Misused: Cult Classic

Cult Classic, is a bad way. Not only has it become a catch with pretty much anything and everything listed, but it suffers badly from Zero Content Example

edited 30th Sep '13 9:07:56 PM by shoboni

I wholeheartedly agree, but you should probably elaborate on that.

Yeah, I really don't get what the definition is really about. Based on the examples I see, it doesn't seem to go beyond "Works/Media that is popular", (or maybe not even then, considering that many of the listed works is not even popular enough to have a Wiki page here). Almost ALL of the examples are Zero Context Examples.

Personally, I think this sort of page shouldn't have any work examples to begin with, since it's probably going to fall victim to Gushing About Shows You Like.

Ths item is "work has a small devout following, regardless of larger popularity".

I always thought it was about works that flopped or was otherwise received poorly at release, but has since become popular.

edited 1st Oct '13 12:29:45 AM by ACloudInTheSky

If that's so, then it's... I was going to say effectively meaningless, but really it's just plain meaningless. I can't think of a work that doesn't fit that definition.

That's another trope, called Vindicated by History

Well, when the examples includes Bleach and DeathNote, it's kinda hard to tell

According to the people who add examples to the page, any anime would be a Cult Classic outside Japan. It lists pretty much anything that isn't mainstream currently and that someone thought to add.

edited 1st Oct '13 1:25:39 AM by AnotherDuck

I think the keyword here is classic. If it is not a classic then it can't count. What the word classic means in this context is what needs to be discussed.

To me it almost means "known mainly thanks to a Vocal Minority".

That was what I got from the page's definition as well - which, by the way, is overly long-winded and full of ramblings. The examples seem to differ however, in that they include popular works which clearly has a large fanbase, such as Bleach and Death Note I've mentioned earlier

edited 1st Oct '13 6:16:49 PM by theAdeptrogue

That pretty much sums up the problem it's having. Anything that's not super-popular-out-the-in-open-mainstream is being listed

edited 1st Oct '13 12:40:24 PM by shoboni

I think this is functionally untropable.

I think I can see a way to handle this, combining the longevity definition of classic with the cult meaning of a small and dedicated following.

But I doubt that would give any decent set of works.

The page for it on The Other Wiki might be illuminating.

Perhaps making the page free of examples and leaving it as just a fandom term is in order?

edited 1st Oct '13 1:18:29 PM by Odd1

Yeah, sounds right.

That, or limiting examples to only works that have been historically proven to have a cult following, like Rocky Horror Picture Show.

edited 1st Nov '13 6:04:57 AM by Willbyr

Clock is set, BTW.

Chainsaw ZC Es?

I like the Fan Speak examples-less page option. Do we have enough options gathered to create a crowner? Or are there more options to discuss?

So, we have:

• Cut ZC Es, leave other examples.
• Cut all examples that aren't historically recognized as fitting the trope (no "instant C Cs")
• Turn into a no-example Fan Speak page.

Anything else?

edited 1st Nov '13 10:07:26 AM by Willbyr

We could make a note of a couple historically recognized examples in the description instead of having a restricted examples list.

And perhaps also put in some objective criteria when something can be considered a cult classic.

Or just make a note in the description that it's a phrase that marketing people has rendered unusable.

Yeah, I don't think we're going to find objective criteria on this one.

One objective criteria can be set up, and that it that has to be at least 20 (or whatever) years old before it can even start to be regarded as a "classic"

How to measure a sustained and devoted small fanbase is another problem.