The Origins of Spam
We all know about spam – that ubiquitous, annoying, unsolicited email that clutters up our inboxes. I could go on at length about how frustrating it is, but … well, you know that already.
So I thought today I’d take a somewhat lighter approach to the issue, and being a wordsmith I couldn’t help but be interested in the origins of the term. After all, the comparison of unwanted communications to a luncheon paté-like substance didn’t just come out of the blue – it’s just too strange for that!
Have you ever wondered how it got that name? I caught up with Paul Czarnecki, the originator of the expression, to find out.
CEZANNE: So I understand that you were the first person to use the term “spam” on the Internet, is that right?
CZARNECKI: I’ll correct you. It wasn’t the Internet at the time. It was on a Usenet. Al Gore hadn’t invented the Internet yet! I was on Usenet back then.
CEZANNE: What were you doing at the time?
CZARNECKI: I was working for Kodak, doing color science work. One of my duties was to maintain our connection to the network. So I used to read the Usenet newsgroup for network administrators. There was this long discussion of what constituted inappropriate behavior and how to deal with it. I was involved with that discussion. And I closed one of my messages with this phrase in my signature line: “Spam, spam, spam, Usenet and spam.”
CEZANNE: Where did that phrase come from?
CZARNECKI: It was from a Monty Python skit. There were people trying to have a meal in this diner that specialized in Spam – the pseudo-meat, you know – and there were these Vikings singing a Spam song – “Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, wonderful Spam, glorious Spam!” and that song was drowning out all other conversation. I thought that the situations were similar.
CEZANNE: Did you think that people would understand – that they would be familiar with the Monty Python skit and make the connection?
CZARNECKI: I hoped that a small percentage might. To tell you the truth, I really just thought that I was being awfully clever for a little geek…!
CEZANNE: Did you realize that you were adding to the language?
CZARNECKI: Not at all! I never thought twice about it at the time. Later on, the folks in the first online role-playing games, the MUDers, they picked it up and used it. But I found out that my use came first. Do you think I can get rich and famous and live off it now?
CEZANNE: Probably not. They say that virtue is its own reward.
CZARNECKI: I’ll try to think of a snappy Pythonesque retort to that.
***
If you’re not well versed in the humor of British comedy group Monty Python, the transcript of this skit is posted on a number of Web sites, includingthis one.
http://www.detritus.org/spam/skit.html
Czarnecki’s original message can be seen here:
http://groups.google.com/group/news.admin/msg/483c12f48d13225e?output=gplain
At the end of the day, I still come back to the fact that the great wonders and convenience of the Internet make spam a relatively minor inconvenience. Think that way, and you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!
Posted in Words on August 5th, 2007