# If I see that Gordon Sinclair speech one more time, I'm gonna PUKE! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 13, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401 "2001-09-13T18:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/1 "2001-09-13T18:13:07Z")
FYI - he’s been dead since 1984. The speech was written in 1973. Sure, it’s touching. It’s a nice speech. But FUCKING MENTION THAT IT WAS NOT WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO THE WTS TRAGEDY IF YOU FEEL YOU MUST POST IT ON EVERY FROG-FELTCHING MESSAGE BOARD IN EXISTANCE! Better yet, REFRAIN from posting it. I’ve seen it on every goddamn message board I’ve gone to. Now someone feels it’s necessary to send it to all 3000+ employees in my company. If you haven’t noticed, your co-workers don’t live in a vacuum. If you found it on one of YOUR message boards, chances are I’ve seen it already on one of mine. In fact, I saw it a year ago, when someone posted it on the bulletin board in the company break room. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/2 "2001-09-13T18:16:30Z")
**A** **MEN** **SISTER** Greg Fucking Gumbel called in to Howard Stern this morning and READ IT OVER THE AIR as if it were a news bulletin. jesus. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/3 "2001-09-13T18:19:16Z")
Well! The next time I fly in a Lockheed Tri-Star…wait a second…when was the last time I saw one of THEM? Hmmmm, maybe this speech isn’t all that new. ---
**Author:** ![PotLuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@PotLuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotLuck)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/4 "2001-09-13T18:23:45Z")
I try not to jump on people for sending well-meaning glurge; I politely ask them to refrain. However, I’ve received the Sinclair speech _twice_ today and the first sentence says, _“Widespread but only partial news coverage was given **recently** to a remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator.”_ That was such a laxative (it irritated the shit out of me) – obviously I was not the only one to have that reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/5 "2001-09-13T18:54:06Z")
Has anyone been spammed with a notice saying we should all stop in our tracks at 7:00 PM on Friday to light a candle? What is this supposed to show? That even though we are all emotionally distraught, we are still consuming scented wax? Jeez. The thing says, “We Stand United,” but it doesn’t mention if 7:00 is Eastern, or Mountain, or what. I guess we all stand united, as long as we all live on the East Coast. ---
**Author:** ![Demise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@Demise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demise)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/6 "2001-09-13T18:58:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scott \* > **The thing says, “We Stand United,” but it doesn’t mention if 7:00 is Eastern, or Mountain, or what.** The one I read says 7:00PM EST. ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/7 "2001-09-13T19:04:38Z")
heh heh… No disrespect to my country or any of the victims, but I agree with the OP, enough is enough. It was really funny hearing this dopey disc jockey from WYSP in Philadelphia who read it over the air today . . . instead of “ma” and “pa” it was “M.A. and P.A.”, and the guy who was co-hosting with him, who is a news anchor and should know better, said “That was a nice letter.” There has been so much ignorance and misinformation spewing out of the media and radio stations the past three days, I’m ready to puke. PEOPLE: **PALESTINIANS ARE NOT DANCING IN THE STREETS IN NEW JERSEY. YOUR GAS IS NOT GOING TO BE $5.00 A GALLON.** What next? :rolleyes: Here’s a link about Gordon by the way: [http://www.who2.com/gordonsinclair.html](http://www.who2.com/gordonsinclair.html) ---
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/8 "2001-09-13T19:06:32Z")
This is the gist of the one I got: > [@](#): > > \*\*Friday Night at 7:00 p.m. step out your door, stop your car, or step out of your establishment and light a candle. We will show the world that Americans are strong and united together against terrorism. Please pass this to everyone on your e-mail list. We need to reach everyone across the United States quickly. The message: WE STAND UNITED - WE WILL NOT TOLERATE TERRORISM! > > Thank you. We need press to cover this - we need the world to see.\*\* Ugh. Not that we shouldn’t send a message, but what’s the point of the above? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/9 "2001-09-13T19:36:50Z")
I’ve gotten that damn Gordon Sinclair thing too. It was sent out to our entire company. I responded to it with this: > [@](#): > > \*\*To my knowledge, this editorial is not in the congressional record, however, this oft forwarded e-mail does have a basis in fact. What makes this so odd, is that it is so old. It is the highly altered transcript of a broadcast by Gordon Sinclair from 1973. Mr. Sinclair died in 1984. More information can be found here: > [http://www.snopes2.com/quotes/sinclair.htm](http://www.snopes2.com/quotes/sinclair.htm) > > Mr. Sinclair’s original comments are here: > [http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/schools/rta/ccf/news/unique/american.html](http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/schools/rta/ccf/news/unique/american.html) > > His comments may be even more relevant today than they were then. \*\* I thought that was a civil way to address it. Apparently I was mistaken. Apparently I’m an insensitive prick. I just received this: > [@](#): > > **HI, guess what, I’m Pregnant! Do you have some sort of negative response in your “useless information” data bank that can prove this uplifting news is wrong?** Well fuck you too. I am also hurting from this horrible tragedy. Pardon me if I have an interest in FACTS. I e-mailed her back (she was not the one who sent out the original) with this: > [@](#): > > \*\*Easy, darling. If you bothered to read my e-mail you would have noticed that I closed it with my opinion that Mr. Sinclair’s words may have more relevance today that they did then. If someone is going to quote a story they should get it correct. I have received this particular “story” several times now and felt the need to set the record straight in the interest of fact. > > I believe the truth matters. I believe Mr. Sinclair deserves better than to be grossly misquoted. > > I am sorry if you took offense. \*\* I am still receiving flak, most of it is being **_whispered_. FUCKING WHISPERED BEHIND MY BACK!** I ask you fine dopers: Am I an asshole for doing this? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/10 "2001-09-13T19:42:20Z")
