are way better than me, for sure. But you can see how these arguments against Chuck Norris are a slippery slope:
> The homophobia? The racism? The infidelity? The conspiracy theories?
You're cherry-picking virtues from people aligned with your politics and ignoring the good things your perceived "adversaries" have.
[1] https://www.npr.org/2020/04/30/847315345/officer-clemmons-mi...
[2] https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/terry-crews-pornog...
[3] https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/12/9/unpop-opinion-c...
[4] https://culturess.com/2018/07/13/henry-cavill-missed-point-m...
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQr5ZD6fr0g&t=3s
[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-47343688
[7] https://www.gutinstinctmedia.com/latest-articles/a-rockstar-...
today at 5:37 PM
Ironically, the very concept of a âreal manâ is founded on the idea that a man should be defined by stereotypes rather than by sex, which puts manosphere enthusiasts and gender enthusiasts in closer epistemological proximity than either would care to admit.
today at 5:43 PM
I saw this coming, that's why I made this point, which you ignored:
> Could you give a couple of examples of what you would consider > "good role models for well-adapted men" ?
I'm actually curious.
today at 6:33 PM
Amy Coney Barrett.
Supreme court judge, mother of 7, still finds time to go to the gym.
I meant male role models for men (I'm sure you could find one). Not every man aspires to be the mother of 7 and go to the gym. (Because: remember that gyms are classist by design. [1])
But maybe lets talk about how Amy got called out by The Human Rights Campaign and 185 LGBTQ organizations for her "disturbingly anti-LGBTQ past writings, rhetoric and association with extremist groups." [2]
Or how about when The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights described her record as "fundamentally cruel," arguing she frequently sides with corporations over individuals and shows hostility toward established precedents like the Affordable Care Act.
At least Chuck Norris had no real impact on policy with his bigotry.
[1] https://www.leeboyce.com/truth-the-fitness-life-is-a-relativ...
[2] https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/the-human-rights-campaign...
[3] https://civilrights.org/resource/oppose-the-confirmation-of-...
Why does a role model for a man have to be a man? Besides, she's an exceptionally good role model even for traditionalist views of what makes a man, by virtue of being so accomplished in her career and still making time for family and health. Her record poses the question: what's your excuse? Men who are all-in on hyperfocus should wither before her.
Sure, there are people that hate her. Her own patron, our Dear Leader, probably hates her when she rules against his interests. All the more reason to respect her.
today at 7:39 PM
Sure, a woman can be a role model for a man.
Just out of curiosity, could you think of one man that could also be a role model for men and women?
today at 7:09 PM
Real men say fuck.
Real men have culture and don't have to say that.
today at 5:15 PM
what are "real men"?
You grew up and you still have to ask?
You just told us you don't give a flying duck, so I guess thanks for answering a question with a question...?
today at 6:09 PM
It wasn't really a question.
today at 6:12 PM
Guess I'll never know?
today at 8:06 PM
In this context, a "real man" is probably someone who conforms to the traditional role of a male (physically strong, emotionally restrained, a provider and protector of women, children, and weaker men, etc.).
Of course, "real men" can be just the opposite, depending on who you ask. So, it's really a subjective issue.
I don't think every man should be like that, but I also don't think any of those qualities are bad. In fact, I think they're pretty admirable.
Do you have issues with the fact that some men conform to that type?
today at 3:44 PM
Imagine basing your entire opinion on a man about how they feel about that other man.
Imagine having a lot of people you once admired and looked up to as role models, from actors all the way to even your parents, suddenly all within a decade or so take their masks off and reveal that they are actually villains.
Is it revelatory that human beings having a quality you admire aren't the ideal person you projected them to be?
I'd reckon you'd be hard pressed to find a single person that matches every quality/belief you imagined them to have.
today at 4:40 PM
I donât think this is about nit picking some small detail that causes them to fail a quality/belief checklist. Itâs not like finding out your hero picks his nose or doesnât like chocolate ice cream. When someone goes mask-off as MAGA, they are revealing fundamental core beliefs and values that totally flip the kind of person you might have thought they were.
