Voting Station

Patricia Pulling

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Advocate

The Resume

    (June 30, 1948-September 18, 1997)
    Born in Richmond, Virginia
    Blamed the suicide of her son Irving (June 9, 1982) on role playing games
    Founded the organization Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD)
    Wrote ‘The Devil’s Web: Who Is Stalking Your Children for Satan?’ (1989)

Why she might be annoying:

    She sued her son’s high school principal for having placed a curse on his D&D character before his death.
    She sued TSR, the publishers of Dungeons & Dragons.
    She was allowed to testify as an expert witness in gaming-related lawsuits, despite her writings showing her to be clueless about actual role playing games.
    She wrote that D&D is ‘a fantasy role-playing game which uses demonology, witchcraft, voodoo, murder, rape, blasphemy, suicide, assassination, insanity, sex perversion, homosexuality, prostitution, satanic type rituals, gambling, barbarism, cannibalism, sadism, desecration, demon summoning, necromantics, divination and other teachings.’ (But only if your dungeon master is really good.)
    She claimed role playing games leave participants unable to distinguish reality from fantasy.
    She recommended that police investigating suspected occult crimes ask suspects if they have read the Necronomicon – a fictional book from the works of H.P. Lovecraft. (Speaking of being unable to distinguish reality from fantasy….)
    When a reporter asked her how she came up with her figure that 8% of the people in Richmond were Satanists, she said that she estimated that 4% of adults were Satanists as were 4% of teenagers, then added the numbers to get 8%. When the reporter pointed out that percentages do not work that way – and that the correct figure would be 4% of Richmonders – she said it did not matter. (Which was true, in the sense that she was pulling numbers out of her ass to get the original 4% anyway.)

Why she might not be annoying:

    Her lawsuits were dismissed.
    Her writings about D&D provide unintentional humor (if not quite as side-splittingly as Jack Chick’s ‘Dark Dungeons’ tract).
    Publicity from the controversies she (and other self-appointed moral guardians) stirred up probably helped D&D sales.
    She was a commissioner for the Old Dominion Girls Softball League.
    BADD pretty much died with her.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 113 Votes: 45.13% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 124 Votes: 52.42% Annoying