If you’re an asshole, I’m an asshole. My response to the guy who sent it out to our whole company was this: * * * You do know this is not in response to the recent tragedy, right? It was originally published in 1973, and Gordon Sinclair has been dead since 1984. ## Even if you do know, I think you might want to point this out to people who may not. Regardless, this is a touching speech. Haven’t heard anything back from him yet. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/11 "2001-09-13T19:42:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beeblebrox \* > \*\*I ask you fine dopers: Am I an asshole for doing this? \*\* Nah, they’re really mad at themselves for being so gullible. Nobody likes feeling like a fool. Don’t sweat it. ---
**Author:** ![Bean\_Counter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/db5fbb/32.png) [@Bean\_Counter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bean_Counter)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/12 "2001-09-13T19:49:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beeblebrox \* > \*\*I ask you fine dopers: Am I an asshole for doing this? \*\* I do not think so. I received the e-mail as well and replied similar to yours. Here was part of his response: “it doesn’t matter anymore, if it works to feed the fire, then let it burn” Attitudes like that make me want to build a bomb shelter. ---
**Author:** ![PotLuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@PotLuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotLuck)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/13 "2001-09-13T20:02:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Athena \* > **If [Beeblebrox is] an asshole, I’m an asshole.** Apparently, so am I. When I politely corrected my girlfriend much the way Athena did, she e-mailed me back to say she merely forwarded the e-mail and didn’t write the damn thing, and added “It’s really petty of you to try and score points off me during a time of tragedy”. I e-mailed her back saying I just wanted to spare her further embarrassment, and suggested she remove the paragraph I quoted in my post earlier in this thread before forwarding that speech again. She’s lucky I thought better of adding this sentence: “If I sent you MLK’s “I have a dream” speech with a preface implying it was written in response to Tuesday tragedy, would you think it petty to inform me that King had been murdered decades ago?” She hasn’t responded and I’m going to let it lay; like woodstockbirdybird said, she’s most likely too embarrassed to have been caught out by yet another hoax/glurge e-mail. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/14 "2001-09-13T20:26:02Z")
Whew, I feel better. Thanks all. Now a quick update. Though I fear some in this company remain angry with me, several other coworkers\* have made a point to stop by my office and _thank me_ for sending the correction out. It seems that the vast majority are in agreement with me. I am glad to see that they aren’t all dense. It’s also good to know that I am not an asshole (well, I am an asshole, but I didn’t act like one in _this_ instance.) [sub]\*\*\*it’s “coworkers” not “co-workers” right? I wonder because every time I see “coworkers”, I read it as “cow-orkers”. I am not sure how one would go about orking a bovine, but I expect the experience would not be pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/15 "2001-09-13T21:06:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beeblebrox \* > \*\* > > [sub]\*\*\*it’s “coworkers” not “co-workers” right? I wonder because every time I see “coworkers”, I read it as “cow-orkers”. I am not sure how one would go about orking a bovine, but I expect the experience would not be pleasant. \*\* Hey, don’t knock it 'til you’ve tried it. ---
**Author:** ![PotLuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@PotLuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PotLuck)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/16 "2001-09-13T21:16:28Z")
Lord, I thought “cow-orkers” was my own personal quirk. I don’t know whether to be relieved or freaked out. ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Sealemon88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon88)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/17 "2001-09-13T21:28:20Z")
I’m on the forward list of a FOAF, and I’ve finally gotten to the point of commenting on her useless stupid FWDs that a ten second search on Snopes would disprove. When I sent her the Snopes link to the Life In The 1800’s, she said she’d prefer to believe that some of the “facts” were true. That’s nice, nimrod. I’d “Prefer” to think that Camelot existed (It was a silly place), and that international tensions could be solved with fish fights. I’d prefer to think that historically left handed Houstonians who are blond and blue eyed and are should be granted free gasoline for life. Damn facts! What the fuck is the problem with saying “This is a speech that was broadcast over twenty years ago, yet it has as much significance today as it did back then?” Oh, yeah. Then you’d have to deal with those mother fucking _facts_. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/18 "2001-09-13T21:49:32Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Vinnie Virginslayer \* > **YOUR GAS IS NOT GOING TO BE $5.00 A GALLON.** _\* Well, actually, yes it is. Our gas here DID get to $5.00 a gallon…and people were lined up around the block waiting to fill their tanks up. Some places it’s gotten to $6.00 per gallon. I went to a place Tuesday that advertised $1.79/gal and offered it at $1.62. Apparently they were changing it so fast they didn’t have time to reflect it in the sign. Anyway, back to your regular glurge bashing. ---
**Author:** ![TheeGrumpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheeGrumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheeGrumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/19 "2001-09-13T21:51:08Z")
Didn’t Nostradamus predict that this Gordon Sinclair speech would continue to spread thru e-mail? ---
**Author:** ![Doc\_Nickel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@Doc\_Nickel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doc_Nickel)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2001, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401/20 "2001-09-13T22:01:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheeGrumpy \* > \*\*Didn’t Nostradamus predict that this Gordon Sinclair speech would continue to spread thru e-mail? \*\* No, it was Sylvia Browne. She was on _Larry King Live_ the other day and predicted that James Randi would find a copy lodged in his left ventricle. It was either that or John Edwards spoke to Mr. Sinclair last Tuesday afternoon, who gave his implicit permission for his speech to be mangled and redistributed as “new”. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-see-that-gordon-sinclair-speech-one-more-time-im-gonna-puke/81401.md?page=2)