An Obama Assassination Plot and the Furry Anarchist Forum That Dreamed Too Big for Wikipedia
When the faceless editors of Wikipedia decide an article is not fit for public consumption, it’s gone, only accessible to the site’s top editors—at least, it was. But now we’re keeping track of all the articles Wikipedia doesn’t see fit to print, to present you with very best of the site’s weirdest and worst.
This week, we present a techno-furry anarchy gone awry and two people who could not hate President Obama more if they tried. Please, enjoy.
Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Barack Obama Assassination Plot Investigation
Anthony Peter Senecal is a former butler of Donald Trump and longtime family friend who still resides at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. He also happens to really, really hate President Barack Obama—a fact he’s been more than happy to make known on his Facebook page over the years.
Now, there’s a lot going on here, but this particular entry focuses mostly on the Secret Service’s recent investigation into the wildly racist, Obama-hating ex-butler
Senecal’s anti-Obama proclivities were first discovered by David Corn of Mother Jones, who noticed about a week ago that Sencal’s Obama-related social media postings were full of strong lin—rage and murder feelings, specifically.
In addition to writing the Facebook screed above, Senecal also wrote in May of last year:
I feel it is time for the SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION !!!!! The only way we will change this crooked government is to douche it !!!!! This might be the time with this kenyan fraud in power !!!!! ...[W]ith the last breath I draw I will help rid this America of the scum infested in its government—and if that means dragging that ball less dick head from the white mosque and hanging his scrawny ass from the portico—count me in !!!!!
In light of the astounding number of exclamation points used, the Secret Service was forced to take Senecal’s threats at least somewhat seriously, and ultimately opened an investigation into the matter.
Best line:
Whoever took it upon himself to pen this (fairly lengthy) entry clearly loved his work:
In what is perhaps the pithiest of the many, many public statements in which Senecal has been revealed to have called for, openly advocated, or declared his intentions to assist, bringing about the death of Barack Obama, Trump’s beloved personal butler (and long-time footwasher and bunyon-remover) states bluntly: “This prick needs to be hung for treason!!!”
Which makes it especially hard to pick just one favorite with lines like this:
Senecal’s death threats against Obama are particularly notable due to Senecal’s longtime closeness to the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2016 election, Donald Trump, whose feet Senecal has washed for many years.
As well as this:
Obama has been subject to a number of similar threats by Elderly White Men like Senecal, who may be old enough to remember Slavery Times in the United States, or at least, to have close relations who remember this period fondly.
So instead, I choose them all.
Why it got deleted:
Because there is “nothing suggesting it’s own long lasting independent notability” and the author continued “to add blatant editorializing content after being informed of policy.”
Put another way, it got deleted because the beautiful light that was once inside the hearts of Wikipedia’s various editors burned out and faded forever.
Why it shouldn’t have:
Look how much contributor Crack Cocaine Aficionado cares!!!!!
Shut up your mouse, Obama
During Egypt’s parliamentary elections in 2014, a short, local news clip of an Egyptian woman telling Obama, essentially, to stay in his lane, went viral. Her words were generally transcribed as follows:
Listen your Obama. We are Egyptian women. You are listen, Obama? Shut up your mouse, Obama. Shut your mouse, Obama! Sisi yes, Sisi yes. Morsi no, Morsi no. Sisi yes, Sisi yes. Morsi no, Morsi no.
And in keeping with tradition in regard to local news sensations, a dubstep remix appeared not long after.
I should mention that I’ve been listening to this remix on repeat for the last twenty minutes. I have no immediate intention of stopping.
Best line:
While this line is not necessarily “good” in the traditional sense, it does teach us an important lesson:
T-shirts with either her image or “Shut up your mouse, Obama” quote are being sold in the stores and markets all over the Arab world. In addition, she was invited to the Arab Media Forum in Dubai, as an example of a social media phenomenon.
That lesson, of course, is that no matter where you are in the world, you can rest assured that there will always be some sort of nightmare internet conference waiting for you just beyond the horizon.
Why it got deleted:
According to Wikipedia’s editors “it lacks any significance outside of the elections” and is a “meme that went nowhere fast.”
Why it shouldn’t have:
I’m still listening to the remix.
Sociopolitical Ramifications
Sociopolitical Ramifications (SPR) was a sci-fi, furry-themed MUCK, or a largely text-based online role-playing game created in 1994. In fact, if you go to the website, the guide for beginners still instructs you to use telnet to connect.
What remains of its site also offers a more complete overview of what exactly SPR set out to be:
So you have a character who can walk around in rooms, communicate with others and use programs. The difference to combat-oriented MUDs is that it is less of a game with puzzles to solve but just a virtual reality to roleplay in. There is no combat unless players explicitly agree on it. You can’t win anything in the game sense, but you can win lots of friends, experience and information. Every player can extend the existing landscape of the MUCK by building rooms, exits and objects, and agreeing with others on how to combine this with the existing landscape.
Unfortunately for SPR’s founders, Martin “DivineVixen” Gauffin and Henrik “Snout” Isacsson, the peaceful, anarchic furry world they dreamed of was too radical for its time.
Best line:
The entry for SPR seems mostly unremarkable (save for the whole sci-fi furry roleplay aspect) until you get to the very last line.
SPR has been noted as an idealistic experiment in anarchy that essentially failed, descending into infighting and chaos that drove away users.
Mercifully, a book called The Players Realm does actually offer a little more insight into what exactly tore the RPG apart:
And while any actual images or leftover forums from the game itself are hard to find, there is this image that was apparently commissioned for the game from Deviant Art user Illys.
An image that, I believe, tells us everything we need to know.
Why it got deleted:
“Lack of significant coverage” and “no meaningful hits in a video game... Google search.” Whatever.
Why it shouldn’t have:
Allow me to redirect you to the fox sensually reclining against a computer.
