November 22, 2004

Curious, George: MoFi traditions, in-jokes and terminology? With all the subterreanean MeFi-MoFi wrangling of recent days, its been mentioned that MoFi is very much a seperate and unique community, with its very own idiom. But, what exactly are those in-jokes, running gags, traditions and so forth, as we monkeys see them?

Should we even catalogue them? Do we need - or even want something like the MefiWiki and its in-jokes spoiler? (And furthermore, just out of interest... does anyone know of any resources on the development of idiomatic speech in online communities?)

posted by prismatic7 20 years ago
  • I don't WANT to be exposed to in-jokes. sorry
  • Well, the obvious: ). And Monkeybashi, and cockpunch. Though I don't really know the origins of cockpunch. A Wiki would be fun, but probably not that necessary. If you want to do one, though, I don't see why not!
  • If I recall correctly, Kimberly originated cockpunch; perhaps she can shed some light on it. I used to know, but have forgotten the exact origin and without archives can't figure it out. daisy_may and Airplane! references are always fun.
  • livii: i'm not sure i'm enough of an oldbie - but let's start with here, get a feel of the community attitude, and maybe then i can talk to Monkeybashi about it..?
  • unique in-jokes include - cockpunch (a drink, not an action - and I don't remember why - something to do with Cock, the first shocksite poster?), Turkmenbashi (a couple of cult threads) and thus Monkeybashi, "you sick fuck" (in honour of Nostrildamus), daisy_mae (the "I'm not talking to you" and resultant cult thread), petebest and his multiple logins, his lack of pants, BlueHorse is the GrandMa, beeswacky is the poet laureate (are these last injokes, or honorary titles?), Alnedra carries a 100 ton hammer with which to whack trolls... a lot of these have been lost with the archives, but they will pass, with new ones to come their way (I'm pushing for "anal massage in the Fenlands", but that's just because it references my thesis) - and of course, other people will remember more (even as I write this post...) the recent "I don't WANT to be exposed..." is a joint mefi/mofi creation (uttered by konolia, perpetuated on both the lavender and the grey) Yup, and our best is the ) - banana. I just had to explain what this meant today to someone who has been reading for almost a year. It started as [banana] but then someone cleverly figured out an illustration. It means [this is good; have a banana].
  • the_bone: care to shed some light on the daisy_may fiasco? I wasn't even a lurker then, and the thread is (naturally) no longer available...
  • What? No mention of Nostrildamus and his socks? I am very disappointed in you.
  • Cockpunch came out of a meetup thread, many moons ago. Person X (dunno who) made some reference to not being able to make it, but could Person Y cockpunch Person Z for them? Or something like that. Anyway, it definitely involved genital aggression. However, Kimberley (I believe) misinterpreted the comment, and thought that they were referencing some kind of delicious fruity drink. As the thread degenerated into one of those amusing virtual parties, liberal helpings of it were served. It became the drink of choice when an air of frivolity and giddy abandon were called for; often, in our darkest hours, at our times of greatest need. Or Fridays. I think.
  • Also, can we get a definitive spelling for daisy_may/mae?
  • Where are you, Dr Zaius?
  • daisy_may - my mistake.
  • Where are you, Dr Zaius? Lost in the mists of time.
  • to answer my own question a bit - giving kittens when things get rough.
  • daisy_may posted an FPP to her friend's site, IIRC. She wanted to get back at someone else, and it totally backfired as monkeys called her on the spammy nature of it; and as everyone began to understand the situation, the viciousness of it as well. Hilarity ensued as she tried to defend herself and especially as she began to lash out at monkeys in the thread. Someone else can correct me or elaborate. It's a shame the thread is gone.
  • although i did save some threads a while ago, i have no idea but i'm definitely voting for cockpunching anal massage fens and wendell's weasel and of course every popular ape/monkey reference must be so wrong to have lost all your archives maybe i could find something in an old browser but i have way over used my hand and must thrust it in carbonite someone cockpunch someone for me
  • prismatic7 - also puppies. How many mefi injokes came over? It seems to me that there were a few to begin, but they faded as new ones were created. They are generally understood, however.
  • we have taglines (hmm... when wiki, must add taglines...) and the .. I've also spotted "administrator! please hope me!!" and ponies...
