[Ads-l] There is no gravity, the earth sucks

Wed Mar 16 13:36:22 UTC 2022

I've seen the "vaccuum" version too, sometime in the mid-'70s.

JL

On Wed, Mar 16, 2022 at 8:33 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Jesse: Thanks for accessing Maledicta, and sharing what you found.
> Ben: Thanks for posting the citation with the interesting "vacuum" variant.
> Garson
>
> On Wed, Mar 16, 2022 at 7:19 AM Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:
> >
> > Sorry for the slow response here, but I was finally able to look at the
> original of this. Unfortunately, there is no specific information provided
> about the origin of most items on the list. Cragg himself served in Korea,
> and remained interested in military language, but the only comment he makes
> in the introduction is that "The following list is a composite of many such
> I've seen and collected over the years." He does comment (also in the
> introduction) about a small number of items, and some of them have more
> info in footnotes, but not this one.
> >
> > Jesse Sheidlower
> >
> > On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 02:52:05PM -0400, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> > > The quip appears within an article in the journal Maledicta in 1980
> > > according to a snippet match in Google Books. I cannot see the full
> > > article. The article might give details about where and when the quip
> > > was collected.
> > >
> > > Year: 1980
> > > Journal: Maledicta: The International Journal of Verbal Aggression
> > > Volume 4
> > > Start Page 167, Quote Page 171 (GB), End Page 173
> > > Article Title: A Brief Survey of Some Unofficial Prosigns Used by The
> > > United States Armed Forces
> > > Author: Dan Cragg
> > > Publisher: Maledicta Press
> > > Database: Google Books snippet; must be verified with scans or paper;
> > > article title and author name from index at logological.org/maledicta
> > >
> > > [Begin excerpt]
> > > (45) There is no gravity - the whole world sucks.
> > > [End excerpt]
> > >
> > > Garson
> > >
> > > On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 1:27 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
> > > <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Good work Wilson, Ben, Bill, and Jonathan.
> > > > Here is an interesting variant phrasing with "myth" and "world" in
> 1971.
> > > >
> > > > [ref] 1971 Copyright, Requiem for a Teacher by Robert Fogg and Bob
> > > > Clifton, Chapter 3: Raeger, Quote Page 24, Golden Bell Press, Denver,
> > > > Colorado. (Internet Archive at archive.org) [/ref]
> > > >
> > > > [Begin excerpt]
> > > > If you think you can take it, we have a saying that's pretty popular
> > > > on days like I had today . . . Ready??
> > > > gravity is a myth; the whole world sucks.
> > > > [End excerpt]
> > > >
> > > > Here is a variant with "myth" and "Earth" in a 1974 encyclopedia of
> graffiti.
> > > >
> > > > [ref] 1980 (Copyright 1974), Encyclopedia of Graffiti, Collected by
> > > > Robert Reisner and Lorraine Wechsler, Section: Oragenitalism, Quote
> > > > Page 259, (Reprint of 1974 edition from Macmillan, New York), Galahad
> > > > Books, New York. (Verified on paper)[/ref]
> > > >
> > > > [Begin excerpt]
> > > > Gravity is a myth; the Earth sucks.
> > > > (Men's room, Grumman Aviation, Long Island, New York)
> > > > [End excerpt]
> > > >
> > > > Barry Popik explored a different variant:
> > > > If the world didn’t suck, we’d all fall off.
> > > >
> > > > Barry found a citation dated November 28, 1999.
> > > >
> https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/if_the_world_didnt_suck1
> > > >
> > > > Garson
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 12:47 PM Jonathan Lighter
> > > > <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Bill,
> > > > >
> https://archive.org/details/lp_hanging-in-there_hudson-landry/disc1/01.01.+Ajax+Liquor+Store.mp3
> > > > > <
> https://archive.org/details/lp_hanging-in-there_hudson-landry/disc1/01.01.+Ajax+Liquor+Store.mp3
> >
> > > > > gives
> > > > > a 1971 date.
> > > > >
> > > > > That, to me, is more consistent with "your acapella head" and
> "earth sucks"
> > > > > (and possibly "hang in there")  than a date of 1960.
> > > > >
> > > > > JL
> > > > >
> > > > > On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 11:35 AM Bill Mullins <
> amcombill at hotmail.com> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > Without disparaging Wilson's memory, here is a documented cite:
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 1960 Hudson & Landry Hanging in There Dore Records LP-324 [liner
> notes,
> > > > > > back of the album cover]
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Landry also writes tone poems for your acapella head: YOU WERE
> NEVER
> > > > > > LOVELIER, AND I THINK IT'S A SHAME; THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS
> GRAVITY --
> > > > > > THE EARTH SUCKS; IV'E FALLEN INTO SOMETHING AND I HOPE IT'S
> LOVE; THE ONLY
> > > > > > THING I HATE WORSE THAN BIGOTRY IS MINORITY GROUPS; and THE
> BOTTOM'S
> > > > > > DROPPED OUT OF EVERYTHING BUT YOU.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > Re:  Undocumentable Army graffito
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Seen in November, 1959, written in pencil on the outside wall
> of one of
> > > > > > the
> > > > > > > mess halls at the now-defunct Fort Devens, Massachusetts:
> > > > > > > "There is no gravity / The earth sucks."
> > > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > --
> > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
> the truth."
> > > > >
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> > >
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> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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