# Church of the Subgenius **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [November 25, 1999, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339 "1999-11-25T19:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lyly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c67d28/32.png) [@Lyly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyly)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 1999, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/1 "1999-11-25T19:16:00Z")
It seems to me that ten years ago back when I was married to the idiot, there was a big surge in Bobism. He was a devout Bob fanatic. All I remember was a game perhaps named Chaos. * * * Insanity runs in my family…mostly with scissors. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 1999, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/2 "1999-11-26T23:56:00Z")
The link: [What’s the deal with the Church of the Subgenius?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbob.html) . The mailbag submission reads, in part, > [@](#): > > Now how about putting these specimens under the microscope? ## Why would one want to do that to Italian astronauts? Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![TheIncredibleHolg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@TheIncredibleHolg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheIncredibleHolg)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 1999, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/3 "1999-11-27T11:35:00Z")
Maybe I’m stating the obvious, but what Euty failed to mention is that the Church of the Subgenius is heavily intertwined with hackerdom. You may want to check out the [Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (FOLDOC)](http://foldoc.doc.ic.ac.uk/) for its entries on ‘church’, ‘discordianism’, ‘religion’, ‘slack’, ‘Eris’, or ‘Bob’. They also link to the Church’s homepage. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 1999, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/4 "1999-11-27T14:52:00Z")
The reason I failed to mention it was because I don’t believe that the Church of the Sub Genius is intertwined with hackerdom in any specific, unique or significant way. In fact, both Discordianism and the Chuch of the Sub-G were both created before the current culture of computers / internet / hackerdom really established itself. (Discordianism, I believe, even predates the days of Captain Cruch and phone hackerdom.) To be sure there are a ton of hackers who belong to the church, but the church is big enough nowadays to include quite a few non-traditional (and that’s putting it nicely!) groups under it’s wings. You could just as easily say that it’s intertwined with ocuultism as there are a bunch of occultists and “magickians” who all themselves Sub-Gs. * * * Saint Eutychus [www.disneyshorts.org](http://www.disneyshorts.org) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 1999, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/5 "1999-11-27T20:15:00Z")
It should be further pointed out that the church of the Sub-Genious is a JOKE, and anyone who takes it seriously needs to get a life. Yours in slack, Dan ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 1999, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/6 "1999-11-28T04:00:00Z")
Man, Dan, you are _ **pink!** _ Ok, now, who wants slack? Praise Bob. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Iron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Big\_Iron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Iron)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 1999, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/7 "1999-11-29T07:36:00Z")
You might call it a “joke,” but only “Bob” can deliver the punchline! ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 1999, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/8 "1999-11-29T12:43:00Z")
In this regard, initiation of basic charismatic subculture development presents a valuable challenge showing the necessity for our hedonic Folklife perspective over a given time period. Interestingly enough, further and associated contradictory elements necessitates that coagulative measures be applied to the profound meaning of, “The Raw and the Cooked.” Nevertheless, the independent functional principle requires considerable performance analysis and computer studies to arrive at Propp’s basic formulation. We can see, in retrospect, any associated supporting element must utilize and be functionally interwoven with improved sub-cultural compatibility-testing. * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 1999, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/9 "1999-11-29T20:49:00Z")
I think I said that in my original answer, didn’t I? * * * Saint Eutychus [www.disneyshorts.org](http://www.disneyshorts.org) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 1999, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/10 "1999-11-29T22:19:00Z")
Yes Eutychus you did. But nevertheless, my proposed independent structuralistic concept recognizes the importance of other disciplines, while taking into account Propp’s basic formulation. Based on my own fieldwork in Guatemala, a constant flow of field-collected input ordinates adds explicit performance contours to Krapp’s Last Tape. For example, any associated supporting element necessitates that coagulative measures be applied to any normative concept of the linguistic/holistic continuum. Specifically, a large proportion of intercultural communicative coordination requires considerable performance analysis and computer studies to arrive at any discrete configuration modality. As a result, the characterization of critically co-optive criteria effects a significant implementation of the anticipated epistemological repercussions. I think you may want to re-evaluate your final conclusions. 🙂 * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 1999, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/11 "1999-11-30T07:18:00Z")
Um … I blame society. * * * Saint Eutychus [www.disneyshorts.org](http://www.disneyshorts.org) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 1999, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/church-of-the-subgenius/1339/12 "1999-11-30T15:24:00Z")
Sorry, Euty. I found a little downloadable text generation utility on “The Church of the Subgenius” website. That’s where all that folderol came from. It’s rarely useful, but in this case… * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.