I have friends and family who I never thought had a hateful, cruel, or belligerent bone in their bodies, suddenly start acting like totally different people, in the span of a few years. This isnât me holding them to some purity checklist!
"Good People" suddenly going all in on racist rants and hard-core misogyny is never going to stop being disturbing.
Some of them taught me how to behave!? Did they just not believe any of those things?
MAGA is a horrifying movement.
It's an object lesson on how certain historical things happened. We go, oh no how could those people have all been inhuman monsters? If only we understood what made them like that.
And the monkey's paw curlsâŠ
Agreed. Additionally, when someone says something latently bigoted or hateful, it's easy to just let it slide because we all have our failings and societal progress is slow. Whereas maggotry is about openly embracing those failings, taking on additional types of failings from other people, and then socially validating it all as a purported political movement. But the only real thing tying it together is frustration with the world culminating in lashing out, which is why when they get into power there are no actual constructive policies in any political framework [0]. (apart from lining the preachers' pockets of course, and now apparently a holy war)
nit: I wouldn't call it "mask off" though, as if it's been there the whole time. I'd say it's more like there is tiny a kernel of that (and let's be honest, who doesn't have this in some form or another?), combined with a lack of willpower and critical thinking, that causes them into give in to the siren song of easy answers from mass-personalized propaganda.
[0] ancap and religious fundamentalism are the only frameworks I've been able to find that fit the maggot movement, and they're not particularly constructive.
today at 5:16 PM
Fred Rogers was the same kind, thoughtful person in everyday life as he was when he acted on his show. You can watch the congressional tapes of him testifying on increased funding to PBS and also testifying on not making VCRs illegal.
today at 6:17 PM
I stopped being a Chuck Norris fan when I learned he was a frequent contributor to WorldNetDaily, that he actively campaigned against gay marriage, and that he advocated for the theory that Obama was not born in America and saying shit like 'Electing Obama will plunge America into a thousand years of darkness.'
Him liking Trump was a symptom of his regressive, homophobic, and racist beliefs.
Incomprehensible levels of based.
A kind person with humility would never say this.
it's possible to disagree with someone politically and still acknowledge their positive aspects.
Remember the good ol' days when people just didn't discuss politics or religion out of decency? There was a reason for that, both bring out the worst in people.
today at 5:05 PM
The problem is that living life is inherently political. Being able to ignore politics, not having to feel the need to discuss them, is a sign that you are inherently better off than a good chunk of this country.
A lot of people spend most of their waking hours having to deal with or at least keep in mind the fall out from regressive politics. Asking people to not discuss politics is like asking someone living in fear for their safety to not try and improve said safety. You're asking to not have to be bothered by something that annoys you to talk about in exchange for someone not being able to advocate for their life and livelihood.
today at 5:42 PM
I agree with the sentiment. My point was more people used to have a common understanding that there was a time and place for political (and religious) discussion - and that those beliefs were deeply personal, shaped largely by experience, and not meant to be held against one another in the broader judgement of their character.
Somewhere along the way we lost that idea, not all cultural changes are for the better.
today at 3:53 PM
Suddenly I'm reminded of the decent (grown) people who yelled in six year-old Ruby Bridges' face when she was merely attending elementary school. So if that was 1960, I'm just wondering when those good ol' days you're referring to where.
It is an expression, you neednât interpret it literally.
today at 4:01 PM
Oh, okay. I guess that's a convenient excuse to not have to back up your words.
This is hn not reddit, do you really expect a response to your whataboutism?
"Whataboutism" is just asking you to validate your claims, I guess.
Despite how much they would have you believe it, human rights are not a political issue. Politics are used to expand practiced rights (or abused to reduce them), just like politics are involved with providing you access to water.
What positive aspects are there for someone who supported racist birther conspiracy theories and supported Benjamin Netanyahu?
today at 3:39 PM
For a simple political disagreement? Absolutely; I completely agree. But to believe that a certain class of people shouldnât exist is not a run of the mill political belief, and treating it that way normalizes the behavior and contributes to the problem.
