What does the phrase "It's a catch 22" mean?

Question

I've been hearing it a lot from a few friends of mine lately and I can't quite catch on to it's meaning. My brother tried to explain, but I still couldn't figure it out. He kept using examples that weren't too clear to me.

Answer 1

Catch-22 has become a term, inspired by Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22, describing a general situation in which an individual has to accomplish two actions which are mutually dependent on the other action being completed first. A familiar example of this circumstance occurs in the context of job searching. In moving from school to a career, one may encounter a Catch-22 where one cannot get a job without work experience, but one cannot gain experience without a job.

Answer 2

Catch-22 is a 1961 novel by the American author Joseph Heller. It was adapted into a feature film of the same name in 1970. Catch-22 is, among other things, a general critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning. As a result of its specific use in the book, the phrase "Catch 22" has come into common use to mean a no-win situation or a double bind of any type. Within the book, "catch-22" is introduced as a military rule, the self-contradictory circular logic of which, for example, prevents anyone from avoiding combat missions. In Heller's own words:

Answer 3

Basically it's a no-win situation. No matter what you do, you lose... I guess you can think of it as a kind of perpetual bad luck. Read the book Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.... I know it's old, but it's the only real way to understand the context behind the catch phrase.

Answer 4

Read the book -- great SF story by Kirk Vonegurt (I know it's mispelled!). Catch 22 is a reference made to bomber pilots in WWII -- something to do about getting to go home after flying a set number of missions but due to rule #22 no one was ever able to do it.
Damn, I wish I could remember.

Answer 5

It's kind of a "you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't" thing. It comes from the book, Catch-22, because one of the characters, a man named Major Major, refused to see anyone in his office if they didn't have an appointment, but also refused to make an appointment with anyone. It's basically when, whatever you do, you're stuck.

Answer 6

Need to read the book to fully understand; "Catch-22".

Answer 7

It means it's a no-win situation. As in, either option leads to disappointment or tragedy. It's from a Joseph Heller novel by the same name (great book, btw).

Answer 8

It means it's a double bind. Example: You can get an insanity discharge if you request it, but anyone who requests it must be sane.

Answer 9

from a book written in the 60's based on the war, damned if you do damned if you dont...

Answer 10

Dam*ed if you do, dam*ed if you dont. Either decision you make will have it's downfall.