Possible clarification and/or rename:: Kansas City Shuffle

I've been reading through Kansas City Shuffle trying to piece together how the trope works. So far the main entry could potentially use either clarification (most likely) or a rename.

The point I'm trying to figure out is the question: "What is a Kansas City Shuffle?" The Laconic Wiki version and many of the links leading to it say more or less "A gambit or plan that misdirects one party and relies on the misdirection". Yet the main entry doesn't really state that, more or less saying that it's a constant hiding of information from the "pawns" being used.

An example based on the Laconic and inbound links would be the Real Life military scenario: Operation: Overlord. Misdirecting the Nazi forces in France to expect an attack at the Pas de Calais and rush to defend there, only to be blindsided by the real attack at Normandy. (Which amusingly is an actual example more or less on the trope page)

Therefore is it possible the trope needs re-clarified in the description or renamed to something like Misdirection Ploy?

Maybe Misdirection Gambit to make it similar to the other Gambits, which it should be. We also have Bavarian Fire Drill which is a slightly different variation. KCS is tricking your victims into misunderstanding your plan; while BFD is bluffing them into thinking you have authority that you don't.

It amazes me that we have so many tropes and a big juicy target like 'Misdirection' is still out there to be written. The incredible number of things that are just (variations on/application of) misdirection blows me mind.

Eddie, I don't know if you've made a ykttw in a while, but that's a good one to make.

The name Kansas City Shuffle is an old established one (The song the name was taken from was written in 1926.) for a con game that depends on the mark believing that the conman is trying to misdirect him.

For instance, the conman really wants the mark to ignore what he's doing with his left hand. He therefore does something that makes the mark think that it's his right hand he wants ignored. The mark concentrates on the conman's right hand, thinking that he's doing the opposite of what the conman wants, when in fact he's doing exactly what the conman wants. If the mark didn't fall for the misdirection, the con wouldn't work.

Is that any clearer? Should I change the description?

That simple paragraph manages to be clearer than the entire trope description, so I think you should do it.

Had no idea about the song, but had idea about the "We're not in Kansas anymore" line. Thus the fist thing I thought when I read the trope title was that it was a location-based trickery: you make a plan that hinges on making your opponents believe they are somewhere else, maybe by cleverly disguising the location they are actually in. Reminded me of JLU's Hunter's Moon episode.

But that's not what the trope is... then I thought it was a variant of a bus shift where the bus comes back immediately — I mean, the whole point about Kansas City is that there is another Kansas City right at the other side of the river, or something like that, so you can be in Kansas, say that you are going to Kansas, cross a bridge, and cross back to get back to Kansas from Kansas... or something lik that, my US geography isn't that great.

But no... Granted, with knowledge of the Trope Namer this is easy to identify, but without that knowledge it seems to be it can be very easily misunderstood for something else apparently more sensible and less complicated.

OK, I've tried to clean up the definition. The examples are still a mess, and I don't know enough of them well enough to accomplish much. From the descriptions, many of them have no real element of misdirection at all; they're just complicated plans.

Madrugada: you accidentally deleted the supersecret spoilers part of the main section, so I restored it.

I agree, a trope just for Misdirection would be good, so this would be a subtrope. Other subtropes could be Audience Misdirection (like the scene in Silence Of The Lambs where we think Jodie Foster is knocking on Buffalo Bill's door, but she's not).

No, I took them out because they were pointless and added nothing to the page.

They add AWESOMENESS to the page.

Plus, they don't hurt anyone by being there, so why remove them?

What does Candlejack have to do with the Kansas City Shuffle?

Nothing. It's his rhyme that's the Kansas City Shuffle, because everyone's been misdirected to the main article, while Candlejack is hidden in the blind spots.

edited 8th Oct '10 10:51:47 PM by alliterator

If you do remove it, please remember to also remove the note at the end "What do they mean self-demonstrating...?"

I've read through the article and tried to find any examples I'd be familiar with, and I still don't know if I understand what it is.

So.. what.. This trope revolves around someone being tricked by thinking that they're being tricked?

Basically, yes. Very good laconic summary!

More accurately, it's someone tricking themselves by assuming that they have spotted how they were going to be tricked. Being 'too smart for their own good'.

edited 9th Oct '10 8:57:21 AM by Madrugada

"Too smart for their own good."

Someone please edit that into the article to make that short and simple point more clear. -_-

Double Misdirection?

Bumpage. Did we arrive on a consensus not to rename?

No indication it needs a rename — the consensus I'm seeing is that the problem with Kansas City Shuffle was in the description, and in the fact that we don't have a superdupertrope for 'Misdirection'

Okay, I'll lock this then so the tag goes away. Oh, and I threw in that clarification. And the Candle Jack bit is just asinine.

edited 26th Oct '10 12:27:30 PM by Fighteer