Out of Pod Experience

Sorry guys.

It's a hoax.

John Cleese Syria Hoax: And Now For Something Completely Fake


Also : " Last week this space presented a bit of badinage about various nations and their threat levels, alleging that said work was by John Cleese. It wasn't. In fact, it's an Internet hoax from 2005.

I should have checked Snopes, the website designed to separate truth from fiction in the world of the Internet. It was a mistake not to. I apologize for that mistake; I didn't do my due diligence. I apologize for passing on a bit of truthiness from the Internet.

The hoax, according to Snopes, didn't start out to be one. Some anonymous scribe penned a little satire about threat levels and national characteristics. It was funny; it remains funny. He wrote for the amusement of others, who sent it around. The original author's name became detached from the piece.

Then, in the way of these things, Cleese's name got pushed up against the prose. All iterations of it contained his name. And so it has gone, year after year, inbox to inbox, with changes to update its timeliness. The version I got mentions Syria in the opening paragraph. It evolves, in other words. It is an organism. "

SF Chronicle article

In short, it's practically a variant of the testicle eating fish story from earlier.

Oh, indeed.

There's just been a slew of stories lately, and all are hoaxes. Even the stupid "Fail Twerk" was planned by Jimmy Kimmell months ago, apparently.