To Godwin a little, Hitler's veganism doesn't make him a "role model", even if you think veganism is a good thing.
Fortunately Godwin's law was only an observation of a tendency and, as Godwin himself clarified, not a proscription against an apt comparison.
today at 3:31 PM
Sorry you donât get to say âWell this person doesnât think I have the right to exist and be respected as a person. But Iâm sure glad he saved a puppy once.â
today at 2:35 PM
It's a trick; he will come back unscathed in the next episode.
today at 2:32 PM
There's not a body inside Chuck Norris's casket, there's just a fist.
Chuck Norris doesn't upvote on Hacker News. His presence alone sends posts to the front page. No more.
today at 2:40 PM
So I guess Chuck Norris has now keys for the Pearly Gates and is the one who gets to pick the heavenly club members. I'm sure roundhouse kicks are somehow part of the process.
Why do I feel like an era has ended...
Rest in peace.
today at 3:13 PM
Clickbait. He is not dead, he just decided to retire from the world of mortals.
today at 7:49 PM
So many commenters here are, or choose to be, completely obvlivious to the fact that Chuck Norris was a racist little man who decried Obama becoming president, supported Trump through both campaigns, and openly hated muslims and gay people.
Yeah, really tough guy.
today at 7:59 PM
Yeah, I was pretty bummed with how Chuck Norris and Hulk Hogan turned out in the end.
The Grim Reaper wished that Chuck Norris had only come to play chess with him!
today at 2:28 PM
Chuck Norris dominated WoW Barrens chat back in the day. It was kind of weird and amazing at the same time.
Chuck Norris counted to infinity. Twice.
today at 7:23 PM
Chuck Norris didn't die. He simply moved to a parallel Earth that needed him.
today at 4:07 PM
He was a hero in tech and science as well. I recall during my PhD studies, we always create new memes on our field that Chuck can finish things in no time. In loving memory of Chuck Norris.
today at 4:32 PM
The earth was too scared to have him on it anymore...
today at 5:56 PM
I even remember the times he was not vintage yet, but the real thing. Maybe even watched his famous fight scene with Bruce Lee on the cheap cinemas back in the day. Good days. RIP .
Chuck Norris let him win
Oh wow, coincidentally I watched a Chuck Norris film recently with my (90 year old) grandmother, which resulted in me diving down a bunch of Chuck Norris memes for the first time in more than a decade.
RIP
What in the Hell could possibly take down Chuck Norris??? We are all DOOMED!!!
Chuck Norris does not go to heaven, heaven comes to him.
today at 4:22 PM
Chuck Norris doesnât die. Death gets Chuck Norris.
Oh this guy is a legend. Did he do anything with tech peripherally? I hope we can put up a dark top for him as an exception.
today at 2:44 PM
Not even every important influential person in tech gets the black bar. You think an actor who is mostly known for low-effort internet memes and pretending to be a cowboy on tv deserves it?
I guess itâs a generational thing, because I shouldnât actually be surprised that someone would know so very little about Chuck Norris.
today at 3:03 PM
>He was a typical pro-gun anti-abortion homophobic and racist MAGA Christian conservative.
Sure, but let's be real: people here are hardly mourning the man himself, so much as a few ideas of him from media they loved, and the cultural impact of Chuck Norris memes from their childhood and such.
He's not around anymore to bolster any hateful messages. Let people have a moment of nostalgia for memories watching him roundhouse kick bad guys with their grandma, or dumb Chuck Norris memes on the playground. That's what people remember.
You must be fun at parties.
Unlike Chuck Norris I'm the life of the party.
today at 3:12 PM
nvm just a thought.
