Anti-Spore website was, in fact, a hoax

by Justin McElroy { Sep 12th 2008 at 9:00AM }

We suspected it might be a gag, (that's why we put it in the headline) but we went ahead and treated this "anti-Spore blog" as the real thing. We were victims of Poe's Law and that's something that we're going to have to live with.

So why aren't we angrier about getting hoodwinked? Well, the way that the blog's creator revealed it was just ... transcendent. Check out the second from last paragraph in this post and see if you don't agree.

Tags: anti-spore, hoax, rickroll, spore

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

MC Double Def DP @ Sep 12th 2008 9:07AM

first clue was that Spore isn't popular enough for the church to try and profit off of it... Genesis 8:27 doesn't hurt either.

TheNoid @ Sep 12th 2008 4:08PM

Nice dude, You get the first post and of course use it to slam Christians, good job. This just proves my point that pretty much everyone alive is constantly and actively looking for something they can do to piss someone off. Some people just aren't happy until they have. I guess this made your day.

Vol @ Sep 12th 2008 12:13PM

Damn..

I was just Rick Rolled by Joystiq.

xGeneral DEATHx @ Sep 12th 2008 1:50PM

@ TheNoid:

That door swings both ways...Christians and Non-Christians all share one flaw: They're human, and therefore biased and in some way all think they're right about something. No need to trash MC here...besides, religion isn't much more spotless in its execution than any other aspect of human history.

Doug @ Sep 12th 2008 1:53PM

Joystiq, between this and the bogus Microsoft rumor you served up, you're becoming pretty irrelevant.

Oh, yeah, and agree with the poster above... thanks to your incendiary anti-Christian post, lots of vitriol was spewed about Christians when the blog wasn't even by Christians, but you took the bait and here we are.

Here's a new rumor: Joystiq and X3F are run by 6th graders at Wilson High School in Palo Alto, CA.

They're currently getting a C- for the project from their teacher Mrs. Perkins.

Ihavepants @ Sep 12th 2008 9:08AM

I saw this earlier today and was waiting for you guys to post about it. Man whoever made that blog is the most epic troll ever.

*Salutes*

Wiinterfang @ Sep 12th 2008 10:00AM

*nods*

You just don't see such a passionate troll everyday, it brings a tear to my old eye this kind of dedication, he for know one has evolve from you average troll you an epic DOUBLE TROLL.

Hashbrown Hunter @ Sep 12th 2008 10:25AM

...maybe someone should make him in Spore.

Courtney @ Sep 12th 2008 7:02PM

Does it count as trolling if you sucker people into making asses of out themselves on your site?

This guy is the ultimate troll baiter.

Oh, and the comments on the reveal post are pretty priceless.

MC Double Def DP @ Sep 12th 2008 9:09AM

another thought, I love all the morons who were so quick to leave comments on his page even after he revealed it's a hoax.

Duke @ Sep 12th 2008 10:11AM

I thought so too. The first comment is a riot when you realize they have no clue what they just read.

Very nice way to reveal to truth.

Juan @ Sep 12th 2008 12:07PM

Most people just don't RTFP. We'd all get along a lot better if we just suppressed our rage and RTFP.

Dirty @ Sep 12th 2008 1:03PM

People are so ready to spew their ignorant position on topics that they pull the trigger too quickly. As if having a position on a topic is more important than thinking about it.

Great Photoshop BTW.

deaftly @ Sep 12th 2008 9:18AM

Well at least it gave us a good ol religion debate.

PS.... don't believe in fairy tales :P

SugarDaddy @ Sep 12th 2008 9:27AM

That wasn't good debate. It was just a bunch of people trashing one guy's supposed beliefs.

Boffo the Sock @ Sep 12th 2008 9:33AM

I skipped that one, but I do have some experience in these matters, so I'm going to go ahead and call shenanigans. I imagine it was less of a spirited debate, and more an intolerant religious flame war between the pious and the atheistic.

BananaBoat @ Sep 12th 2008 10:12AM

Now this is the story all about how
your intolerant ass got pwned upside down
now I'd like to take a minute just sit right there
I'll tell you all about how I became the prince of a town called spore-air

In the middle of nowhere, born and raised, f**king bored is how I spent most of my days. Chillin out maxin relaxin all cool, shooting some Nazi's inside where it was cool, when a couple of nerds, who were up to no good, starting aimbottin in mah neighborhood. I asked for one little permaban and mah mom got scarred, she said yer movin in with your uncle and auntie in spore-air.

(Tune in tomorrow for the epic conclusion of the Fresh Prince of Spore-Air)

theturtle363 @ Sep 12th 2008 10:59AM

Oh no Kool Aid man, OH NO

deaftly @ Sep 12th 2008 11:48AM

*burst through wall*

OHHHHHH YEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

CBS News @ Sep 12th 2008 9:22AM

Huh, posting a site even though there is pretty good 99.9% reason of it being false.

