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FARK Bert and Taliban

  
 
shirleydoe
15:55 / 10.10.01
http://www.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=55751
 
 
Enamon
16:26 / 10.10.01
He's right there to the right of Osama's head above his shoulder. This just keeps getting weirder doesn't it?
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/p/nm/20011009/wl/imdf09102001085522a.html



From Yahoo! News Reuters Photo
quote:Bangladeshi Islamists pray for the safety of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, wanted by the U.S. for suspected terror acts, during an anti-American demonstration in Dhaka, October 9, 2001. Jaamiat-e-Talabaye Arabia, a radical Islamic organization, arranged the demonstration to protest U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan. REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman.
 
 
Jack Fear
16:42 / 10.10.01
A better shot:

  
 
Naked Flame
19:43 / 10.10.01
Heh. Heheheh. Mwahahahahaha!

anyone see the whisky bottle detail?



edited cos I can't manage a simple cut&paste in one go

[ 10-10-2001: Message edited by: Naked Flame ]
 
 
Ethan Hawke
20:09 / 10.10.01
Snopes - sources the image
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
06:52 / 11.10.01
For more Bert badness, click here.

I prefer these two, anyway:

 
 
Jack Fear
17:28 / 11.10.01
The "Sesame Street" people have their say.
 
 
The Sinister Haiku Bureau
18:00 / 11.10.01
quote:

From the above article:

It is not clear whether the protesters actually knew who the character Bert is, and what he means to U.S. children.


Part of me actually wants to believe this was done deliberately, as part of a bizarre form of psychological warfare. It's kinda like the Iraqi propaganda during the gulf war, which told american soldiers that their wives and girlfriends were shagging film and TV stars- including bart simpson, of all people.
If (admittedly, a big if) it were possible to do something like this deliberately, and if it were possible to upset thousands, even millions of small children though a 'strategy' like this- would it serve any strategic/propaganda advantage?
 
 
the Fool
22:01 / 11.10.01
If it was deliberate, and not some really elaborate photoshop scam, then doesn't it strike you as... stupid. I mean, if you know Bert is, it makes the protest seem almost funny or silly. Global Terrorist and would be islamic messiah + possibly homosexual american puppet star of kids TV? Makes sense to me...

[ 12-10-2001: Message edited by: the Fool you though you knew ]
 
 
The Sinister Haiku Bureau
06:18 / 12.10.01
First up, I'm not saying it WAS done deliberately, I'm just engaging in outlandish speculation and bizarre idea-mongering, because, to be completely honest, I find it enjoyable. Although I agree it is stupid, and downright strange, I'm asking about the way small children who watch sesame street would react, kids who are confused as hell about whats going on, and to be honest,probably don't really understand the global geopolitics of the situation. They then find out that someone they 'know', ie Bert, is involved somehow. Is it possible that this would be upsetting for them, on a fairly large scale, the implication that a character they love, and possibly do not realise is 'only' a puppet, is implicated in this? Could something like this be considered a major act of psychological terrorism against America's children?
 
 
Ganesh
07:52 / 12.10.01
WON'T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!!

Coincidentally, my partner's old passport photo bore a mild resemblence to Evil Bert...
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
07:52 / 12.10.01
Seems that the Bert is Evil website is dead; quote:10.11.01

I have taken down the "Bert is Evil!"site from my server. I would like to thank Sesame Workshop for their patience and restraint all these years. I implore all fans and mirror site hosts of "Bert is Evil" to stop the spread of this site too.

This is not selling out. I was not bullied. I am not being a pussy.

I am doing this because I feel this has gotten too close to reality and I choose to be responsible enough to stop it right here.

I want to thank all the fans who laughed with me all these years. Thank you to the mirror sites who continued the legacy beyond what I started. Thanks to Victor J. Zuylen, N. Ross Gilbert, Wout Reinders and Jasper Hulshoff Pol who helped me build the site back in the early days. Thank you to Tiffany Schlain and the Webby Awards team for believing in me. Many thanks to the press who have helped me get my site noticed (specifically the now defunct magazines Internet Underground and The Web). Thank you to Lloyd Kaufman and the Tromaville.com staff who brought Fractal Cow back to life.

I hope my other projects will receive an ounce of the appreciation you all showed "Bert is Evil!".