I grew up watching action films in the 80s and 90s. I always like Chuck Norris ones as they had a humour and ridiclousness about them
Films like Missing in Action ,or delta force where the motorbike fires a rocket were just great at the time
I get he had some funny views later in life - but the films were a laugh at the time
today at 7:11 PM
Anyone remember barrens chat?
today at 7:17 PM
Chuck Norris doesnât die.
today at 2:39 PM
Wishing him speedy recovery! Legend
today at 4:33 PM
@dang, given Norris' contributions to Internet culture - the memes - shouldn't he be honored with the black mourning ribbon?
today at 6:27 PM
He was known to be racist (at least in later life), so a black mourning ribbon wouldn't be appropriate.
today at 2:50 PM
This just means we're in a simulated universe. He's respawned elsewhere.
today at 3:38 PM
Walker told me I have AIDS https://youtu.be/pQZX0nzvMag
He immediately asked the ferryman for a coin to get to the other side.
I remember having a "Chuck" plugin installed on our Jenkins back in mid 2010's. Gave me a Chuckle every time i forgot it was there.
Chuck Norris hasnât died, he summoned the death. RIP.
today at 7:26 PM
My mother told me, "Chuck Norris passed today at 86" and my mind immediately went to, "I would never expect him to pass anyone on the sidewalk at any slower speed."
Chuck Norris decided to take the final sleep on his own. Death tried years ago, but Chuck didn't feel like it.
today at 5:10 PM
Chuck Norris died? I didn't think that was possible...
https://www.thepinknews.com/2021/01/13/chuck-norris-homophob...
today at 2:13 PM
An absolute class act of a human. Life well lived.
today at 2:27 PM
He had some pretty awful views that he was pretty loud about, especially later in life. He also cheated on his wife at one point.
However, so as not to speak (purely) ill of the dead, I will say that he was an accomplished martial artist with a prolific film career.
> He had some pretty awful views that he was pretty loud about, especially later in life. He also cheated on his wife at one point.
In 1961, in his early 20s. You get ~80 years on this planet to make mistakes and have views that some other people will dislike. If these are the worst things we can accuse him of, while acknowledging all his charitable work, I'd say he fared OK compared to many other role models we have.
The Obama Birtherism nonsense was certainly not in this dude's 20s
today at 2:41 PM
Apparently much more recently too:
Turns out he was a MAGA Christian homophobe. Thatâs ⊠disappointing. But I guess I was naive to expect something different.
Oh no. He's... PROBLEMATIC!
Chuck Norris doesn't get deplatformed. Platforms get restructured around him.
To be fair, you probably have some views some people think are pretty awful.
Oh, for sure. MAGA types think some of my views are absolutely abhorrent. I'm pretty sure there are a few cultures that would kill me for my views.
Just because they hate me, though, doesn't mean I can't disagree with their position.
I don't see how this matters. Whoever thinks I'm horrible is 100% allowed to say this after I'm dead.
today at 2:47 PM
Or, another option is that we could all give grace to others, even (especially) if they disagree with us.
today at 2:51 PM
There's disagreement then there's being an outspoken supporter of systematically trying to strip rights away from others because of your religious beliefs. It's much deeper than having differing views on fiscal policy.
today at 3:54 PM
Who are you granting grace to? Who are you denying it to?
We know the answers to these questions for Norris.
Disagree? I think it's safe to say that someone who campaigned to ban same sex marriage is more than just disagreeing. He's trying to ruin millions of lives.
He was an Obama birther conspiracist.
He thought gays shouldn't be allowed to join Boy Scouts.
He was a big supporter of Netanyahu.
This aren't things that are even remotely in the same ballpark as disagreement. If someone is using their celebrity status to cause harm to millions or tens of millions, I think we can say a few unkind words about them when they go.
Don't give grace to racists who spout birther conspiracy theories. Don't give grace to homophobes.
today at 2:36 PM
Me 5 years ago did. I agree with all my views today. Who knows about me 5 years from now
today at 4:12 PM
There's a solid difference between 'awful' and just plain 'dumb'.
"Don't speak ill of the dead"?
How about "Don't be a bad person when you're alive"?
today at 2:48 PM
Something I was brought up to believe was that you shouldn't speak ill of the recently deceased. A courtesy to those in mourning.
I struggle with that rule sometimes.
Great advice. Do you follow it?
Is there one way to be a good person?
Does being a good person also mean agreeing with your politics?
