# The Chocolate War **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993 "2003-04-25T00:49:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/21 "2003-04-25T12:52:53Z")
I think my logic bone just exploded. . . ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/22 "2003-04-25T14:55:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kambuckta \* > \*\*May I just add that the OP and his/her OP make absolutely no sense to someone (such as my good self) who has not read ‘The Chocolate War’ nor heard of its author, R. Cormier. > > My interpretation of the OP’s OP was that he/she had a major objection to the discussion of homosexuality. Now whether or not Cormier had raised the issue seems to be another matter altogether according to the other posts. I’m so confuzzled it ain’t funny. > > So, in closing, what exactly are you whingeing about **fauxpas**? \*\* The title of the book _The Chocolate War_ refers to a fundraising candy sale at a private boys’ school. One boy refuses to participate, and the others boys turn on him. In one scene, the head bully insults the rebellious boy by suggesting in rather crude terms that he is gay. Another boy later asks the bully if he thinks the rebellious boy really is gay. The bully says no, but that the insult hurts more if the target isn’t actually gay. I believe this is the only “talking about homosexuality” in the book. There are no gay characters and certainly no gay sex. Just teenaged boys insulting each other. **fauxpas** , if your teacher doesn’t like you it is probably because you are ignorant and obnoxious. Perhaps you should stop making foolish and bigoted objections to the books assigned to you and actually try to pay attention to the things you are supposed to be learning. ---
**Author:** ![doomraisin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d78d45/32.png) [@doomraisin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doomraisin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/23 "2003-04-25T16:27:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lamia \* > … if your teacher doesn’t like you it is probably because you are ignorant and obnoxious. Perhaps you should stop making foolish and bigoted objections to the books assigned to you and actually try to pay attention to the things you are supposed to be learning. Well said, **Lamia**. I couldn’t agree more. I remember reading this book when I was 12, and I’ll go so far as to say that it changed my life. It stresses independent thinking, sticking up for what you believe in, not going along with the crowd because that’s the easiest way out. I wasn’t the same afterward. I haven’t picked up the book to review it since, and it’s been nearly 30 years, but I haven’t forgotten its lessons. The OP should indeed buckle down and pay attention. I doubt the kid even read the book. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/24 "2003-04-25T16:39:53Z")
I heard Cormier’s sequel, _ **Uncle Schraft Rides the Cleveland Steamer** _ is even more controversial. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/25 "2003-04-25T16:58:10Z")
AP: Foreign dignitaries expelled prior to Chocolate Rebellion. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/26 "2003-04-25T17:12:00Z")
**Sofa King** - blast! I had that book on my Amazon Wish List. But seeing as how it’s wrapped in controversy, I’d best skip it and retire with a more mundane kind of novel. I am almost in tears. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/27 "2003-04-25T18:48:59Z")
I am amused that **fauxpas** called for the banning of a book, but did it “very nicely.” I picture a scary cross of Mr. Rogers and Fahrenheit 451 where a army of cardigan wearing nice guys come into houses searching for books, and then burn them in the town square while roasting marshmallows and singing Kumbaya. Then I reread the post and realized **fauxpas** seems to be equating homosexuality and filth and decided to just despise her. ---
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/28 "2003-04-25T19:05:54Z")
Minor point, **Hamlet** : According to his profile, **fauxpas** is male. That is an interesting visual, though. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/29 "2003-04-25T19:13:37Z")
> [@](#): > > The title of the book The Chocolate War refers to a fundraising candy sale at a private boys’ school. One boy refuses to participate, and the others boys turn on him. In one scene, the head bully insults the rebellious boy by suggesting in rather crude terms that he is gay. Another boy later asks the bully if he thinks the rebellious boy really is gay. The bully says no, but that the insult hurts more if the target isn’t actually gay. Thanks for explaining. I read it a few years ago, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me, so I barely remembered it. I’m confident though that I would have remembered gay sex between under-age school boys. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/30 "2003-04-25T21:41:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\*I heard Cormier’s sequel, _ **Uncle Schraft Rides the Cleveland Steamer** _ is even more controversial. \*\* Isn’t that the one about Sanchez the Filthy? ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/31 "2003-04-25T21:55:02Z")
**friedo** How old were you when you read the book? It’s easy to bash a book as a “boring and hackneyed tale of typical teen angst.” as an adult, as your perspective is different. This book was one of my favorite books I read as a 13-year-old. It deals with cliques and group mentalities and struggling to do what you think is right in defiance of others. It’s certainly not Proust by any stretch, but it isn’t supposed to be – it’s a kids/teenager book. Do you find “The Little Engine That Could” to be contrived and idealistic and silly? (If you read this book as a young teenager, then I guess we have to agree to disagree.) Anyway, re: the homosexual taunting in the book – 2 Things: 1. Right or wrong, teenage boys to taunt each other by calling each other “faggot” and “homo”. We hope that with some maturity they grow out of it. 2. This book was written in 1974, which was light-years away from the PC society we live in today. ---
**Author:** ![Zenham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a5b964/32.png) [@Zenham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenham)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/32 "2003-04-25T22:13:14Z")
Just one question Faux, does your head make a squeaking noise, what with the sides rubbing together like that? Please, don’t breed. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/33 "2003-04-25T22:29:50Z")
I’m sorry…I know this is so wrong, but I keep seeing this thread below the “Your fat is spilling into my seat” thread and thinking: “You got your chocolate war in my peanut butter war!” “No, your peanut butter war is in my chocolate war!” What’s even more wrong is that I’m amused by this. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/34 "2003-04-25T22:49:58Z")
I was thinking the OP was being sarcastic-at least, I HOPE he was! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![fauxpas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e480ec/32.png) [@fauxpas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fauxpas)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/35 "2003-04-25T23:33:21Z")
yes I was being sarcstic. The book was good and bad. Pardon my punctuation and grammer, my first language being foreign, but then again I’m a teen so I don’t have an excuse. Friedo, In a really really weird way, I was hoping you’d come along and bash my a$$-hat mind while I acted like nothing occured. You succeeded too! 🙂 I miss the fights and the long discussions we had last year, it’s great. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/36 "2003-04-26T00:03:22Z")
By “sarcstic” do you mean “intentionally posting something that is not true in order to provoke a response from other posters, particularly **friedo** ”? ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/37 "2003-04-26T02:54:06Z")
Children, children. The OP was quite clearly sarcastic. While it was, indeed, a bad choice for **fauxpas** to have not included a rolleyes or “::removes tongue from cheek::”, and especially to have let this thread fester for 23 hours, accusing him of trolling is out of line. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/38 "2003-04-26T03:18:41Z")
I’m not accusing **fauxpas** of trolling, I am merely asking him to clarify his claim that he posted the OP in order to get **friedo** to bash him. If that is in fact what he did then he was trolling and he has admitted to it. But perhaps he was just being “sarcstic”. ---
**Author:** ![fauxpas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e480ec/32.png) [@fauxpas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fauxpas)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/39 "2003-04-26T07:26:22Z")
No, seriously i somehow knew friedo would come and bash me. I didn’t want him to, but he did it. But I was being sarcastic about being sarcastic. No, I was not trolling, I was just curious if friedo would somehow read this and then see my name and then he’d clikc here and well…read what I had to say. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993/40 "2003-04-26T07:33:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fauxpas \* > \*\*No, seriously i somehow knew friedo would come and bash me. I didn’t want him to, but he did it. But I was being sarcastic about being sarcastic. No, I was not trolling, I was just curious if friedo would somehow read this and then see my name and then he’d clikc here and well…read what I had to say. \*\* Why bother? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-chocolate-war/170993.md?page=3)