  • Old MeFi injokes? Not too much. A bit of "it vibrates", the odd PepsiBlue, not much on the having cameras or pancakes front. Ponies, "." and the universal 2)??? 3)Profit!!! are the only ones that seem to have made it intact. Oh, and doing this far too much- MonkeyFilter: I'm pushing for anal massage in the Fenlands
  • LarimdaME, the quest for Nostril's lamentably missing lucky green socks and our mutual reverence for socks in general are what hold Monkeyfilter together. It's more of an unspoken thing though. well, that and #1 and #2 and all the other clever monkeys
  • oh goddam it
  • In the daisy_may thread, the real hoot is when she basically told Monkeybashi to butt out. It was kind of a dead giveaway that she wasn't really much here to participate, as generally by the time someone decides they have a good FPP, they've stuck around a while and already know some of the notable personalities, such as, say, user #1.
  • What vibrates?
  • Memories...light the corners of my mind...
  • maybe I'll check the MefiWiki
  • This vibrates.
  • Oh, and although it won't work for some, here's the archived daisy_may thread.
  • This thread...it DOES vibrate. And girls with glasses = very nice.
  • I never see popcorn references on MeFi or MoFi. I enjoy a little popcorn myself. Popcorn of course being what you eat when watching (but not participating in) a drama.
  • WWJLD? (In honor of Dizzy). What would Jim Loy do? Surely some of you monkeys must remember this?
  • although it won't work for some *sobs inconsolably*
  • Darshon be kickin' it old school now.
  • *sobs inconsolably* Nor I.
  • I like to cover myself with tree sap and tiny frogs before posting. Does that count as a tradition?
  • If you save monkeybashi's link as an html file, you can then open it in Firefox or IE. Not much for style but it works.
  • Good to know, islander. Edit: It'll probably work, then, if you tack a .htm or .html onto the URL you're looking at. Now I know what the problem is, I or #2 can write a script to do that automagically.
  • I like monkeyfilter. I really do. But it is threads like this that are why monkeyfilter is often slammed for being a wannabe metafilter with an inferiority complex. Meta-vs-monkey (vs robot?) is a silly thing to discuss if people honestly don't think that metafilter is our cooler big brother. I had a lot more to write that in retrospect was pretty mean so I'm going to leave it at that. However I would want to say that, now that metafilter is open for new users maybe it is it is time to stop paying attention to how the metites feel about the monkeys. And possibly to stop using their in jokes and shorthand? (There is nothing, and I mean nothing more pathetic than watching someone start trying to claim some other groups in-jokes for themselves.) Let monkeys be monkeys. Let monkeys who want to be metas pay 5 dollars and be metas*. It's all good people, there is no rivalry as long as we won't let there one. * (Disclaimer, I paid my 5 dollars and I'm happy to be a member of both sites. Yes I joined here because I wanted to be in some filter, any filter. But I'll stay because I like it here. Hell it is all pretty much just lurking anyway.)
  • It's hard enough to come up with something creatively incoherent here (much less creative and rational). I cannot begin to imagine how I would do that if I were to be a member of both -filters. Looking things over, I think we have more fun here on Metafilter. There seems to be a lot angst over at the Blue. Moreover, nobody ever bitched about not being able to join Monkeyfilter.
  • er.. aspo, i think you've got the wrong end of the stick (or possibly of wendell's weasel) here... this is a thread about MoFi's community, which as a 'filter-type site is naturally going to have to position itself in relation to MeFi. Many of the users here are/were/have been/will be MeFi users, lurkers and wannabees, who've picked up on MeFi habits after a fashion - so, yes we're naturally going to have some genetic traits from the MeFi mindset. We should be proud of that heritage. However, MoFi has developed a special lingo all its own, and that's what i'm interested in. The socks, the kittens (and puppies, oh my!), the nanars, Monkeybashi, daisy_may, Nostrildamus being a "sick fuck". They're all ways of looking at us, seeing who we are and how we interact. Hence, Curious, George!
  • We've got more users with two X chromosomes than your average non-double-X-related online community.