There are good people whose politics I disagree with. If you are using your celebrity status to cause harm to millions on the international stage, systematically attempting to strip their rights, I think it's fair to say they weren't a good person.
today at 2:38 PM
If I can quote Chael Sonnen, Iâd like to say âyou absolutely suck!â
My dad was a film reporter in the late '70s/early '80s, and told me that Chuck Norris had been one of the friendliest celebrities he had ever met.
My dad had some antiquated views himself too. People can have/be both, I suppose.
"Class act" is doing a lot of lifting there
Yeah, his support of the Obama "birther" conspiracy was super classy.
What exactly made him a "class act"?
Was it the part where he wanted public schools to force the Bible on everyone's children, regardless of their family's faith?
Or was it the part where he attacked the Boy Scouts for lifting their ban on gay members, because he broadly hates the LGBTQ+ community?
Or, likewise, when he staunchly supported Prop 8, because he felt that the government should enforce strict "traditional family values", and deny consenting adults he doesn't like to marry each other?
Or was it when he said that a Black president would bring "1000 years of darkness"?
Or was it when he said that Muslims were going to destroy America with Sharia law, merely for existing?
Or was it the part where he supported aggressive ICE action against anyone perceived to be foreign?
Just trying to understand how someone this despicable deserves the compliment you gave him. The only good version of Chuck Norris I know about is the pretend version from memes.
> Or was it when he said that a Black president would bring "1000 years of darkness"?
I looked this one up. It's true. He's been going out of his way to be a political firebrand and claiming milquetoast Democrats are Satan for decades. It wasn't some offhand comment when cornered on stage. He's pushed white christian nationalism hard for quite some time.
Sad, because it was so unnecessary, divisive, and crazy--a black mark on his legacy.
But it's not true the way GP phrased it. Norris did not say if a black man was elected then there would be 1000 years of darkness, he said it about a specific man who happens to be black. It's silly, but unless you're claiming that black politicians get special exemptions, his race is immaterial to this quote.
If you look at the wider context, it's harder to deny the racism.
Nah. The part where his name was relevant again because of the jokes and he started the eating and suing people over it.
It was the part where he didn't say things like this about other people.
Looked it up and he did say these things, pretty shocking how racist he was. RIP, hope he finds peace in the afterlife and leaves the hate behind.
Except he did worse by his actions. And did say that about other people. Like Obama being born in Kenya. Dude was racist
this is class act for 1/2 of america
First Wade Boggs and now this. Just awful.
What a legend.
I enjoyed reading the comments here. RIP.
The Grim Reaper requested permissions from Chuck Norris to take his soul.
The only person that can train LLMs with his mind.
today at 3:01 PM
My condolences, he was one of my favorite childhood actor :(
Chuck Norris didn't die -- Death just became Chuck Norris
today at 7:51 PM
Death did not come for Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris came for Death.
Death has Chucknorrised?
today at 2:31 PM
Chuck Norris didn't have a near death experience, Death had an experience near him.
Commander Sam Vimes would like a word.
Chuck Norris didn't die, Death chucknorried.
Wouldn't be suprised, if he dies back and announces a film for next year.
He made it that far in life, that even if you might disagree with him on all and everything, you would still like him.
Just like Val Kilmer?
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/mar/18/val-kilmer-resu...
RIP both...
A part of internet dies with him. RIP.
Godspeed. ;~;7
The headline is incorrect. Chuck Norris didn't die, he transcended.
Also, the grim reaper hasn't yet gathered the courage to tell him.
He hasnât died, heâs just moved on to an eternity of roundhouse kicking Satan.
Death becomes Chuck Norris.
RIP legend
today at 5:09 PM
"Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal."
â Chuck Norris
He'll be missed. I basically grew up on his movies.
he has become death.
Chuck Norris doesn't die. He prepares himself for the next battle, with Jeff Dean.
He kicked it, but the consequences of his long-standing support of the march toward hatred and division linger on.
