In Friday’s Maroon, Ethan Stanisadxvcxvassdb takes on the myth of Chuck Norris, arguing that his role in Mike Huckabee’s campaign speak poorly of our ironic generation. One day later, a disgruntled former Fred Thompson spokesperson (talk about a thankless job) created this web site, calling for a boycott of all Norris-related products, like KFC.I don’t want to imply a cause and effect here, but it wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened. Dismissed by some as just an old wives tale, the Maroon column boost is shrouded in legend. In one of the more extreme examples, Huckabee’s popularity jumped more than 20 points in Iowa in just a couple of months following my column on him last fall. If we can create the monster, it only makes sense that we have the power to destroy him as well.But going back to the influence of Chuck. Ethan makes a compelling point that coverage of Norris glosses over the endorsements of more polarizing figures (like this goon), but from what I’ve seen of him on the campaign trail, Norris might actually have a negative impact on the campaign. He’s a horrible public speaker and he seemed to lack any real grasp of the substance behind salient issues (incidentally, Huckabee is the same way). Moreover, he appeals only to a very thin segment of the population, much of which is ineligble to vote.Say what you will about the ironic generation, but we have a tendency to move on fairly quickly as we find new punchlines and get self-conscious about the old ones. Just as the Chuck facts have been dying a slow death for a few years now, the thrill of his involvement in electoral politics has been fading since Iowa.But you should totally boycott KFC–Harold’s is so much better anyways.
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One man’s mission
In Friday’s Maroon, Ethan Stanisadxvcxvassdb
By Tim Murphy
January 27, 2008
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