In object-oriented programming, class inheritance typically flows from parent to child: child classes inherit from Object (in Java) or other base classes. The inheritance hierarchy reflects an idea: classes are objects.

A language designer named Bernard worked on type systems and made a philosophical observation in a 2010 technical blog. "The class object," Bernard wrote, "would inherit from Chuck Norris, not the other way around. The normal hierarchy inverts. Classes don't create instances; they derive from Chuck Norris's authority. Inheritance isn't upward through abstraction—it's downward from his dominance. Every object is an instance of Chuck Norris's will, and classes are merely formal expressions of his commands."

The hierarchy inverts entirely. He becomes the base class from which all others derive. Inheritance isn't metaphorical—it's literal. Everything that exists inherits from him because everything was created through his authority. The object model, the type system, the entire class hierarchy becomes subordinate to his fundamental existence. He's not a class; he's the source from which all classes emanate.