When did Dan Rather join joystiq?

Sounds like joystiq is scrapping to get by just so they can fill up their daily quota of headlines.

Ihavepants @ Sep 12th 2008 9:24AM

Can you rephrase your Earth words so they make sense to my face please.

SugarDaddy @ Sep 12th 2008 9:25AM

Ah hahaha! I love how all the commenters on that post STILL commented as if it was serious. Only a handful of people actually read the post. Brilliant internet commentary it is.

D_Average @ Sep 12th 2008 10:37AM

Exactly! Thats the funniest thing about it! All those commenters calling him "ignorant", yet to ignorant themselves to read the whole post and see that its a hoax.

Daniel Hough @ Sep 12th 2008 10:55AM

The author brings to light the problem with many people that they don't even bother to read something and assume they know what it's about. Either that or they've never been Rickrolled before and have never read a Biblical passage.

jhrf89 @ Sep 12th 2008 9:27AM

Called it!

tooPrime @ Sep 12th 2008 9:28AM

I'm not sure why anyone reported on this to begin with. If it was real then you did what the instigator intended. It is fake however so you just managed to waste everyone's time.

Antagonist @ Sep 12th 2008 9:36AM

Was it not obvious? That site was way overdone from right off rip. Also, that was a lot of effort to put forth for a lousy Rick Roll. He might as well have broken into the Gospel of Bel Air. I give it a 7/10.

fred @ Sep 12th 2008 9:51AM

I agree, a bel-air would have been much more appropriate. Bel-air's work with just text, rick rolls don't.

j.howlett @ Sep 12th 2008 9:46AM

fake as it turned out it always amazes me how someone will pit god and science against each other like the line god shaped the earth not science

Kersh @ Sep 12th 2008 10:08AM

That might be one of my favorite internet images ever.

As for the site, while it was an epic Rickroll, they made it a little too believable as far as I'm concerned. Especially when attacked, the poster wouldn't get put on their heels and attack back, condemning everyone to hell or whatever.

Had the person been serious about it, not only would it have not surprised me, it would have been a lot less hate-filled and fundamentalist than the real crazies out there, like the Westboro Baptist Church, as an example.

Hot$auce_Magik @ Sep 12th 2008 10:25AM

Yeah...I really enjoy blasphemous pictures.

My favorite is the one with the 3 dudes standing next to a painting of Jesus on the cross, and they are doing the MCA arms gestures next to Jesus...

Still makes me giggle, even if I am a devout catholic.

Kersh @ Sep 12th 2008 1:55PM

Oh man, that picture is a classic. Blasphemy can be hilarious so long as you have the common sense to understand that it's not there to offend, but to poke fun at some of the most prevalent images in our society.

Side note: I gave up on Catholicism a long time ago, but even before I had, I had my sense of humour intact.

Hot$auce_Magik @ Sep 12th 2008 10:23AM

I still can't believe how many brainless morons have posted flames, even after he has admitted it was a ruse. Just shows to go ya that the majority of people will be set off at the first sign that their beliefs are being threatened.

And we wonder why the world is so fucked up...

Rollins @ Sep 12th 2008 10:50AM

Seriously. This guy just won the internet.

Spartacus @ Sep 12th 2008 10:28AM

What's sad is, even though this was a hoax, people are still going to blame Christianity.

The original post on this site was filled with anti-religious people expressing their intolerance of religious intolerance without even acknowledging their hypocrisy.

Duke @ Sep 12th 2008 10:45AM

Leave the hypos out of this!

Antagonist @ Sep 12th 2008 11:15AM

That's what happens when you mention religion on the internet. The fundam-atheists come out to do battle with the fundamentalists.

Kimosabae @ Sep 12th 2008 11:59AM

Antagonist:

There's no such thing as a "fundamentalist" atheist/agnostic. The fact that there's no standard doctrines, deity, or parables to govern them renders the adjective ill-applied. As a result, there's little to no evangelizing or politicizing from these social groups.

You people can look to Joystiq.com and a video game hoax site as case studies for the dialectical relations regarding secular and religious social groups if you'd like, but the fact is, secular society has the most legitimate claim to intolerance IN THE REAL WORLD.

-SynikaL

Spartacus @ Sep 12th 2008 12:19PM

Kemosabae,

You're half right. Agnosticism would definitely be hard to form a fundamentalist sect under, however atheism is quite susceptible.

Atheism is a theological stance, just like theism and therefore people can rally under its flag and claim everyone else are ignorant fools. Atheist may not have a "holy book" per se, but they certainly have strict interpretations of scientific evidence as proof of their beliefs and are quite adamant about them, completely ignoring the fact that scientific evidence is open to human interpretation and bias- thus qualifying for the term "fundamentalists".

