# Bazooka Joe's Eyepatch **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 30, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234 "2005-09-30T18:38:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phatso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9adbd/32.png) [@Phatso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phatso)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234/1 "2005-09-30T18:38:20Z")
Cecil says [here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a961122c.html) that the Topps people told him Joe still has use of both his eyes and just wears an eyepatch because of how stylin’ it looks. I seem to remember a teacher of mine in middle school telling us that pirates used to wear eyepatches over one of their eyes to condition it for night-vision. At night, they would find a village or another boat to pillage and flip their eyepatch over to the other eye, which would give them the advantage in the near-pitch darkness. Did this really happen? And more importantly, could Bazooka Joe have worn his eyepatch for the same reason? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234/2 "2005-10-01T20:03:14Z")
Makes kinda sense to me. Though I think the eyepatch is just a stereotype, like the wooden leg and parrot thing. ---
**Author:** ![Pinch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@Pinch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pinch)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234/3 "2005-10-01T20:45:36Z")
> [@Phatso](#): > > could Bazooka Joe have worn his eyepatch for the same reason? Yes. He might wear an eyepatch for a different reason, however. For example, an eyepatch is a convenient tool to employ when using the sights of a firearm – pistol, rifle, bazooka. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234/4 "2005-10-01T21:53:09Z")
> [@Phatso](#): > > pirates used to wear eyepatches over one of their eyes to condition it for night-vision. _He said he was the captain of a pirate ship Sailing seas both blue and green And every pirate must have a patch So’s he can look real mean…_ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![citybadger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@citybadger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/citybadger)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234/5 "2005-10-02T00:12:54Z")
Amateur astronomers do this. Issue 3 of _Make_ magazine has a article on this, including a picture of a guy with an eyepatch and a towel on his head, _Hitchhiker’s Guide_ style, to further block light. So my question is, why doesn’t Joe keep a towel on his head? ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234/6 "2005-10-08T15:56:17Z")
> [@Pinch](#): > > Yes. He might wear an eyepatch for a different reason, however. For example, an eyepatch is a convenient tool to employ when using the sights of a firearm – pistol, rifle, bazooka. Very true- when I was younger and used to shoot with my father (he’s been a competitive shooter for as long as I can remember- at least 30 years) he made me a pair of safety glasses that had blinders on the side and I always put a patch over my left eye to block out light and distractions. It really made a big difference in accuracy, at least for me. It’s a very stylish look, too. OK, maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bazooka-joes-eyepatch/324234/7 "2005-10-13T22:19:18Z")
> [@citybadger](#): > > Amateur astronomers do this. Issue 3 of _Make_ magazine has a article on this, including a picture of a guy with an eyepatch and a towel on his head, _Hitchhiker’s Guide_ style, to further block light. So my question is, why doesn’t Joe keep a towel on his head? Because then people would confuse him for a stereotypical Arab and boycott his gum. Also, it would be a lot harder for him to get through airport security.