I hate feeling like I’m the only one that’s not in on it.
Thank you, but I must confess I am still not a great deal wiser.
It’s best not to look too deeply into the thought processes of the recently departed Thaidog – it would only end in tears.
The bizarre turn of phrase was so… poetic… that people latched onto it.
“The rock in the box, I burning your dog.” Just beautiful.
Also, I like the thought that the ultimate punishment for all wrongs would be setting fire to someone’s labrador. I mean, it’s a really twisted, cruel thing to do, but WTF? 
Well r_k, the need for wisdom has little to do with this phenomenon.
As you already know, “I burning your dog” is just another of those phrases that for whatever reason gets caught in the SDMB consciousness. It gets picked up, and then tossed around endlessly like a hot potato. OK. Crappy metaphor, but you know what I mean. Here are some others I’m sure you remember…
All your base are belong to us.
Gotcha ya.
Fucko-off.
Og smash.
When come back bring pie.
… and the most recent,
1920’s style death rays.
Apparently there is something about a slightly strange turn of phrase that compells its repetitive use. I’m not sure if it’s the humor that tickles our fancy, or if people just repeat it to feel part of the “in” crowd. Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.
Someone could probably do a dissertation on this behavior. Heck, someone probably already has.
Someone (Not it!) ought to make up a SDMB “Where’s that phrase from” thread or page or book or something.
You left out :
- ItShut Up!
- My cat’s breath smells like cat food.
and of course
- Hi Opal!
Elsewhere at SDMB there’s a “predict the next…” thread. This concept would make an ideal entry in that thread. Predict the next catch phrase or word group that gets run into the ground.
I had the same thought quite a while ago. I did a bunch of research on these phrases (and more) for my own edification, and documented it all. Then I thought it might be a good idea to share the findings with the membership at large.
I ran the idea past TubaDiva, who ran it past other mods, and the decision was that they thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to dredge up the past by posting the explanations and origins of these catch-phrases. Fair enough.
Max, can you fill me in on “ItShut Up”? I don’t recall ever seeing that before.
If it is OK to ask, where did the 'in communist Russia…’ responses originate? Was there a specific thread?
In communist Russia, dogs burn you!
It’s a reference to the alleged comedy routine of Yakov Smirnoff, whose every joke seems to be along these lines. Did you ever see the episode of *King of the Hill * where Bobby is trying to sell him jokes?
Actually, variations of that joke predate Yakov Smirnoff. I recall reading the following in a '60s issue of Mad Magazine: “Under capitalism, man expolits man. But under communism, it’s the other way around.”
Hundreds of quote sites credit it to John Kenneth Galbraith, using the version:
“Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it’s just the opposite.”
As always, none of them appear to give any source for the quote.
Aha, found it! “Lighter Side of Women” - Dave Berg - March '63.
An even more recent one seems to be “ouija boar”, which I’ve seen at least a half dozen times in various threads.
While we’re on this subject, can I just ask where “when come back bring pie” came from?
Here ya go. That one never really caught on, though.
It’s from the first Weebl and Bob animation, which has got a lot more episodes since, and a computer game too. Don’t watch too many of them in one sitting, or your brain might feel like the poop.
Thanks for that. It extremely weird.