Talk:Joybubbles

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[edit] Joybubbles likes to watch Mister Rogers?

A quote from the fourth paragraph of this article reads: An avid fan of Mister Rogers, he mourned the entertainer's death by travelling to the University of Pittsburgh's archives and watching all 800 episodes over a span of six weeks, huddled under a blanket in the library.

Pardon me if this sounds naïve, but how is this possible if Engressia was born blind? Can someone please WP:CITE a source for this comment? It seems awfully suspicious. Hall Monitor 23:10, 29 July 2005 (UTC)


There's nothing suspicious about it, read the references...'watched' may be a vague term for a blind person...but since he was sitting in front of a television that definitely had visuals...it's the best term to use. "Listened to" in my mind equates to audio cassettes or something. *shrugs* You can change "watching" to "listening" if you really want Sherurcij 23:45, July 29, 2005 (UTC)
In the same vein, how does he give library readings? Braille?

When was he born? --Mmartins 23:23, 8 August 2005 (UTC)


I think Whistler was named after the whistles John Draper used.


Joybubbles did not watch / listen to every single episode of Mister Roger's Neighborhood (MRN) during his visit to Pittsburgh. John Fail's comment ("A Conversation with Joybubbles") regarding this, or any other source that may contain a similar statement about his having watched every episode, is not entirely accurate. Joybubbles only watched/listened to the episodes of MRN the he hadn't already seen/heard previously. I don't recall the exact number (although certainly Joybubbles could recite the precise number he planned to view upon his arrival in May 1998), but there were several hundred of these, including 100+ early black-and-white episodes that he discovered after his arrival. Anyone wishing to verify, I'd be happy to go into more detail. Joybubbles could confirm my account as well.

I removed "(listened to)" from this section of the article. Its abelist to flag this. Hearing and Seeing people "watch" television by both listening to it and watching it, so of course blind people "watch" television by only listening to it. —Cliffb 01:15, 21 August 2007 (UTC)
Ableist? You gotta be kidding me. Try a little thought experiement: If television broadcast is played on a radio capable of tuning television signals, are the blind watching it and the sighted merely listening to it? What do blind people do in front of a TV with the sound turned down while the sighted watch the picture
Clearly watching TV isn't just "ableist" discriminatory speak, but actually represents a legitimate visual activity which the blind (outside of partially-sighted "legally blind" people) cannot participate in. If Joybubbles was born blind, he never "watched" TV, he only listened to it.209.98.56.21 00:25, 22 August 2007 (UTC)
This is a ridiculous argument to have. Anyone who spends time around people with disabilities is aware that you don't highlight their disability in everything you say. To actively edit your speech to account for differences in how they perceive or interact with the world is just plain silly. Years ago when I first met my friend Scott I had a tendency to ask of him about a certain movie or TV show, "Have you seen this?" and then immediately saying "I mean have you heard it!". (Admittedly I do it occasionally now but it's done ironically. :) ) It's much easier and more natural to use the same phrasing we would use for someone who can see. To try to bring political correctness into the argument masks the greater issue of just letting things be the way they are. If you feel *that* uncomfortable saying "watched" when they're really "listening to" it, then by all means edit your speech accordingly. But don't force that stilted usage on the rest of us. Clay 16:54, 22 August 2007 (UTC)
In ordinary colloquial speech, correcting for the use of "seen" or "heard" with people with disabilities is ridiculous; however, this is Wikipedia and there's at least SOME sense in which accuracy should be strived for, even if it seems awkward. Saying that Joybubbles "watched" TV is neither factually nor semenatically accurate since he could not watch a television program because he is blind. Coloring over this with nonsensical political correctness only creates factual inaccuracies and bogus newspeak. And yes, I grew up with a brother who was profoundly deaf, so I do "know what its like".209.98.56.21 00:36, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

I just read the August 20, 2007 NY Times article "Joybubbles, 58, Peter Pan of Phone Hackers, Dies" http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/20/us/20engressia.html?bl&ex=1188273600&en=01786be50ed94ae7&ei=5087%0A

In this article, although it mentioned his tenure at the University of South Florida, it doesn't mention his receiving a degree in any dicipline, whereas the Wiki article mentions him earning a degree.

The NY Times article also references two reasons for him changing his name, one being his mother "pushing him to live up to his 172 IQ" and the other his "being abused at a school for the blind". When I read the latter, I (naively?) took it to mean "taunts", etc. The NY Times doesn't clarify - I just wanted to point out the discrepancy due to either the deliberate ommission of info on their part, or an error on Wiki's. Thank you! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.71.72.248 (talk) 15:53, August 26, 2007 (UTC)

I've known a bunch of blind people and they use the verb "watch" in reference to consuming televised media. It is ableist to switch the verbage to listen. —Cliffb 07:33, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Stories and Stuff

Does anyone know other phone numbers to Joybubbles' "Stories and Stuff" line? I know there are more out there.. --Blakeops 18:00, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

I'll see about posting some of them soon. Go a Google search, you'll eventually find most of them.
How relevant are the numbers themselves? The "feelings" one may bear mentioning. But including the arbitrary ones is heading in the extreme trivia direction—especially for numbers that are no longer in service. We need to ask ourselves how useful or interesting the specific numbers actually are.
—überRegenbogen 03:20, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interested in phones from age 4?

Since he insists he is 5 years old, doesn't that mean that he could only admit to liking phones from age 1, 2, 3, or 4: this making the information false. I think it needs a source that prooves this wrong.

The context at that point is outside-world time. :)
—überRegenbogen 03:22, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Zzzyzzerific

I seem to remember the last entry in the Minneapolis phone book in the late 1980s being something like "Zzzyzzyballooba" -- I'm not sure if that's just my own corrupted memory as it's been so long, or if that could have been the spelling of Joybubbles's line. Afiler 21:08, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

zzzyzzerrific i think is how it was spelled.

[edit] Joybubbles' Death

Sadly, his death has been confirmed. However, there is no information that i can find for his interment, and i am assuming that any services would have already occurred. If he is interred anywhere that the public can pay their respects to this great man, I would appreciate someone posting this info here.

I spoke to Joybubbles' mother last night (Thursday, August 9, 2007) and confirmed the sad news; he passed awayfrom a heart attack. He was 58. Plapsley 17:18, 10 August 2007 (UTC) Update: The Hennepin County Medical Examiner says that cause of death has not yet been officially determined. Plapsley 21:31, 16 August 2007 (UTC)

Still hoping someone can post some info about if and where he was buried or interred?

Ok, I made a first pass at updating the page into past tense.  :-( Plapsley 02:14, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

I made a few minor edits and corrected a few things. Dmine45 21:50, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure how to handle this-- the Esquire article cited in footnote #1 has expired, but I found a copy at http://thedqtimes.com/pages/castpages/other/fredrogerscanyousayheropg1.htm . Is it allowed to change the link to that instead, given that it's likely the story is copyrighted? Better to remove the reference altogether, I suppose. Clay 16:57, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] highrise joe?

Wasn't he also known as Highrise Joe, and mentioned in the Esq "secrets of the little blue box" article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.131.132.204 (talk) 22:00, 30 April 2008 (UTC)