Are we really trying to Obfuscate Stupidity?: WMG

Yes, I know it's going to be a pretty futile attempt. Yes, I know I'm going to get blasted by mods talking about how this image is so "iconic" that it can never be changed. And Yes, I know that it will probably be shut down by Fast Eddie in 2 days from now.

But I still don't see how the image for WMG is at all applicable to Wild Mass Guessing. I mean, I get the guy is supposed to come off as some kind of Cloud Cuckoo Lander of sorts, but that man just comes across as being kinda...dumb. The image alone tells nothing of the process of making grand and wild assumptions, he's just pointing that antennae dish wildly in the sky for no apparent reason. And furthermore what's this supposed to say about people who post WM Gs? That there's simply no validity in anything they post? That all tropers who post WM Gs are no better off than this lunatic or that all WM Gs are complete fallacies? WM Gs are supposed to be meaningful, at least to the people who post them, and the image for this trope I feel should reflect that for every crazy idea, that theory is at least worth it's grain of salt. With this image, however, there's no documentation being shown, no references, and no actual connection that whatever this man is doing is a WMG.

At the bare minimum, the current image should be given a new caption that reads something like "This can only be explained through a WMG."

edited 23rd Nov '10 1:41:34 AM by Mattonymy

"Where WMGs come from."

^^So....WM Gs are all created by idiots?

edited 23rd Nov '10 11:20:47 AM by Mattonymy

The image isn't saying "this guy is an idiot." The image is saying "this is the kind of guy who wears a tinfoil hat and points a dish antenna at the sky to get messages form aliens wired directly into his brain." The fact that he's an idiot is entirely secondary.

The name of the trope is Wild Mass Guessing. The icon is a demented-looking individual in a tinfoil hat. There is a warning at the bottom of the description advising you that spending too much time on these pages may cause the ideas therein to apparently start making sense. Really, I think that being able to poke fun at our propensity for coming up with deranged theories about our favourite works of fiction is a healthy sign.

edited 23rd Nov '10 4:26:42 PM by Iaculus

^^Where on the image or the caption does it say anything about aliens, exactly?

I get the fact that it's fun to have a little Self-Deprecation on our wiki, and I'm Ok with that. Hell, that's why we have a much better sense of humor than so many other wiks put there. But if we are going to go with a crackpot image for a WMG, why not choose an image that actually shows the guy making wild and grand assumptions? For all we know, this guy might just be trying to get a tv reception (and yes, I understand the irony in my deduction of this image as a WMG.) As it stands, the image describes nothing about the creation or process of Wild Mass Guessing and serves no further illustration than "All WM Gs are created by idiots". It's pretty much JAFAAC, and a really stupid one at that.

edited 23rd Nov '10 5:28:49 PM by Mattonymy

You want a picture *of someone making wild assumptions*. Well, may the Google Image Search Gods be with you...

I dunno, to me, the current image screams neither "stupid person" per se, nor "regular person trying to get good TV reception". It screams "crackpot who is wearing a tinfoil hat and is trying to catch signals with a dish antenna wired to his head." Given this, I think wild assumptions and crazy theories are pretty solidly implied.

We ain't a dictionary, and I think this picture is illustrative enough. It's also amusing and interesting. Let's not try to fix what ain't broke.

And to be honest, claiming that this is "just a face and caption" is reeeally a stretch.

edited 23rd Nov '10 5:30:11 PM by girlyboy

I'm still trying to figure out what this thread has to do with Obfuscating Stupidity ...

That said, I'm with girlyboy and Iaculus here. The picture is of some nutcase with a strange contraption that he's apparently trying to get signals on — but where? from who? (or what)? It's a pretty neat encapsulation of "Where in the hell do these ideas come from???

It's that because we don't know exactly what he's doing, we can't tell whether he's making grand assumptions or just plain stupid. And by stating that this is where all WMGS come from, it seems like we're purposefully playing stupid.

We've changed so many different images that were far better at illustrating tropes than this one does. I know that we've gotten used to it, but I honestly think we can do better than this.

[quoteblock]You want a picture *of someone making wild assumptions*. Well, may the Google Image Search Gods be with you... [/qutoeblock]

Gladly [1]◊, [2]◊,

As it stands, though, I'm not against using the original image. Just change change the caption to something more encompassing like "Explaining this would be a WMG" and that would be far more illustrative.

edited 23rd Nov '10 6:14:06 PM by Mattonymy

Both are quotes, not proper images.

edited 23rd Nov '10 6:16:40 PM by Ghilz

I like the current caption. I think it is amusing and is just fine. I think if you really believe this makes it sound like Wild Mass Guessers are idiots, you are taking it a bit too seriously. I think claiming that the image represents the source of WMGs, or a typical WMG, fits what the image shows much better than "explaining this would require a WMG" or something like that. A lot of images could inspire WMGs. This image is illustrative for very different reasons. You're basically trying to change what the image means for the article without changing the image itself, with that proposed caption change. I do not think this change would be good at all, and I do not understand why you feel it is needed.

I think claiming that we don't know what the person in the image is doing is also a stretch. You'd almost have to be wilfully Literal-Minded or some such to claim that it could be anything, and that therefore it's not a good example. The tinfoil hat and obsession with secret radio signals are both well-known trademarks of crazy theorists as they are normally portrayed.

I also agree with the above . I admit sometimes it's hard to get an illustrative image that doesn't rely on text but in this case, there's a better image available — the one we have now.

Again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

edited 23rd Nov '10 6:40:01 PM by girlyboy

Fine. I'll drop it then. I don't like the current image, but if you guys feel that strongly about changing it, I withdraw my claims.