William Poundstone’s 1993 book Biggest Secrets, on page 33, in the “Ghostwriters” section, part of the “Secret Identities” chapter–it troubles me even to repeat the words–states:
End quote. Poundstone thus makes the heretical claim that our beloved Uncle Cecil does not exist, being at best a literary device, and, at worst, a three-decade-running humbug. Moreover, if Poundstone’s awful assertion were true, it would imply that being a “moderator” of a Straight Dope Message Board forum is no more substantial than being a “referee” at a pro-wrestling match. (To select an individual entirely at random, one DavidB would of course be the last person to ever be a party to the irrational promotion of belief in a nonexistent being–Cecil as “an intellectual Santa Claus for adults” if you will–and would no more be willing to “referee” a message board under those circumstances than to dance naked around a fire, frantically chanting incantations into the night sky.)
Poundstone’s assertion is, of course, in direct contradiction to the known true facts about Unca Cece. In “What makes Cecil Adams the world’s greatest reference librarian?”, (Paul S. Piper, American Libraries, February, 1995, page 147) the author recounts Cecil’s assumption of his exalted destiny:
End quote. So, I call upon DavidB–and all others who read these words–to either:[list=1][li]Announce, in their full voice, their rational and total belief in the existence of Cecil Adams as a real person, who was called to his mission in a dream by a relative of the Norse god Odin, and is smarter than all other persons, while denouncing all non-believers who refuse to do likewise, orIn keeping with their own rational standards, denounce the entire Cecil Adams cult as a fraud, kept alive merely for amusement’s sake or to make a quick buck, and apologize to all and sundry for participating in this shameless charade. And also explain why they willingly participated so long in this cruel deception, and offer a sincere apology. (Suicide of course is “the sincerest form of self-criticism”, but that would be extreme). Plus pay monetary damages. And a pony. Plus a second pony, to keep the first one company.[/list=1]I, of course, renounce the Poundstonian heresy and its adherants, and proclaim my unwavering belief in the existence of Uncle Cecil, designated font of all knowledge via one of Odin’s relatives, “ignorance’s worst nightmare”, and The Smartest Person in the World.[/li]
All hail Cecil! Heed his wisdom! Buy his books (all five)!