expertise
Music: Graham Parsons: Grievous Angel (1973)
Believe it or not, the university pays me to be an expert on Chuck Norris' celebrity, among other things. The university likes the publicity of expertise. No matter how careful you try to say things, one always looks like an idiot and credentialed commentator on the obvious. Here's a story on the gubatorial campaign:
"That's one tough Perry youth pitch" In an ad posted on www.rickperry.com, Norris acknowledges the "Chuck Norris facts" craze that's been sweeping the Internet and college campuses for months.
"There are a lot of facts about me out there on the Internet. But here's one Chuck Norris fact that you probably haven't heard yet. On Nov. 7, I'm voting for Texas Governor Rick Perry," Norris says.
Norris' status as a super-masculine modern hero has been widely expanded in recent months with the help of www.chucknorrisfacts.com and throngs of obsessed college students.
A recent survey of the social networking Web site Facebook.com reveals more than 500 groups referencing Chuck Norris nationwide; 50 of those groups are within the University of Texas network.
Joshua Gunn, an assistant professor at the University of Texas with a specialty in popular culture and communication, said the message is a clear attempt to match the humor and masculinity of the independent candidate Kinky Friedman's campaign.
"There's a big emphasis on masculinity (in the Friedman campaign), and Chuck Norris' image is associated with the same things: toughness and meanness," Gunn said. "The message here is that Perry is just as tough."
Chuck Norris may be able to eat bowls of diamonds and slam a revolving door, but can he bring Gov. Rick Perry some of the youth vote?
— A.J. Bauer