  • prismatic7: I understand that. I just feel some self-affirmation going on. "I'm cool enough, I'm unique enough, and god damnit I've got my own personality too." and that kind of stuff just icks me out sometimes. Don't talk just do. Maybe part of it is there really isn't that much history to the monkeys. It's a small, young group. Especially considering it is a group that started because metafilter was closed. Yes cool things have happened. Yes in jokes exist. Yes there are some interesting people here. But not enough to start calling attention to them. You need a lot more stories under your belt before you start repeating the good ones over and over. Ok, I'm sorry I hijacked the thread. I'll just go back to being quiet in the corner now. I'm probably a lot less grumpy over there.
  • I say we take off and nuke this thread from orbit. It's the only way to be sure...
  • We've got a whole lotta meta (in the sense of talking about the community) goin' on. We started that way, we remain that way, we'll stay that way. We just have to deal with it.
  • Well, I tell you what, That Other Filter don't have no Holy Virgin Kitten With a Banana on His Head on no Grilled Cheese Sandwich. I rest my case.
  • moneyjane wins.
  • We got chicks on. We got chicks with specks on. We got chicks with sox on blogs on.
  • I AM NOT A NUMBER! I AM A FREE MAN!!!
  • The " . " thing belongs to mefi as much as "france surrenders" belongs to fark (neither are the originators). Nor is mefi the original source of "ponies," "blank overlords," "LOL," "coke on my moniter," or "why we can't have nice things." Many "injokes" at place Z actually started elsewhere in place X, years before Y started using it, which is where Z got it from. That doesn't mean Z and Y can't ever tell that joke.
  • You see aspo, here is how it works: people like to complain. That's it. Now shut up. As for wikis & metatalks and sites to talk about the talk about the talk on the main talk page, that is immense wankery. Please do not do this, Monkeyfilter. Koffee Klatch Klubs are shyte. Now send me money.
  • ...beeswacky is the poet laureate... Thanks, jb, but I think the original label: "poet lariat" as bestowed by the incomparable BlueHorse, suits me better.
  • *sends two new zealand cents tin a brown paper bag to Nostrildamus* Ha! Spend that, you crotchety old fool!
  • I'm not old!
  • pfah. crotchety young fool, then. go on, spend up big.
  • my favorite monkeyfilter tradition is the annual festivities. you know, how on november 24 to celebrate thanksgiving everyone with a user account higher than 2 sends me $5 US to help defray the cost of my holiday travels. (for you newbies, email addy is on the profile page - mailing address will be dispersed upon request. i'd prefer wire transfer but will accept cash or a check...)
  • Knickerbocker's formula just made my head explode.
  • I second "anal massage in the fenlands" for some sort of running gag, in-joke, persistent meme status
  • The daisy_may thread was either my finest hour or a source of eternal personal shame. I haven't made up my mind.
  • Oh, I'd vote for the former. That thread is the mashed potatoes & gravy of this site -- it may be all empty calories, but it tastes gooooooooooooooooooood.
  • Don't forget the muskmelons! or Poland! You didn't fucking forget Poland again did you? Gaarhh! You asshole!
  • Oh, I'd never forget the melons. Beeswacky's magnum opus for this site, that thread. But Poland? It's never where I think I left it.
  • petebest, I fail to see what that comment has to do with Mango Gottmundsdottir's controversial new movie, The In-Joke of the Crinklypottomazoid, which is what we were supposed to be talking about.
  • I just want to say, Good Luck, ...
  • nope, 'twas i that originated cockpunch as a beverage.
  • found it cached on google... January 14, 2004 MeFiSoCalWenCom '04 - LA Mefi Meetup is on for this Saturday. posted by Kimberly at 08:42PM UTC [trackback] (69 comments total) kimberly please carry warm mofi greetings from monkeys on the opposite coast! ook ook. posted by SideDish at 08:52PM UTC on January 14 I say we ambush 'em! I mean, really, we'll never have an opportunity like this again. posted by Fes at 08:55PM UTC on January 14 Kimberly is our official Monkey Ambassador. Make sure you do a fine job of representing the monkeys. posted by tracicle at 09:33PM UTC on January 14 If I provide a list of posters I'd like cock punched, would you oblige? posted by Keith Talent at 09:33PM UTC on January 14 This probably wouldn't be a good time to have those 335 drinks then, is it? As far as cock-punching goes, any excuse to even say "cock-punch" is a happy thing. posted by Kimberly at 09:35PM UTC on January 14 I was thinking more along the lines of swing from trees, hang on one arm and scratch yourself. But drinking 335 beers would certainly make us look impressive. I, also, like the word "cock-punch". *says it aloud* posted by tracicle at 10:31PM UTC on January 14 Cock punch was courtesy of The Onion back when it was funny. (Actually it may date from more recently when it was unfunny.) But it is about the best word ever. posted by Keith Talent at 10:47PM UTC on January 14 **cock punch sounds like something you'd drink at an orgy. posted by SideDish at 10:54PM UTC on January 14** Maybe you'd drink it at an orgy, but I think I'd pass. posted by Keith Talent at 11:04PM UTC on January 14 You just had to go and lower the tone, didn't you SideDish? posted by dng at 11:04PM UTC on January 14
  • I like the idea of the wiki because I am tired of explaining what's going on to Dreadnought, who missed the creation of most. Don't we all feel better remembering exactly where cockpunch came from?