Thank you very much.

Dino Ignacio www.fractalcow.com


=update:

In response to all of you who have emailed me criticizing my desision to kill the site, I post this email I wrote to one of you:

i really appreciate you writing to me. in all honesty. it was a very hard decision to make.

i literally killed a part of myself today. if fractalcow represents different parts of my psyche. i just killed the rebellious part of my soul today in lieu of the part that dictates to be responsible.

my main motivation in killing the site is that i hope it helps stop the idea from germinating anymore into the mainstream. i fear that it may destroy the character's credibility with children. i cannot allow that to happen. i myself grew up on sesame street and it was an important part of my childhood.

"bert is evil!" and its following has always been contained and distanced from big media. this issue throws it out in the open, with articles, emails and news websites referring to it, children are bound to hear about it. i think i had to draw the line there.

it really sucks. i hate part of mysef right now. you actually are giving voice to that rebellious punk in me. i appreciate you doing that. but the punk boy has to succumb for the moment.

don't worry, there's more where it came from.

dinoI can see how it wouldn't be fun anymore.
 
 
rizla mission
11:45 / 12.10.01
This is just fucking bizarre.

Are we sure it's not just some dumb internet hoax? Cos if it's real i fear i may lose my mind..

Just,

what?
why?
how?
 
 
rizla mission
13:16 / 12.10.01
ok, here's another article about this:
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47450,00.html

Consensus seems to be that the poster's made from a bunch of Bin Laden pictures grabbed from the internet, including a "hilarious" photo-shopped Bert/Bin Laden one which the supporters were obviously too frenzied to notice when they stuck them all on the poster.

phew .. for a minute there I thought there was something weird going on..
 
 
Sam Lowry
14:45 / 12.10.01
Mistery solved?...

just follow the links...
 
 
Chuckling Duck
14:56 / 12.10.01
During the gulf war, the Iraquis had a brief radio propaganda effort in English, not unlike the old Tokyo Rose broadcasts from Japan. A half-remembered excerpt: “Why are you here, soldier? While you are here, your women are alone. John Travolta is at home with your girlfriend. Paul Newman is visiting the mother of your children. Bart Simson is talking to your wife.”
 
 
Enamon
14:57 / 12.10.01
Bart Simpson? With my wife?!!?!?!? Why that motherfucker!!!!
 
 
Ganesh
15:04 / 12.10.01
And what's worse is, she's having a cow, man.
 
 
Mister Snee
05:25 / 15.10.01
Fucking Afghans! This just goes to show how fucking STUPID they are. This is exactly why we should BOMB THE FUCKERS!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

WE WILL NUKE OSMA BIN LEDNEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


LOOK OUT OSMA BECAUSE TEH US PLANES WITH TEH BOMBS ARE OMCING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK ATR MY PHOTOSHOP PICTURE OF OSMAH AHAHAHAHHA HE HAS BULELT S IN HEIS HEAD!!!!!! H E IS --DEAD_1-1!!!!!!!!!! BECAUSE HISE SI SO STUPDI!$!@##@* 43

DIE OSAN!M! EU!U@ JARW KSDF



fdas

Argh.

I'm just sick and fscking tired of it all, I'm afraid.

[/waste-of-time-and-bandwidth]
 
 
Perfect Tommy
12:40 / 16.10.01
d00d wtf?
 
 
Mister Snee
20:47 / 16.10.01
Sorry... I've just been so damn touchy since my wife ran off with that Simpson kid.
 
 
grant
19:27 / 17.10.01
I just had the privilege of writing a short article on how Osama is outraged about the posters showing him sitting with Bert.

Sun sources say this is because he likes Oscar the Grouch much better.
 
 
The Sinister Haiku Bureau
20:16 / 17.10.01
Grant, although you say that in jest, I do wonder, DOES Osama know about this? I mean, you would assume that the head of an international terrorist operation would want to know what's going on in the world, wouldn't you? What does he make of it? Also, do you think Saddam Hussein has seen, or even heard of the South Park Movie? Can you imagine what it'd be like having to be the guy who translates the film for him, and explains 'well, mr president, they're saying that you like to make anal love to the devil, sir'...
If I was president, just for one day, I would have had that film translated into Iraqi and sent to Saddam... airdrop the thing all over iraq...
 
  
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