I'm going to assume in your last paragraph that you meant "secular society has the most legitimate claim to TOLERANCE" rather than intolerance- though either way could be argued.

If I'm interpreting your argument correctly, I'd like to turn your attention to atheistic China where they regularly imprison, torture and kill citizens of certain religious faiths. Pretty tolerant of those benevolent atheists huh? Humanity is intolerant, period. Atheism has just as much blood on its hands historically worldwide.

Duke @ Sep 12th 2008 12:34PM

Oh, my mistake, I got confused and thought he was talking about hippos for a second there.

Kimosabae @ Sep 12th 2008 12:51PM

Spartacus:

You make good points.

"I'm going to assume in your last paragraph that you meant "secular society has the most legitimate claim to TOLERANCE" rather than intolerance- though either way could be argued."

I meant what I typed at the time. Thanks for the correction.

"If I'm interpreting your argument correctly, I'd like to turn your attention to atheistic China where they regularly imprison, torture and kill citizens of certain religious faiths. Pretty tolerant of those benevolent atheists huh? Humanity is intolerant, period. Atheism has just as much blood on its hands historically worldwide."

I wasn't specific. I was implicitly remarking upon Western civilization, where between Canada and USA alone, Christianity claims around 70% of world views and Islam spreads throughout Europe like wildfire. Judaism gets a free pass, since evangelizing is not justified through doctrine.

I am ignorant of the China remark. I know, China and communism, blah blah, but reputable links would be appreciated.

-SynikaL
(Please stop spelling "Kimosabae" with the misplaced "e". Please and thank you.)

Spartacus @ Sep 12th 2008 2:14PM

Kimosabae,

Sorry for the misspelling. Here's one such link for you from a human rights site:

http://www.hrw.org/summaries/s.china9512.html

I realize that you were arguing from a Western standpoint- that's the problem. American's ignorance of the world around them is no excuse for making ethnocentric statements. North America and Europe account for a small percentage of humanity and a small percentage of Christianity, Islam and Atheism, therefore to ONLY take samples from these populations, societies and political arenas is going to produce incredibly inaccurate and biased results.

Antagonist @ Sep 12th 2008 4:06PM

@Kimosabae

Agnosticism has precious little to do with atheism, and I did not say anything regarding agnosticism, so I'm not really sure why you brought it up in the first place.

Furthermore, you are incorrect in your assumption that there is no such thing as a fundamentalist atheist. Fundamentalism can be defined as strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles. In the case of atheism, the idea is that there is no God.

Now a fundamatheist, as I like to call them, adheres so strictly to their belief that God does not exist, that they assault the pious with various references to Sky Wizards, Spaghetti Monsters, and refutation of Christian doctrine to the point that, to an objective observer, they appear to be proselytizing every bit as much as the other side.

The idea that there is no politicizing from secular society is also patently false. Who is the first part of society to make a fuss about the Ten Commandments being put on display in a courthouse? That's right, secular society, and rightfully so I might add. To say that an atheist or an agnostic does not politicize is an insult to both schools of thought.

As a Freethinker myself, I find you ill-equipped to speak for secular society. Especially when you presume that they, let alone anyone, should be entitled to intolerance.

fred @ Sep 12th 2008 8:09PM

Anyone who claims there can be such a thing as a fundamentalist atheist obviously knows neither what fundamentalist or atheist mean.

Spartacus @ Sep 13th 2008 4:48PM

fred,

Your argument is very compelling...

andrew @ Sep 12th 2008 10:34AM

I am not sure if most of you guys read all of the article. Though, unlike most of the posters on the site, you get the joke, the author is a she and not a he. It is funny that everyone seems to assume that such a joke could only be created by a man.

Boffo the Sock @ Sep 12th 2008 11:18AM

The author only claims to be female. Of course, the author also went ahead and destroyed the credibility of everything said in that blog by revealing it all to be a hoax. We are now dealing with an unreliable narrator, and I can't bring myself to believe anything he says because of this.

LaughingTarget @ Sep 12th 2008 11:55AM

I recall being told once that Atheists make the best scientists because they don't believe what they are told and always consider all the facts. This proves that guy wrong. This is a hit on the claim that Atheists are rational than anything a religious organization has ever done.

Well played admin, well played. Stupidity knows no bounds.

PigeonsPig @ Sep 12th 2008 1:12PM

Perhaps it's a double bluff; a creationist who then claims she's not. Judging by the low-grade drivel most people have posted it's likely to discredit atheists rather than promote their (my) cause.
It's pointless debating with creationists and fundamentalists; they have nothing to add to a debate.

Bass Masterson @ Sep 12th 2008 1:26PM

The need of non-religious people to constantly make fun of religious people is perhaps the most embarrassing trend of this generation. It makes me sad to be an atheist, which is why I do not associate with other atheists: they're all assholes who just want to push their dogma on everyone else.

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