# Is Cecil Adams a real person, or a title for a group of people? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 8, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621 "2011-09-08T15:32:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/61 "2011-09-09T15:05:57Z")
I can tell you unequivocally that a man named Cecil Adams exists. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/62 "2011-09-09T15:37:05Z")
This thread coming so close to the 10th anniversary makes the OP highly suspect. Caution should be taken. Hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/63 "2011-09-09T16:36:22Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > Only a fringe element of “existers” continue to raise this issue. > [@Duckster](#): > > This thread coming so close to the 10th anniversary makes the OP highly suspect. Caution should be taken… Would one of you like to prepare the special “Welcome, New Doper!” Kool-Aid[sup]TM[/sup] (wink, wink) or shall I? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/64 "2011-09-09T16:42:32Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14234484#post14234484](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14234484#post14234484) That link just goes back to the same original post made in this thread. What does this mean, his post is his cite? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/65 "2011-09-09T16:44:27Z")
If you really need to know the truth, read the spoiler below…but I trust you not to tell anyone else, o.k.? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/66 "2011-09-09T16:51:21Z")
We just need to kidnap Ed Zotti, lock him in the closet and beat the hell out of him for a few weeks, and then see if the column still gets posted. If it does, we’ll need to analyze it for changes in writing style. Alright, go get your gear and round up the troops. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/67 "2011-09-09T17:00:40Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > We just need to kidnap Ed Zotti, lock him in the closet and beat the hell out of him for a few weeks, and then see if the column still gets posted. If it does, we’ll need to analyze it for changes in writing style. Alright, go get your gear and round up the troops. Just remember, you mess with Ed, you mess with me. And unlike Ed, I’m not bound by any conventions of morality, decency, or respect for fair play. Ed, it looks like it’s time to roll out Project Arcturus. You head to the safe house, and I’ll round up some hard, pipe-swingin’ boyz to form a defensive perimeter around Cecil’s bungalow. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/68 "2011-09-09T17:12:50Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You know that Dos Equus guy, the one with all the hot women in the beer commercials. You want to know who that’s suppose to be? Dos Equus? The guy with 2 horses? > [@Una\_Persson](#): > > That link just goes back to the same original post made in this thread. What does this mean, his post is his cite? He cited the statement. Yep, that’s where Oakminster made that statement. (It was a joke.) Way back a decade ago, there was a thread where someone turned up a cite that “Cecil Adams” is a trademarked name of the Chicago Reader. I’m not going to bother trying to dig that up. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/69 "2011-09-09T17:15:42Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > You head to the safe house, and I’ll round up some hard, pipe-swingin’ boyz to form a defensive perimeter around Cecil’s bungalow. Hold on a second there - I don’t remember hearing about no bungalow. eta: also, I don’t think you should be allowed to be uspest. It is for science after all. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/70 "2011-09-09T17:17:39Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > Hold on a second there - I don’t remember hearing about no bungalow. That’s right-and if you just keep on “not remembering” it, it’ll be better for all concerned. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/71 "2011-09-09T17:38:47Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Just remember, you mess with Ed, you mess with me. And unlike Ed, I’m not bound by any conventions of morality, decency, or respect for fair play. Look Panda, you gotta think this Mississippi thing of mine. When you think about doing something, consider, “Is this more or less safe than yelling racial slurs in a Mississippi bar?” Think these things out, Pal. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/72 "2011-09-09T17:46:51Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > You head to the safe house, and I’ll round up some hard, pipe-swingin’ boyz to form a defensive perimeter around Cecil’s bungalow. Heh. Nicely wrought. Puts me in mind of… " You and me? You and me? I’ll tell you about you and me. There IS no you and me. You get your sorry ass out of town, don’t stop in Champaign-Urbana, don’t hide away in Rockland. Your Chicago rights are revoked. Me, I’m gonna call in some heavy-swingin’ Dopers I know of who’ll get medieval on his ass. " 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/73 "2011-09-09T17:51:41Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Look Panda, you gotta think this Mississippi thing of mine. > When you think about doing something, consider, “Is this more or less safe than yelling racial slurs in a Mississippi bar?” > Think these things out, Pal. And yet few typically think of Mississppi bars as fonts of wisdom… ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/74 "2011-09-09T17:53:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Look Panda, you gotta think this Mississippi thing of mine. > When you think about doing something, consider, “Is this more or less safe than yelling racial slurs in a Mississippi bar?” > Think these things out, Pal. And yet few typically think of Mississppi bars as fonts of wisdom… eta: Besides, I fear nothing. Or, at least I won’t when my army of Sith Panda are ready. Breeding them is proving more difficult than planned… ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/75 "2011-09-09T17:55:18Z")
I’m sorry, I think we’re going to need the birth certificate, **Cecil**. (And I do mean the _long_ one!) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/76 "2011-09-09T18:07:50Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > There’s only one way to know for sure. Nuke’im from orbit!? It’s the only way to be sure! 'Course it will only muss up uncle Cecil’s hair a little…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/77 "2011-09-09T18:12:28Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > I’m sorry, I think we’re going to need the birth certificate, **Cecil**. (And I do mean the _long_ one!) That would never satisfy the “existers”. They’d say, sure, that proves that he was _born_ in (say) 1955, but not that he exists _today_. In the interim he might have died, disappeared, ascended into heaven, or fused his consciousness into a previously unknown cosmic neural network. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/78 "2011-09-09T18:13:31Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Just remember, you mess with Ed, you mess with me. And unlike Ed, I’m not bound by any conventions of morality, decency, or respect for fair play. > > Ed, it looks like it’s time to roll out Project Arcturus. You head to the safe house, and I’ll round up some hard, pipe-swingin’ boyz to form a defensive perimeter around Cecil’s bungalow. In true Chicago style (no, I don’t mean dragged through the garden and covered with celery salt but that might happen later) let’s pick up all these miscreants. We’ll need a soundproof room … and some Chicago phone books. It’s tuneup time. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/79 "2011-09-09T18:15:44Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > In true Chicago style (no, I don’t mean dragged through the garden and covered with celery salt but that might happen later) let’s pick up all these miscreants. > > We’ll need a soundproof room … and some Chicago phone books. > > It’s tuneup time. I’d rather have the hotdog, if that’s cool. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621/80 "2011-09-09T18:22:46Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > That would never satisfy the “existers”. They’d say, sure, that proves that he was _born_ in (say) 1955, but not that he exists _today_. In the interim he might have died, disappeared, ascended into heaven, or fused his consciousness into a previously unknown cosmic neural network. Hm… Sounds good to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cecil-adams-a-real-person-or-a-title-for-a-group-of-people/595621.md?page=5)