Does Not Illustrate: Big Screwed Up Family

Big, Screwed-Up Family is about families that, in addition to being dysfunctional, are wealthy, powerful, and steeped in tradition.

Problem is, right now the page image is the Griffins from Family Guy; the only part of that they fit is the "dysfunctional" part.

No image at all would be better than what we have now, but I bet you we can find a good one.

Yeah, that's all I'm seeing as well.

I had a suggestion in mind, but it may be more suitable for Tangled Family Tree.

For those curious, it's a tapestry of the Black family◊ from the Harry Potter series. Note the chars on the tapestry covering some of the faces.

Ooh, I like that. I don't think it works better for Tangled Family Tree at all. That one's about family trees where the familial relationships themselves are complicated or confusing; The current page image works fine for that.

Edited by HighCrate on Dec 23rd 2019 at 7:18:14 AM

The Black family tapestry works for Big, Screwed-Up Family; the Family Guy image could be moved to Dysfunctional Family Index.

I'm not sure how well the Black family tree will look at wiki size...if it's good, then I'm good with .

Okay, here's what it looks like in wikisize...

...okay, hard to make out a lot of things in that image. At least the chars are still visible?

Yeah, that's a good idea that falls flat in practice.

Yeah, it's unfortunate.

For now, +1 for moving Family Guy pic.

Maybe we could just crop out a single section of four or five portraits, and use that on for Tangled Family Tree?

I don't think it would be a good fit for this page though, since very little about it indicates "screwed up".

Tangled Family Tree already has a fine image.

Okay, yeah, that one is better. I didn't check, and assumed it was imageless or something. 2/6 isn't a good image for this trope, I think.

The page suggests that the family is "often very wealthy and powerful", not that it's a requirement for the trope.

Indeed, there are numerous examples on the page that aren't wealthy and powerful, just screwed up. So unless we want to take this through the Trope Repair Shop, I think the image is just fine here.

Keep Until Better Image Suggested.

On the Dysfunctional Family Index, the summary for Big, Screwed-Up Family simply reads "The Dysfunctional Family turned Up To Eleven." The main description for Big, Screwed-Up Family stops short of making riches or nobility a requirement, so for now at least, the current image is an example... but it really does seem like a case of The Same, but More. Moving the image away from the page of questionable validity might be a good idea.

Besides, the current doesn't show how the Griffins are anything more than a Dysfunctional Family, anyway.

I support taking the Same, But More trope to TRS.

Big, Screwed-Up Family's description calls it a subtrope of The Clan. The description also has this:

So yeah, I think at least being big, old, with plenty of traditions is a prerequisite, which current image doesn't illustrate.

I like this morbid take on House Lannister.

Ooh. That'd work if we could get permission (I assume it's fanart?)

A Dysfunctional Family is just a family that bickers constantly. It's played more humorously since it's a common sitcom setting.

The Big, Screwed-Up Family is darker and has some genuine horrible stuff about its members and/or background. It's played seriously.

Also worth noting that a Big, Screwed-Up Family does not need to be dysfunctional. They could very well be relatively united. Their dynamics is less important than the history surrounding them.

Edited by Drope on Dec 25th 2019 at 12:53:23 PM

But that's far from clear from either trope (or the examples), and I'm not convinced that trope-X-for-funny and trope-X-for-drama should be two separate pages. I'm in favor of taking this to TRS.

They're distinct tropes though.

The Dysfunctional Family is, again, a family with loads of infighting, but mostly due to mundane conflicts. Think the Simpsons, or the Griffins, or any sitcom family with a Bumbling Dad. The members still care for each other, but are always bickering so it doesn't look like it.

For example, the Incredibles are a Dysfunctional Family, but are not played for laughs.

A Big, Screwed-Up Family is much darker in concept. There's actual abuse and violence involved, and it tends to center around an authoritarian parent figure and/or certain outdated traditions. They're often rich because those are the families most likely to keep old traditions to begin with.

A Big, Screwed-Up Family does not need to be dysfunctional. A family with obedient children may have the father violently beating discipline on them. Screwed up, but not dysfunctional.

It's not as simple as being for drama or laughs. If you're seeing problems with the examples, then it's likely due to Trope Decay. The description of Dysfunctional Family makes it clear about what kind of family it is describing.

Edited by Drope on Dec 25th 2019 at 5:30:40 AM

I am fine with either of the pictures suggested in this thread.

17, if we can use it.