# Who is Goatse
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 4, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416 "2002-07-04T22:31:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@spacecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spacecat)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/1 "2002-07-04T22:31:03Z")
Does anyone have any biographical information on the man known simply as Goatse, star of Christmas Island’s most infamous website?
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### Author:  [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/2 "2002-07-04T22:59:01Z")
I remember seeing something along those lines at Fark a while back, but I don’t remember the link or anything.
Its out there somewhere!
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/3 "2002-07-04T23:05:18Z")
DO NOT POST THE LINK anyone, please!
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/4 "2002-07-04T23:20:36Z")
From [fucked company’s glossary](http://www.fc-uk.org.uk/vocab/):
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*Goatse \*\*- Bob Goatse is recognised as an authority on matters of design and other issues. In this regard he has become something of a Fine Auld Guru himself, and his site (based in Christmas Island) is often linked to by FC Forum regulars. Bob has become known for the deep insight into him that can be seen on his site and for the unexpected depths that he reveals. Aside from the picture of him that can be gleaned from an initial visit to his site, other illustrations of Mr Goatse’s great capacity, depth, and breadth can be found across the whole 'net. A regular prank played by old hands on the board is concealing Bob’s site in a seemingly unrelated link, often leading the unwary to Bob’s site. How we laugh.
Those desiring a more trustworthy source of biographical information about Bob Goatse may prefer [this archived CNN article](http://members.tripod.com/~kharakh/). 😉
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### Author:  [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)
#### Post date: [July 4, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/5 "2002-07-04T23:21:00Z")
I’ll second that. Defensively phrased OP. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/6 "2002-07-05T01:22:01Z")
Oh please, please PLEASE not goatse!!!
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### Author:  [@AgentofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AgentofEvil)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/7 "2002-07-05T01:31:53Z")
Timothy Simmons, I believe.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/8 "2002-07-05T02:22:26Z")
I tell myself, on days like this, that I really do need to obey my instincts to explore.
So I did.
Excuse me, my fellow Teeming Millions, while I hasten to scrub th’ back of my eyes and pour concentrated bleach along my optic nerves to try to kill th’ memory.
Back soon (I hope).
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/9 "2002-07-05T02:51:44Z")
It’s the picture of the guy holding his anus wide open? And the OP wants biographical information on him?
Um…
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WHY?
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### Author:  [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/10 "2002-07-05T03:19:33Z")
Urgh **Wolfie** when you’ve finished with the bleach do you mind passing it over here, thanks.
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### Author:  [@JaxBeachBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaxBeachBoy)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/11 "2002-07-05T05:31:24Z")
Goatse actually did appear on CNN’s website once.
Long story, so bear with me:
On the day after the 9/11 attacks, an admin at [tribalwar.com](http://tribalwar.com)(a gaming forum I have frequented for years) was viewing the explosion videos frame by frame. He pulled out one of the now famous “devil face” pics, boxed it, blew it up, and posted it at Tribalwar with the caption “What the fuck is this?” He thought it was an interesting trick of light/shadow. CNN then ran an article a couple of days later, talking about various web hoaxes that had originated after 9/11, and included his photoshopped pic(the ONLY photoshop was the box used to illustrate what he was pointing out.)
However…
CNN did not host the picture, they linked directly to [Tribalwar.com](http://Tribalwar.com)…later, all major new sources on the web did the same thing. Tribalwar’s data output, which is quite large anyway, skyrocketed. After sending repeated emails to all the various offending news sites asking them to host the pic on their own servers, and getting no response, Rayn changed the pic to Goatse. He logged somewhere over 250,000 views of goatse, all coming through the national news sites.
This was quite entertaining to all of us, as we got to watch various news forums fill up with enraged topics about the XXX pic.
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### Author:  [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/12 "2002-07-05T19:12:04Z")
Give the webmaster some credit: He’s got one of the most brand-aware sites on the internet, but he hasn’t sold out by selling banner ads and pop-ups there.
At least, the last time I checked. And no, I won’t go back to verify that’s still true… 😉
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/13 "2002-07-05T20:49:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \*
> \*\*It’s the picture of the guy holding his anus wide open? And the OP wants biographical information on him?
>
> Um…
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> .
> WHY? \*\*
So he can see what the fellow is like on the inside?
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### Author:  [@wei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wei)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-goatse/117416/14 "2002-07-05T20:52:43Z")
From some forum, there’s some picture of his finger (where the bad part is gone) shows that he has a ring on one finger, meaning he would be married.