I find these “jokes” pretty creepy myself. The facts about Chuck Norris is that he’s a washed up actor selling exercise equipment. I think Chuck Norris jokes/stories are a modern internet version of Paul Bunyan stories in American folklore or bogatyr stories in Russian folklore. There is danger here—I don’t think these stories are about humor.
It’s a castle of humour built on the foundation “yay Eliezer Yudkowsky!” It’s a very elaborate castle, and every now and then someone still adds another turret, but none of it would exist without that foundation.
I think “tall tales” and such fill a need to create larger than life heroes and epics about them. This may have something to do with our primate nature: we need the Other to fling poop at, but also a kind of paragon tribal representation to idolize.
Idolatry is a dangerous stance, even if it is a natural stance for us to assume.
http://www.overcomingbias.com/2011/01/how-good-are-laughs.html
http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/07/laughter.html
I find these “jokes” pretty creepy myself. The facts about Chuck Norris is that he’s a washed up actor selling exercise equipment. I think Chuck Norris jokes/stories are a modern internet version of Paul Bunyan stories in American folklore or bogatyr stories in Russian folklore. There is danger here—I don’t think these stories are about humor.
What are they about, if not humor?
I think they’re mostly about humour, but there’s a non-negligible part of “yay Eliezer Yudkowsky!” thrown in.
It’s a castle of humour built on the foundation “yay Eliezer Yudkowsky!” It’s a very elaborate castle, and every now and then someone still adds another turret, but none of it would exist without that foundation.
I think “tall tales” and such fill a need to create larger than life heroes and epics about them. This may have something to do with our primate nature: we need the Other to fling poop at, but also a kind of paragon tribal representation to idolize.
Idolatry is a dangerous stance, even if it is a natural stance for us to assume.