Rename: Money Dear Boy

Money, Dear Boy is a casting trope about accomplished actors who take a role solely for the money.

Unfortunately, because it's such a catchy term for "only in it for the money", with a reference that few people will get (and which therefore doesn't tend to get people to associate it specifically with casting) it gets constantly confused with... what else, Only in It for the Money. Searching reveals that while Money, Dear Boy is used correctly in some places, it's very very often mixed up with Only in It for the Money.

So I feel we need a new name for Money, Dear Boy which emphasizes the fact that this is a casting trope.

Only Paid To Act?

Took The Role For The Money.

It sounds pretty clear to me, but that's probably because I knew Only in It for the Money from beforehand. Being only in it "for the money" is a common thing and would normally be referred as such; who the heck would talk about it in a simple way while referring you you as a dear or worse a dear boy? Either someone who knows you (ie.: a parent/sibling/wife/husbabd) or someone with a great ego (to add you know a "boy"), like a Large Ham, which implies an actor.

That however required thinking the trope backwards... I think a rename should be considered.

Actor For Sale?

The problem isn't the names, the problem is that the tropes are virtually identical:

• Money, Dear Boy: When an actor took a role for the money.
• Only in It for the Money: When a hero takes on a task for the money.

They're the same thing, and both names are good by themselves. The problem is that one is "In Real Life" and one is "in Fiction".

It would make just as much sense to change Only in It for the Money to something like Hero For Hire as to change Money, Dear Boy to something like Acting For The Paycheck.

Which one is being misused more? That's the one that should be changed.

edited 27th Sep '10 7:49:15 PM by Madrugada

I thought Only in It for the Money was a motivation trope in general.

Would it be too much of a stretch to merge these two?

I think Money, Dear Boy has enough examples to be a valid subtrope if we want to redefine it that way. I'm not sure I like the idea of merging them though because the two have different effects on the media.

Rename Only in It for the Money, keep Money, Dear Boy as is.

For The Money might work. It fits a lot of the other motivation tropes like For Science!, For Great Justice, For the Evulz, For Love, For Happiness, and host of others I'm likely forgetting.

Why should we rename Only in It for the Money? It's not the one being misused.

Did anyone check Only in It for the Money?

I didn't check the wicks, but I read all the entries. The Music might need to be moved over.

I love Money, Dear Boy and think it's a perfect name for what the trope is about. I think there's a strong tendency to leap into renaming tropes when what's really needed is example cleanup.

And I'm afraid that even when the names are perfect, it's inevitable that we'll have lots of inappropriate examples in "sister" tropes that have a real, but subtle, distinction between them, and the only real answer is policing/trope curators.

@Madraguda: So Money, Dear Boy is The Same But More Specific?

And if one is Real Life while the other is fiction, then technically the first one isn't an actual trope.

edited 28th Sep '10 8:08:57 AM by Stratadrake

Money, Dear Boy is the reason Raul Julia took the part of M. Bison in the Street Fighter movie. However, in the fictional universe of the movie Tootsie, it's also the reason that Michael auditions for the part in the soap opera as Dorothy.

Only in It for the Money is the reason Han Solo agreed to help rescue Leia. However, it's also the reason that a lot of people have acted as blockade runners in many many real-life wars.

And be very careful about using the "not technically a trope" argument against something you don't care about losing or having changed, because it can just as easily be used against a lot of other pages, some of which you probably do care about.

edited 28th Sep '10 10:14:46 AM by Madrugada

Money, Dear Boy should be expanded to include writers or directors (ie. real-life people) who only do it for the money, and have the examples soft split on the page by careers. That's the only thing I have seen it misused for. I not once seen it misused for in-universe characters being money hungry.

Only in It for the Money could technically get a rename that is not as close if there's any misuse.

Original launcher here: I went with Money, Dear Boy as a trope name since I didn't like the negative implications of "Only In It For The Money" as a trope title, and wanted a less judgmental title, and one that limited it to the acting profession. I didn't want the trope to sound like it was about mercenary frame of mind, and all the negative implications that implies.

My feeling, then and now, is that if we give it a title that opens it up to all Real Life examples, we run into serious People Sit On Chairs territory. Isn't anyone with a job, in some or most part, "in it for the money"? Should my plumber feel bad about fixing a pipe because it pays well? Money, Dear Boy is about the Double Standard that comes into play between artists and expense, which I think needs a title that doesn't make it sound like they're like Jayne or Han Solo. They're not.

Obviously, I'm prejudiced, but I think the situation is fine as it is.

edited 1st Oct '10 6:32:51 AM by Rothul

I'm not saying that it is to include everyone. I'm saying that it should be expanded to include artists other than actors (directors, writers etc.) because people are apparently treating as the counterpart of Doing It for the Art.

Only speaking about the title here - the trope is otherwise fine and would be perfectly good for the subtrope for actors only that it is now, only the title is what's suffering misuse.

I can see it applying to painters and writers without real trope decay. It is basically the opposite of Doing It for the Art.

Didn't Leonardo Da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa only for the money even though he was already insanely famous and rich? only to never give it to the commissioner.

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