The section on his Wikipedia page is helpfully succinct if you want to understand the basis of my not joining in the japes and jokes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris#Political_views
today at 2:33 PM
I'm surprised Chuck Norris agreed to this.
today at 2:25 PM
Total Gym XLS has a 1-1.25" carriage bar for adding weight. 5gal bucket weights are the correct diameter to leave a gap between the weights and the floor.
Chuck Norris facts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Norris_facts
> "Chuck Norris actually died 20 years ago, but Death hasn't built up the courage to tell him yet."
Death finally worked up the nerve.
today at 3:27 PM
"The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book" (2009) https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Official+Chuck+Norris+Fa... re: Official Chuck Norris Facts #1 - #101 w/ scripture:
> #1: "Chuck Norris was bitten by a cobra, and after five days of excruciating pain ... the cobra died."
today at 3:58 PM
Of this list of martial arts films: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_martial_arts_films
Which are similar in plot and character arc to
"Man of Tai Chi"? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_of_Tai_Chi
Which Chuck Norris films are also similar?
> Forest Warrior, A Force of One, The Octagon, Forced Vengeance, Sidekicks,
Which "hacker films" are also similar?
How did he die?
today at 2:26 PM
Boredom, last enemy to defeat was life itself.
He was 86 years old
today at 3:17 PM
How do you know that? Scientists tried to measure Chuck Norrisâ age. The number refused to exist.
Honestly some of the most successful PR ever to paint a conservative religious bigoted homophobic freak as simply a meme of hyper-masculinity.
They're not that far apart, honestly.
That's true. These days it seems the ideal conservative man is more like a caveman eating steak off the bone versus a thoughtful caring Atticus Finch type.
The headline is inaccurate. Chuck Norris is alive and kicking in another dimension.
Chuck Norris disagrees.
today at 2:16 PM
âWeâd like to keep the circumstances privateâ
Yes, but now Iâm like, super suspicious.
today at 2:30 PM
He was defeated by Mr Rogers in a blood-stained sweater. Understandable they're keeping that quiet.
(Ok, ok, technically it was Gandalf the Gray and White, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Black Knight)
And Benito Musollini, and the Blue Meanie. And Cowboy Curtis and Jambi the Genie
And Robocop, Terminator, Captain Kirk and Darth Vader. Lo-Pan, Superman, every single Power Ranger.
today at 6:58 PM
And Bill S. Preston, Theodore Logan, Spock, The Rock, Doc Ock, and Hulk Hogan.
There is nothing suspicious about a celebrity's family just wanting to deal with death in private.
You're probably right, but that's not the usual wording you hear. Of course, when grieving, proper proofreading may not be (nor should it be) at the top of anyone's list.
They usually don't put it like that, though. It's usually just "please respect our privacy during this difficult time", etc.
today at 4:27 PM
> Curbing violent crime is still more about what we do than it is about what government does. The answer is still more about natureâs law within us than it is about manâs law outside of us. â Chuck Norris, 2012
What a load of horseshit. Government is "what we do." It's not imposed by alien pod-persons.
And he opposed marriage equality. What a scumbag.
today at 3:33 PM
> What a load of horseshit. Government is "what we do." It's not imposed by alien pod-persons.
On the other hand, when eventually the reckoning for this administration comes, would you welcome the idea of collective responsibility?
today at 3:25 PM
Very cool thread. Middle school jokes and culture wars. Iâm so glad we donât allow political threads on here and can instead bask in the intellectual might of people talking about TV man the did/didnât like.
Chuck Norris promising the USA will have 1,000 years of darkness if Obama wins in 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ae9b-B_EQ0
It's an objective fact. He said it.
The thing about Norris is that this isn't just generic policy stuff. I think pretty much all politics has impact on People and therefor matters, but you can abstract a whole lot away on a lot of policies in economics, etc. I think empathetic and caring human beings can disagree on many things.
But racism and homophobia aren't areas where I think empathetic and caring people can disagree, and I don't think those should be legitimatized by calling them political. He wanted to strip rights from gay people and propped up all sorts of racist rhetoric and birtherism against Obama. That's not political. That's being a shitty person.
today at 7:03 PM
Chuck Norris made it political ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
Why are you afraid of the truth