Rename (4/06/12): What Do You Mean Its Not Heinous

Yeah, when I thought up the trope name, it was a snowclone, particularly of "What Do You Mean It's Now Awesome", which is now Mundane Made Awesome.

So I think it's best we look at this trope name and see if there's a better one we can give it, thus leaving the "what do you mean it's not" name strictly for audience reaction tropes.

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The big issue I see with these snowclones is that they sound rather confusing. I can barely tell apart What Do You Mean, It's for Kids? and What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?. And how is this different from Disproportionate Retribution again?

Support rename on this basis.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

I'll support it if someone thinks of a good name

WDYMINH implies that either a work or an in-universe character is making a bigger deal of something than is called for. DR implies that an in-universe character retaliates worse than what's being retaliated for. A character or work can invoke WDYMINH without condoning DR, or a character can condone or engage in DR while acknowledging that it's disproportionate.

That said, a rename would probably help to reduce confusion. At the very least it's worth a try.

"The Daily Show has to be right 100% of the time; FOX News only has to be right once." - Jon Stewart

Might I recommend Mundane Made Heinous?

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I find that suggestion ironic if the reason to rename is "snowclone"...

The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.

It's a more reasonable snowclone, though.

"The Daily Show has to be right 100% of the time; FOX News only has to be right once." - Jon Stewart

Speaking of snowclone alternatives, maybe we could work "jaywalking" in there somehow.

It's not accurate though, since some things are not mundane, just really minor infractions.

I'm thinking that would be a bad idea.

edited 28th May '12 12:48:50 PM by DragonQuestZ

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I'm thinking something simpler, like Exaggerated Crime.

The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.

Well some of these are not crimes.

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

"Crime" means "any offense", not only things that are illegal. Not recycling your soda can could be a crime.

Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.

It still is thought of in strictly legal terms, so we shouldn't go for a work that makes some think the trope is narrower than it is.

The point of the trope isn't the nature of the act, but the reaction to the act as being heinous, when it is not. That is what the name need to reflect.

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Um, Trivial Made Heinous is a snowclone in the middle word, but might be different enough otherwise. Hopefully.

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What about Exaggerated Offence, if that word is better?

The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.

Well some of the things here might not even count as offenses. Look at the page quote.

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

Trivial Made Heinous is the most accurate, but it's also bland. If we're going to throw another thousand wicks onto all the ones we still have left from the WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome rename, the new name better be good.

Having said that... Jaywalking Is A Special Kind Of Evil...?

edited 28th May '12 6:48:59 PM by abk0100

I don't think the word trivial would fit actual crimes, though. Legally speaking.

The Internet misuses, abuses, and overuses everything.

"but it's also bland"

Clear is the top priority for names, not witty.

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

I must admit, I love Jaywalking Is A Special Kind Of Evil. It's a snowclone, but it's also fairly descriptive of the trope.

It does not matter who I am. What matters is, who will you become? - motto of Omsk Bird

Crowner's hooked.

That amuses me very much as well.

Rhymes with "Protracted."

Calling crowner in favor of renaming.

Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.

Not too fond of the jaywalking name, as a) it would make it another snowclone (of Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil), and b) the trope is not about treating jaywalking as worse than murder, but treating it as though it's a felony, of any degree.

I'm on the internet. My arguments are invalid.

It's funny, as soon as I go into "let's make trope names accurate" mode, Jaywalking Is A Special Kind Of Evil sounds terribly inaccurate because this isn't literally about jaywalking. But I suppose it's not a problem because even if someone takes it literally, they still shouldn't think it applies to something that it doesn't apply to, just more narrowly.