Loudspeaker Truck is puzzling

Loudspeaker Truck seems like a child of both worlds to me, both being Too Rare to Trope and People Sit on Chairs. The definition is essentially "loudspeaker trucks are an inconvience/disturb the peace" and that's it. The description does go into tiny detail about how the trope would be used in a real-life Japanese setting, such as for the purpose of bamboo for drying laundry or political campaigns, but all that really does is reflect on the rarity of it. It's such a starved trope that I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere outside of the archived discussion—which actually has/had a comment suggesting it be a useful note instead—and here, but even then it's a passing mention for a completely unrelated Image Pickin' thread.

The oldest version of the page I could find dates back to May 2006, with the trope itself existing since February of that year at the latest, meaning this trope was created before YKTTW was a thing. That's...not very promising. Analogy-wise, the first thing that popped into my mind was that this trope is like a partially-unwrapped butter stick at the back of the fridge that's too mysterious for anyone to want to go near or have even heard about.

Small bump

Based on my quick analysis of the on-page examples, the only pattern is that loudspeaker trucks are funny (about half of the 18 examples), and 0 of them actually describe a "frozen moment of awkwardness [...] highlighted by the passing of a loudspeaker truck".

I agree that this doesn't look like much of a trope right now.

The Ranma ½ example at the top of the section may be a proper example, except it's a ZCE.

Having looked at it... Jesus. From the description, I think there is a trope here (something dramatic/cringeworthy happens, the characters stand in shocked silence, a loudspeaker truck drives past to break the mood in a funny way), but 95% or so of the examples are literally "loudspeaker trucks* exist." EDIT: Even the image is just a photo of a loudspeaker truck, rather than something showing the trope.

I think this should go on the TRS list.

(*Or older variations, like wandering salesmen crying their wares)

Edited by DoktorvonEurotrash on Oct 27th 2023 at 3:55:09 AM

Given the rarity, wouldn't a more general trope of "awkward / intense moment is interrupted by something random and unrelated" be better? That probably already exists.

Very good point.

I suspect the reason loudspeaker trucks (or the older form, street salesmen/rag-and-bone collectors) are commonly used is because they're loud, making for a funnier moment of incongruity than if it was something more subtle.

Would just merging it into Moment Killer work?

What is being talked of is narrower than that. A rename to Awkward Scene Loud Interruption might work.

That'd be a good trope to contrast Hell Is That Noise.