# Wile E. Coyote's objective **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 15, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394 "2003-11-15T06:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/1 "2003-11-15T06:23:45Z")
Ultimately, did Wile E. Coyote want to eat the Road Runner or just kill him? And if his objective was to kill, when did he switch from being a predator to a depraved killer? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/2 "2003-11-15T06:31:28Z")
To eat him. Plain and simple. The man was hungry. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/3 "2003-11-15T06:31:43Z")
In one episode, two kids are watching the cartoon and wondering why Wile was chasing the Road Runner. Wile stops his chase and explains to the kids that the Road Runner was the most delicious animal ever. He even had a chart showing which part of the bird was flavored like vanilla, pistachio, etc. Although you’d think with all the money he spent on Acme, he could have gone to a Road Runner restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/4 "2003-11-15T06:37:03Z")
From the coyotes Latin names, such as _Eatius birdius_, _Carnivorous Slobbius_ and others listed [here](http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/3081/latin.html), I’d say he was hungry. I don’t see any _Murderous fiendibus_. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/5 "2003-11-15T06:51:20Z")
Thanks. However, some of his plans to “catch” the Road Runner would render him inedible. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/6 "2003-11-15T07:50:26Z")
> [@](#): > > (S)ome of his plans to “catch” the Road Runner would render him inedible. Yes, but that’s part of the humor. When asked about this, Chuck Jones explained that Wile E. Coyote fits the classic definition of a fanatic–i.e., someone who having forgotten his objective, redoubles his effort. The coyote is so obsessed with devising elaborate plans to catch the Road Runner that he loses track of the fact that if he succeeds, there’ll probably won’t be enough left of his prey to spread on an hors d’oeuvre cracker. For him, it’s all about the means used to achieve a goal, not the goal itself. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/7 "2003-11-15T08:27:54Z")
Still would’ve been easier to just go to McDonalds. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/8 "2003-11-15T16:33:49Z")
There’s a difference between road-kill burgers and road-runner burgers… n’est-ce pas? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/9 "2003-11-15T17:19:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > \*\*There’s a difference between road-kill burgers and road-runner burgers… n’est-ce pas? \*\* I’m not sure - maybe we should ask Cecil? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/10 "2003-11-15T18:12:43Z")
It may be the delusional reasonings of a feverish mind, but I seem to remember an episode where he actually caught the silly bird. Then, he looked at the camera (okay, pencil) and held up a sign that said, _ **Now what?!** _ Am I alone in my insanity? Or did this really happen? Or both? ---
**Author:** ![Loneraven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@Loneraven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loneraven)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/11 "2003-11-15T18:41:56Z")
**NoClueBoy** , it happened. At least, I distinctly remember something similar. But I think at the time, he had made himself very small and grabbed the Road Runner by the ankle. Or maybe I’m imagining it… ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wile-e-coyotes-objective/213394/12 "2003-11-15T22:30:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tapioca Dextrin \* > \*\*I’m not sure - maybe we should ask Cecil? 😃 \*\* Of course, [someone already has](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010330.html) :smack: