BUCKAROO PARTY is not being represented tonight

September 28, 2016 9:31 AM

After a must-read Presidential Debate Live Tweet, Internet Saint Chuck Tingle has brought forth trumpdebatefacts.com, blowing open the lies of the man crab from the Void, along with some brand new Tinglers (last two links are NSFW).
posted by Itaxpica (72 comments total)

Not to dissipate the lol's but just how does a guy with serious building development in Manhattan and casinos NOT have close ties with the mob?
posted by sammyo at 9:53 AM on September 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

I'm still not sure of Tingle's level of self-awareness, but the frequency and on-pointedness of his live-tweeting is some seriously impressive satire.
posted by Think_Long at 10:02 AM on September 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

Never again will I think "this can't get any weirder"—ever.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 10:17 AM on September 28, 2016 [8 favorites]

1st falter of night from CLINTONS as she mistakes Tromps bubbling void speech as rational human thought and not the screams of 1000 crabs

I don't know what you mean by "weird," this exactly represents the debate I saw.
posted by languagehat at 10:22 AM on September 28, 2016 [40 favorites]

I'm still not sure of Tingle's level of self-awareness


?

Why is there any reason to believe that there is a person named Chuck Tingle who authors these, or that the actual author or authors are anything less than completely self-aware?
posted by kenko at 10:23 AM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I don't know much about Tingle, I just remember reading an article or two that described him as autistic and possibly not entirely in on the joke, but it seems that there are lots of competing theories. As with all things in this election, everything is both real and unreal at the same time.
posted by Think_Long at 10:30 AM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

While it is true that Donald Tromp may have once controlled fifty million USD in assets, he later converted over ninety percent of his income into "Void Credits" in exchange for dark powers. Since then, the value of Void Credits has disappeared completely, as is the way of The Void.

Hmm. Does that count as earned income, or does it fall under estate and gift taxes?
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:32 AM on September 28, 2016

crowd of bloodthirsty onlookers fill debate hall with dissapointed groans, thirsty for blood

I love that line, just because it feels like an exchange from an unwritten episode of Firefly:

MAL: Got a bloodthirsty mob outside.

JAYNE: What do they want?

MAL: Well, they're thirsty. For blood.
posted by nubs at 10:33 AM on September 28, 2016 [31 favorites]

I'm still not sure of Tingle's level of self-awareness

Absolute maximum possible levels of self-aware.
posted by Navelgazer at 10:33 AM on September 28, 2016 [7 favorites]

The Buckaroo Party platform is simple. We believe that love is real, and take a strong stance against The Devilman Agenda

This year, Channing Tatum (President) and Chuck Tingle (Viceman) are asking for your vote as the leaders of The Buckaroo Party. We believe that love is real for all who kiss the sky, and are presenting a comprehensive platform that reflects this ideal. The Buckaroo Party stands in opposition to all UFLs (Unfair Flavor Laws) and has a strict policy against any and all negotiations with The Void.

For more information on The Buckaroo Party policy, please consult the political tinglers below



including "President Domald Loch Ness Tromp Pounds America's Elite"
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 10:35 AM on September 28, 2016 [6 favorites]

So Tingle has gone full eldritch
posted by little onion at 10:35 AM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

Absolute maximum possible levels of self-aware.

Tingle is being pounded in the butt by self-awareness.
posted by nubs at 10:36 AM on September 28, 2016 [16 favorites]

Is.. is there an r/OutOfTheLoop for this or something?
posted by INFJ at 10:38 AM on September 28, 2016

Wikipedia isn't bad. Consult Tingle's twitter account for a (SFW, as far as I can tell) flavour of the awesomeness that is Chuck Tingle.
posted by quaking fajita at 10:42 AM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Pounded in the Butt by My Book "Pounded in the Butt by My Book 'Pounded in the Butt by My Book "Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt"'"

Seems pretty self-aware to me.
posted by dortmunder at 10:45 AM on September 28, 2016 [5 favorites]

Why is there any reason to believe that there is a person named Chuck Tingle who authors these, or that the actual author or authors are anything less than completely self-aware?

I could almost believe that Tingle is a Chinese room AI that accidentally created itself from the nets. Like, two Serdar Argic style worms/viruses were both scanning tumblr and started reading and responding to each other until they collapsed into a single Tingler mentality that doesn't need self-awareness to do what it does.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:49 AM on September 28, 2016 [6 favorites]

CHUCK TINGLE IS A GODDAMNED AMERICAN TREASURE.

THIS IS THE TRUTH.

Not only for his beautiful, soul-expanding work in mocking the Rabid Puppies tools, but for his fiction, which include My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay Ass, Pounded by President Bigfoot, and Bigfoot Pirates Haunt My Balls .

HE IS A GREAT MAN AND THE BEST OF THE INTERNET.
posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 10:49 AM on September 28, 2016 [43 favorites]

Yeah, I wish more people appreciated him. I feel better about Chuck Tingle than I do about the vast majority of pretty much anything.
posted by Slinga at 11:02 AM on September 28, 2016 [4 favorites]

I nearly posted this to the front page, so I'll add it here for the "is he real" discussion.

It appears that he is real, and furthermore that he's doing all this while dealing with disabilities.

Personally, I don't even care whether this is a J.T. Leroy situation. What Tingle has accomplished, and the good he's put his very improbable fame to, is pretty damned impressive.

I get why he's an eyeroller to some people. I know drewtoothpaste and others have taken a few "look at this moron" swipes at him, but it looks to me like Tingle's not only in on the joke, he's using that joke as a weapon to make abusers look like the ridiculous man-babies they are.

I haven't read a line of his fiction, but I am a fan, real or not.
posted by middleclasstool at 11:05 AM on September 28, 2016 [17 favorites]

Never again will I think "this can't get any weirder"—ever.

I'm really missing Hunter Thompson these days. Either even he'd be repulsed, or he'd expand like a massive cultural algae bloom.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:14 AM on September 28, 2016 [4 favorites]

I'd like us all to take a moment to imagine being in the room when Brexit starts unravelling and Chuck Tingle realizes their currency is called "the pound".

The result - "Pounded By The Pound" - is the stuff of legend, obviously. But let's all just consider the quiet glory of that moment, when the unchallenged leader of Buckaroo Nation was reading the morning news and that blinding light suddenly switched on.
posted by mhoye at 11:20 AM on September 28, 2016 [17 favorites]

Has anyone here read his work? I don't imagine that it's good, per se, but is it intelligible? He's so prolific that I wonder if it's something like mad libs, where he can plug in the latest Trump (sorry, Tromp) gaffe a few hours after it happens.
posted by AFABulous at 11:26 AM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

Mhoye: link
posted by tinkletown at 11:28 AM on September 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

He's so prolific that I wonder if it's something like mad libs

I was wondering the same thing. He's able to put so much out that I've thought Chuck Tingle was a pseudonym used by a couple people.
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:29 AM on September 28, 2016

His output is so quick I imagine that he either has some kind of ready-mix gonzo gay porn formula, or else it's just a few hours of unedited stream-of-consciousness stuff thrown into a document and handed to whoever photoshops his covers.

I intend to find out. As I said, I haven't read him, but I'm going to fix that. I figure he's earned a few bucks of my support from Twitter entertainment alone.
posted by middleclasstool at 11:30 AM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Incidentally, my post title was going to be "Pounded in the Heart with His Own Heart", and now that opportunity is missed, don't be lazy, kids
posted by middleclasstool at 11:34 AM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Juffo-Wup is the hot light in the darkness.
All else is unfulfilled void.

C'mon Tingle. You're so close here. Where's my Trump/Mycon?
posted by [expletive deleted] at 11:40 AM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

Has anyone here read his work?

I read the Hugo-nominated "Space Raptor Butt Invasion". It had some genuine charm and good humor! I wouldn't call it good, exactly (the climactic pounding really needed some lubricant), but fully half the story was cheerfully silly and SFW. Would recommend giving it a go if you're smile-deficient.
posted by asperity at 11:41 AM on September 28, 2016

Metafilter: some kind of ready-mix gonzo gay porn formula, or else it's just a few hours of unedited stream-of-consciousness stuff.
posted by mhoye at 11:42 AM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

I think I've posted this in a previous Tingle thread, but the SBTB podcast did an interview with him back in August. (There's a transcript included if you can't handle the audio.)

Also, you can watch Mark Oshiro read several of Tingle's works at conventions. I have viewed all of these, and they are amazeballs in their own surreal way.
posted by Shmuel510 at 11:44 AM on September 28, 2016 [6 favorites]

There's a Space Raptor Butt Invasion shirt for sale at Tingle's site and I want it so bad.
posted by LindsayIrene at 11:54 AM on September 28, 2016

I'm still not sure of Tingle's level of self-awareness

You remember how, on old NES games, they kept your score in an 8-bit integer, so when it got high enough, it wrapped back around to a big negative number? I think we just found the real-world analog.
posted by Mayor West at 12:04 PM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

I don't know much about Tingle, I just remember reading an article or two that described him as autistic and possibly not entirely in on the joke

Ah, I know just the article you mean! The thing is, the conclusion you mention requires believing that while someone might have made up one person (Chuck Tingle), no one could possibly have made up two people (Chuck and son Jon). It's an amazingly credulous piece of work, that somehow got picked up a lot.
posted by kenko at 12:06 PM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

It appears that he is real, and furthermore that he's doing all this while dealing with disabilities.

The "proof" that "Jon Tingle" was doing the reddit AMA was … a tweet from "Chuck Tingle"'s twitter account.

This proof is rather less than dispositive.
posted by kenko at 12:08 PM on September 28, 2016 [4 favorites]

I read Slammed By The Substantial Amount Of Press Generated By My Book "Pounded By The Pound: Turned Gay By The Socioeconomic Implications Of Britain Leaving The European Union" and thought it was delightful; here's a brief passage that charmed me.
posted by redsparkler at 12:08 PM on September 28, 2016 [4 favorites]

here's a brief passage that charmed me.

That would be perfect if not for the comma splice.
posted by kenko at 12:12 PM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

I find that it is very important, when drafting outsiders into fights you are having, to make sure they are on your side first.
posted by ckape at 12:31 PM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

Has anyone here read his work? I don't imagine that it's good, per se, but is it intelligible?

I haven't read more than excerpts, but I've spoken to people who've read full Tinglers and they report that once you strip away all the jet planes and dinosaurs and political figures they're solid, if not stellar, erotica novels
posted by Itaxpica at 12:41 PM on September 28, 2016

including "President Domald Loch Ness Tromp Pounds America's Elite"

Ah the follow up to he (actual!) previous works President Domald Loch Ness Tromp Pounds America's Butt and Slammed in the Butt by Domald Tromp's Attempt to Avoid Accusations of Plagiarism by Removing All Facts or Concrete Plans from His Republican National Convention Speech

I really want to read Slammed in the Butt by My Smartphone's Missing Headphone Jack and Brangelina Splits Apart and then Pounds Their Own Butt
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 1:13 PM on September 28, 2016

I went to the butcher's yesterday, was shocked by the high price of a pound of butt. Tingle has definitely caused a run on the product.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:17 PM on September 28, 2016 [7 favorites]

It appears that he is real, and furthermore that he's doing all this while dealing with disabilities.


I am amazed that this is still up for debate. Chuck Tingle and everyone in his universe (Ted Cobbler, Son named Jon, Barbara, etc.) are 100% fictional. There is absolutely no credible evidence for him being anything other than a very entertaining fictional character.
posted by paulcole at 1:23 PM on September 28, 2016 [6 favorites]

Void Crabs, on the other hand, are all too real. And must be stopped on November 8th by all True Buckaroos.
posted by Roommate at 1:28 PM on September 28, 2016 [10 favorites]

One Space Raptor Butt Invasion t-shirt is mine. I did need something classy to wear to pride next year.

Come on, space raptor. Make daddy lucky.
posted by Brie Fantasy at 1:45 PM on September 28, 2016

I choose to believe that all this Buckaroo business implies the true and absolute endorsement of Dr. Banzai, who is also a real person.

Having said that, do we have proof that Trump is not a Red Lectroid from Planet 10? Being named Donald is evidence against it, I will admit, but do we have proof? Will he show us his Not A Lectroid Certificate?
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 2:07 PM on September 28, 2016 [8 favorites]

I own only 2 kindle books and they are both Tinglers
posted by krix at 2:40 PM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

His debate recap got me to text the following to my 18 year old daughter yesterday:" I've been trying to not ask this for like 6 months,but here goes... Are you aware of Chuck Tingle? "

Her reply:"(Blocks ur number)"
posted by putzface_dickman at 2:47 PM on September 28, 2016 [17 favorites]

Shmuel, thanks for posting that interview, it's awesome. My favorite part is his explanation of why he hasn't featured Clinton (or, more broadly, any woman) in a Tingler yet:

lots of people talk about pounding anyway, but if something’s, as we discussed, there can be in a good way, but a lot of times it’s not in a nice way. It’s in a harassing way, and with, like without consent of the, the lady bucks. Well, then I thought, well, maybe the best way is just to not write about lady bucks too much, ‘cause they get, they get told about that all the time, and, and sometimes it’s not in a nice way, so even if a Tingler is done to prove love, I would just rather not, just rather not add to that big old pile of pound talk they get every day, ‘cause it’s, even if mine is a positive pound, then there’re lots of mean pounds coming their way, and I don’t, didn’t really want to be part of that too much.
posted by Itaxpica at 3:50 PM on September 28, 2016 [24 favorites]

Because of the Tromp quote that involved him opening a club that allowed humans, "not just crabs, I swear", I now want to hear all of these tweets read aloud by Cecil Baldwin.

Goodnight, Buckaroos, Goodnight.
posted by allthinky at 6:53 PM on September 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

I suspect "Chuck Tingle" is played by more than one person, the person who rites all de buttsecks with kr8tiv spelling, and whoever's writing his webpages in a literate manner.

That Lithub article is one I hadn't seen before and it's rather astounding in how it's written and structured.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:45 PM on September 28, 2016

Chuck's got a chocolate milk problem. Someone should reach out to him.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 7:46 PM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

the person who rites all de buttsecks with kr8tiv spelling, and whoever's writing his webpages in a literate manner.

Why do you think one person couldn't do both of those? You just used "kr8tiv" spelling and finished the sentence with standard spelling. It can be done!
posted by kenko at 8:25 PM on September 28, 2016 [2 favorites]

Chuck Tingle sounds a lot like a group of Something Awful writers given sentience and access to unlimited butts.
posted by benzenedream at 8:28 PM on September 28, 2016

Yeah, but it pains my soul to write that stoopid, and I don't think I could do it for the length of time Chuck Tingle is doing it without it being genuine.

Also I just read that Smart Bitches podcast transcript and....I think that's how the dude actually writes/communicates with no joke. I have not read a Tingler to see how well son name of Jon edits to know how drastically different/improved the so-called editing on them is, though.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:36 PM on September 28, 2016

"Not to dissipate the lol's but just how does a guy with serious building development in Manhattan and casinos NOT have close ties with the mob?"

Honestly? I hire multiple senior executives with a reputation for getting things done and not investigate too closely when an acceptable amount of my money is being embezzled somewhere. Then I act shocked, shocked! when one of them is caught doing what I secretly hope they've all been doing. Let that be a lesson to the rest. And my hands are "clean".
posted by traveler_ at 10:05 PM on September 28, 2016 [1 favorite]

...Chuck Tingle kind of sort of vaguely (what with the crabs and the void talk and all) reminds me of fafblog!
I know I know I know, can't be... but still there's a resonance there between the two.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:58 AM on September 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

Giblets!
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:13 AM on September 29, 2016

This is the guy who invited Zoe Quinn to represent him at the Hugo awards as a slap at Ted "Voxman" Beale and his devilmen. And then included her as a character in "Pounded in the Butt By My Hugo Loss" (according to her delighted tweet from the trip home). His trolling of the "puppies" was so extensive, perfect (and yes, self-aware) that it's a favorite for a Hugo of its own next year.

So I'm going to have to read a couple of his books, is what I'm trying to say.

From Bklyn: excellent point. That connection had never occurred to me, but now that you mention it, I can see it easily.
posted by Zonker at 4:49 AM on September 29, 2016 [5 favorites]

Wow, I was just about convinced that there was no such person as Chuck Tingle and that "Jon" had made up the entire thing, Ted Cobbler and all, and then I listened to that podcast.

If this is a long con, someone is very, very committed to it. Because that is definitely a person with disabilities speaking about the gay pop-culture erotica he has written. Clearly there IS a Chuck Tingle, and just as clearly he is thoroughly edited and promoted by his neurotypical son Jon.
posted by chainsofreedom at 5:22 AM on September 29, 2016

Are you aware of Chuck Tingle?

Have you heard been pounded in the butt by the good news about our buckaroo and savior Chuck Tingle?
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 7:32 AM on September 29, 2016 [2 favorites]

there was no such person as Chuck Tingle and that "Jon" had made up the entire thing

If you thought that Chuck Tingle was made up, why would you attribute the making-up to the equally made-up Jon Tingle?

Because that is definitely a person with disabilities speaking about the gay pop-culture erotica he has written.

It sounds very much to me like someone putting on an act. At any rate, I'd love to hear how you propose to distinguish, from a podcast, between someone putting on an act and someone with speech-affecting disabilities.
posted by kenko at 7:52 AM on September 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that "Chuck Tingle" is a long-term work of performance art.
posted by Zonker at 8:03 AM on September 29, 2016

Whether we think Chuck Tingle is real or not, his work continues to prove that LOVE IS REAL.
posted by asperity at 8:31 AM on September 29, 2016 [6 favorites]

there was no such person as Chuck Tingle and that "Jon" had made up the entire thing

If you thought that Chuck Tingle was made up, why would you attribute the making-up to the equally made-up Jon Tingle?

Well, if he is made up, then SOMEONE has to have made him up, no? Seems reasonable that it is the person who did the AMA as "Jon", Chuck Tingle's son.

Because that is definitely a person with disabilities speaking about the gay pop-culture erotica he has written.

It sounds very much to me like someone putting on an act. At any rate, I'd love to hear how you propose to distinguish, from a podcast, between someone putting on an act and someone with speech-affecting disabilities.

The podcast convinced me because a fakery like this hinges on the fact that you can hide behind a computer screen. Historically, Internet fakers have been found out through real-life appearances, photos, interviews, videos, etc. If Chuck Tingle is fake, they need the anonymity of the internet to keep Chuck Tingle going. I assumed before that Chuck Tingle was fake because he suspiciously never gave interviews, there are no real photos of him apart from that stock photo on his Twitter page, and he interacts completely via text. That tells me that the person behind "Chuck Tingle" knows that speaking in public increases the chances that you are found out, and they were very careful for that never to happen. Doing the podcast interview, to me, says that either Chuck Tingle is legit, and has no concerns about a public appearance cracking the facade because there is no facade, or the person who is "Chuck Tingle" has some sort of factitious disorder, like people who fake cancer online, and they couldn't turn down the chance to up their fakery.

In other words, no one who has another life apart from "Chuck Tingle" would keep this level of engagement up, including increasing the stakes, for this long. Even "My Immortal" ended at some point. The person who is churning out these books overnight, posting to Twitter in character, doing Reddit AMAs, and going so far as to mimic a speech disorder on a podcast is either Chuck Tingle, or acts like Chuck Tingle close to 100% of the time.
posted by chainsofreedom at 8:34 AM on September 29, 2016

Whether we think Chuck Tingle is real or not, his work continues to prove that LOVE IS REAL.

Also: There's literally nothing on the line here whether he's "real" or not. He's not getting rich off this. He's not pursuing a literary legacy or being offered a Pulitzer. He's famous, but probably half the people who know his name are somewhere on the spectrum from "eh" to "please go away", and very few people who have heard of him have bought his stuff. He has used his fame only to entertain and to take the piss out of internet dickbags, which most of us agree are good things.

Whether he is what he presents himself to be, or is a performance art project, or is a bored comedy writing team's way of fucking with the internet, it literally could not matter less. Someone wrote those stories and is running that Twitter account. Someone is taking absurdist pokes at Trump and the Puppy idiots and MRAs. Whether it's one someone or twelve, and whether he is remotely who he says he is, couldn't be further from the point.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:52 AM on September 29, 2016 [8 favorites]

couldn't be further from the point.

I don't think that's true. I think that, as a project, it's 100% more charming and interesting as someone's total invention. The same is true regarding, say, Ern Malley. It makes the whole thing into an object of appreciation in a different way.
posted by kenko at 9:33 AM on September 29, 2016 [2 favorites]

He's not getting rich off this.

Rich, probably not. But whoever is behind this could easily be making 10s of thousands per year from Amazon sales.
posted by paulcole at 11:09 AM on September 29, 2016

I don't think that's true. I think that, as a project, it's 100% more charming and interesting as someone's total invention. The same is true regarding, say, Ern Malley. It makes the whole thing into an object of appreciation in a different way.

I dunno, I'll be pretty grossed out if a neurotypical person was pretending to be mentally challenged for the lulz.
posted by chainsofreedom at 2:05 PM on September 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'll be pretty grossed out if a neurotypical person was pretending to be mentally challenged for the lulz.

… lulz? So who mentioned lulz?

I think it was a silly mistake for "Jon" to say that "Chuck" is real and has a determinate list of mental disabilities. Nothing is gained thereby. But certainly if it was going to be put forward that Chuck is real, his odd twitter habits have to be accounted for somehow. I don't think so-called lulz have to be a factor anywhere.
posted by kenko at 2:33 PM on September 29, 2016

… lulz? So who mentioned lulz?

What is your alternative hypothesis?

Correct me if I'm missing something, but the two major competing hypotheses appear to be:

(a) The claims are true. Chuck is neurodivergent; son, name of Jon, is his editor.
(b) This is all an elaborate con.

Given the AMA and the podcast and everything, it seems to me that (b) requires whoever is behind this to be a complete and utter asshole (and not of the literal kind to be pounded while proving love real). That does not, to me, seem consistent with Chuck's actions?
posted by Shmuel510 at 2:48 PM on September 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

I would say "elaborate performance" instead of "elaborate con" but, sure the autism thing is pretty problematic as a performance.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 3:06 PM on September 29, 2016 [1 favorite]

But certainly if it was going to be put forward that Chuck is real, his odd twitter habits have to be accounted for somehow.

I mean, what's wrong with the truth? The Twitter site is run by someone really really weird. If this is a performance then clearly no one needs to be autistic to write books about gay dinosaurs or post bizarre things on Twitter, because the literal authors of the books are not autistic.

Autism, schizophrenia, or any other neurological difference is not necessary to account for weirdness. It isn't a magical, fun character trait needed when your protagonist is odd.
posted by chainsofreedom at 3:39 PM on September 29, 2016

I love Tingle, but I can't help but feel that this kind of eldritch political thing is a bit old... I feel like you can trace it to Something Awful and LF.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 11:04 PM on September 29, 2016 [1 favorite]