  • anal massage in the fenlands I'm tryin' jb
  • kamus - you've brought tears to my eyes. Either that, or the fumes are getting to me :)
  • jb, you're not supposed to stand so close while giving anal massage.
  • I get so mixed up. I thought it was jb who was getting the anal massage. Has anyone commented on the benefits of this massage, yet?
  • I'm surprised peat_best hasn't weighed in on this fenlands thing yet
  • probably bogged down
  • Me? I'm not doing either. I'm just researching and writing about it.
  • (academics don't do, they just pontificate)
  • And then there is the lost E*L*E*P*H*A*N*T*S thread, where each poster made a line of poetry on the theme of elephants, with the first letter of each word dictated by the last word of the previous post. (POST: Pachyderms oscilating, sad tremors.) Actually, I have been thinking about colonizing the am's id has been hijacked thread in MeTa with this meme...
  • The elephant game was revived temporarily here.
  • what about the balls moving direction?
  • the 'elephant game' continues in style here!
  • just to say, "in jokes" foster that community feeling but it sucks when they just get perpetuated out of habit long after they cease to be funny, apply or bandwagon jumping (and this is what bugs mefites and ANY group who gets tired of beating dead horses) i'd like to know what WAS but i hope it doesn't mean it becomes a list of sanctioned jokes 'cuz as a mefite of questionable standing, i noticed that referencing some thing everyone knew (like hitchkier's guide) gave some weird impression it was the trend again, while making a whole new joke either got totally WTFed or crazy bandwagoned, like whatever happened in quonsar's pants. (whether that fish was there before his comment or mine, i have no idea, but it got unfunny real fast to me)
  • Monkeyfilter: where "in jokes" fester foster that community feeling Oh, how I WEEP for the lost taglines from our glorious youth! Pete_best. Paging Pete_best. Your pants are ready. Will the real Pete_best please stand up?
  • I'm not falling for that trick again GramMa! *hangs on tightly to pants, looks furtively around*
  • ok, did i derail this thread or did it just fall off the page? *grills people for the funny*
  • Yes, ethylene, your hard words of doubt have wronged us. I swooned in shock & lost consciousness. Clearly you must pay for your lack of vision. I command you to exile yourself .. to the shops, where you shall gorge yourself on chocolate & fine things. Only then shall your Dharma be fulfilled & you may return to this thread!!! Nooooowwwwww.. go!
  • * hides behind a palm tree, ready to grab pete's towel...* dangit, foiled by pants!
  • *looks at Mojo, raises eyebrows, nods, grins WEDGIE!
  • Woo hoo GrandMa! *runs over to pete*
  • Punch-card Jesus will destroy you all!
  • Shut up, dng! No one even remembers Punch-card Jesus.
  • I do!
  • Well, obviously. But no one else does.
  • You do!
  • Well, yes, but only because you just reminded me.
  • Of course I reminded you. I am you.
  • shhh!
  • dng...dog...dng...dog Someone's at the door.
  • Oh! Shit, sorry.
  • wendell's going to beat you with the OscarTM
  • ))) for a wise guy!!!
  • interestingly, or maybe not, my brother recently married a girl whose surname was Wise. Oddly, she didn't wish to be known as Mrs Wise-Guy. I can't imagine why
  • O foolish female, thus to thrust aside a Monnicker of Distinction!
  • no, but Oscar's going to beat you with the Wendell®