Barack Obama Facts.

February 11, 2008 5:31 AM

Amazing but true. When Chuck Norris is in a really tough jam he asks himself, "What would Barack Obama do?"
posted by liruskainen (30 comments total)

Ugh. This kind of we-can-be-cool-too-ism is bad enough when the right does it, but the left isn't supposed to be tone-deaf to humor like this.

Chuck Norris facts are funny because Chuck Norris is a joke. It's like saying your cat does your taxes. It's funny because it's cognitively dissonant. "How could a cat....oh, I get it."

Obama really is pretty awesome, so these pseudo-facts are just exaggeration, not dissonance. That is, where they are anything at all: "If Thomas Jefferson were alive he'd totally be campaigning for Barack Obama." This wouldn't be funny even if the "totally" were removed.

Thus endeth the lesson.
posted by DU at 5:39 AM on February 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

Booo.
posted by billysumday at 5:41 AM on February 11, 2008

i'd rather go to metatalk than that page. meta. talk.
posted by localhuman at 5:43 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

What DU said. Also, it isn't really funny.
posted by flotson at 5:43 AM on February 11, 2008

Booo.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:47 AM on February 11, 2008

of rare unfunniness.
posted by progosk at 5:49 AM on February 11, 2008

Can't force a meme.
posted by ColdChef at 5:50 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

bleh
posted by matteo at 5:51 AM on February 11, 2008

This is what happens when you let college students on the internets......
posted by HuronBob at 5:54 AM on February 11, 2008

I'd say it's forced humor, but come on, we all want to see the Obama worship taken down a peg or two, and this helped. I mean, I voted for the guy, but the more we set him up as some kind of God, the bigger his downfall will be.
posted by fungible at 5:55 AM on February 11, 2008

for some reason I find the snark here funnier than the "facts" you link to. *gasp*
posted by tarheelcoxn at 5:55 AM on February 11, 2008

I heard Barack Obama got like, 30 goddamn dicks.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 6:01 AM on February 11, 2008

the left isn't supposed to be tone-deaf to humor like this.

since when? Politicos in general are not funny people. If they were funny (or attractive), they'd be in show business.

and if you combine Chuck Norris and Obama into one man, this is what you'd get.
posted by jonmc at 6:04 AM on February 11, 2008

liruskainen name of poster three comments, first post. No other internet history for this name other than metafilter in the past few weeks.
Laura Sahramaa name of author of web site- College student
Isahramaa name of authors blog

I would bet a whole $10 that this is a bit fishy.... but I'm wrong about 90% of the time.... Somebody do the math and tell me I'm right....
posted by HuronBob at 6:09 AM on February 11, 2008

Barack Obama sings better than the "Numa Numa" guy.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:10 AM on February 11, 2008

What DU said. Plus the fact that Chuck Norris is totally played out dosn't help.
posted by delmoi at 6:13 AM on February 11, 2008

To be fair, there is some actually funny Obama media being created out there. Has anyone seen the YouTube video of two suburban talking about the race, talking about how they like Obama but they're not sure if American will ever vote for a "smart person." And then a black guy walks by and they're like, "Hey Kevin! You're a smart person, do you think Barack Obama has a chance to win?" And he's like, "Is that all you see me as? A smart person?"

Anyway, it's funny. I can't find it with my Google-Fu right now, though.
posted by billysumday at 6:20 AM on February 11, 2008

aaargh.. *two suburban WOMEN*... sorry
posted by billysumday at 6:21 AM on February 11, 2008

Stinks.
posted by chillmost at 6:23 AM on February 11, 2008

Have you ever received a macaroni necklace as a gift? I think Obama gets that feeling every time one of these tributes appear.
posted by figment of my conation at 6:25 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Fact: Barack Obama thinks this is weak.
posted by BeerFilter at 6:25 AM on February 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

Gah, not good. Not good at all.
posted by nitsuj at 6:31 AM on February 11, 2008

These would be a lot funnier if they were less political and more like the original Chuck Norris jokes, i.e. "Barrack Obama can sneeze with his eyes open" instead of "Barack Obama is so cool, he'll single-handedly reverse global warming". They would be a lot funnier if they didn't keep saying how "cool" and "awesome" he is. They would be a lot funnier if they were a lot better written. They would be a lot funnier if whoever is responsible had made less of an effort. ... Basically doing anything differently would have made them funnier.
posted by creasy boy at 6:35 AM on February 11, 2008

I participated in the Maine caucus yesterday, and am looking for a Mefi thread I can post to about it.

Unfortunately, this isn't it.

sits, tapping foot.... looks at watch...
posted by SteveInMaine at 6:36 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is virtually identical to something that was posted to projects a few months back. I can't find any duplicated content, and can't see any connection between the accounts these were posted under, but the fact that liruskainen posted this as soon as his account would let him also is suspicious.
posted by gsteff at 6:45 AM on February 11, 2008

If anyone can find the video billysumday is talking about I'd be pleased.
posted by sourwookie at 6:47 AM on February 11, 2008

This is significantly funnier.
posted by awesomebrad at 6:49 AM on February 11, 2008

And a preview:
#19. Stephen Hawking told Mike Huckabee the universe was 12 billion years old once. Once.
posted by awesomebrad at 6:50 AM on February 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

SteveInMaine, there are a couple of active Obama threads going right now. Spill.
posted by The Loch Ness Monster at 6:50 AM on February 11, 2008

I found it!

Ready or Not.
posted by billysumday at 6:51 AM on February 11, 2008