I think this and completely missing the point should be 2 separate tropes as the completely missing the point examples are sometimes not funny at all.
Hide / Show RepliesWe already have Dramatically Missing the Point for non-comical examples. Completely Missing the Point is this trope's old name; it was dropped because it was misused for the sake of complaining.
Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.Main/Completely Missing The Point
On 1263 page(s).
It could be that people are still potholing to the old name when complaining about people missing a point, not knowing that it's a humor trope (in other words, the reason why it was renamed to begin with). Such a case would be similar to how I've deleted instances of people potholing to "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer as though it's a drop-in replacement for I Am Not Making This Up.
Edited by GastonRabbit Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.Did anyone else notice that the page image links to a non-existent page?
Hide / Show RepliesYes, which is not a problem. The title of the target page is important, not so much its content.
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard FeynmanNot too sure the Biblical examples are all too comical. "Tragically Missing the Point" might be more accurate here.
Hide / Show RepliesAgreed and removed:
- Older Than Feudalism, from The Bible:
- It is a common theme for a prophet to accuse religious leaders of doing this because they were more interested in being Obstructive Bureaucrats than in being Good Shepherds.
Micah 6:7-8: Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, [or] with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn [for] my transgression, the fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?- Samuel does this in a big way when Saul spares some of the Amalekites and their livestock (which God had previously ordered completely destroyed for their crimes against the Hebrews during the Exodus). Saul says, more or less "I offered the usual sacrifices," and then Samuel more or less flies at him:
1 Samuel 15:22-Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in hearkening to the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice!
- Samuel then went to the Amalekite king Agag and "hewed him in pieces," saying (implicitly), "this is the point, you idiot! Just why did I ever make you king?"
- Jesus said it very well when speaking of the Pharisees who forgot the meaning of the law was to show mercy and faith in Matthew 23:24 'Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.'
Saved me a job then. It might have made sense when the trope was still "Completely Missing the Point" but not since the name change.
This was originally known as Completely Missing The Point. Archived TRS for this topic:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=xu5heq5gndz1h2umemlwzjpt&page=1
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1309899088000660100&page=1
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1308086006022040100&page=1
"If you aren't him, then you apparently got your brain from the same discount retailer, so..." - FighteerI have this dialogue from a work I'm doing:
- Al: Make any new friends last year?Ben: ...Al: You're kidding, right?Ben: Hey shut up! I did make a couple of buds, it's just...well, one moved away, one broke it off with me, and one of them died in a fireAl: *stares at Ben in disbelief*Ben: No, broke it off wasn't it. Uh, they're not friends with me anymore.Al: What about the one who di-Ben: It was a completely platonic relationship! No, we hate each other. So it's hatonic! A hatonic relationship!Al: That's...not what...ugh, forget it.
Someone added a real life example even though this is an in-universe comedy trope. The very reason this trope was renamed is because people kept adding real life examples as a way to complain about things. I'm going to add a No Real Life Examples Please note to the main text.
Hide / Show RepliesMoved the former page image to Image Wiki, as it was a Real Life Examples. The only works-based example in the image page can work, if it didn't need all 4 panels.
I only have one Real Life Example on me, but I'm wondering why they're forbidden for this trope — it's a relatively common device people use in bantering back and forth.
I mean, think about the conversation between one of Leonidas' general and a messenger for the Persians at Thermopylae:
Messenger: Our arrows shall block out the sun! General: Then we shall have our battle in the shade.
In this case, you could argue that the General is missing the point that this great number of arrows would be really deadly [i]for intended comic effect on his part[/i]. I mean, it also might qualify as finding the silver lining, but you get what I mean?
I have another example of a possible usage in conversation, just to show that it's applicable to real life. Consider a refutation of a "yo momma" joke:
A: What's the difference between yo momma and your washing machine? B: I don't know. A: When I drop a load in your washing machine, it doesn't follow me around for a week! B: My washing machine opens in the front.
So, couldn't this trope have examples in real life? [I thought I'd bring this to the discussion first, since I'm not sure about it, and the page said no. That, and I'm new at this.]
Edited by algebra17An X Just X and Weblinks Are Not Examples line cut pending expansion. Also removed a massive chunk of Complaining about the fanbase not agreeing with the troper.
Is there some kind of rule that new names have to be terrible?
Hide / Show RepliesAgreed. These recent renames are just...pointless. The original name got the point across, this is just...good God, awful!
People kept thinking the trope applied to any character missing the point, whether or not it's a comical moment, so it was renamed.
I know I'm relatively new to the wiki and every edit I make brings me closer to getting kicked off(probably), but this trope has its uses outside of comedy, and the old name fit it better.
The trope's main use outside of comedy seems to be tropers potholing it into inane responses to previous edits.
People were using it to mean writers or creators missing the point as well. The rename wasn't pointless, and although it doesn't sound as good at least it's being used as a trope.
Actually a girl.If the rename doesn't manage to keep people from misusing the trope can we possibly change the name back?
I'll change "Dr. Evil of the Austin Powers films misses the point when Frau tries telling him that she's pregnant." in Film Examples to "Dr. Evil of the Austin Powers films misses the point when Frau Farbissina tries telling him that she's pregnant." because "Frau" is not her first name, it is the german word for Mrs.
I've noted how much this trope gets potholed as a criticism of prose laid by earlier tropes, or general snark at a third party, which I do believe should be addressed somehow, perhaps by blanking the page and making this trope a permanent red link, or at the very least discouraging a pothole.
You know what's really this trope? When another troper brought up a valid point about subjectivity of a character and whether or not they counted as The Wesley or not and went into a completely different direction with it.
Funny, isn't it?
Edited by 68.96.198.72Regarding the Dragon Age example:
It occurs to me more expanation of my edit there is needed, but it's inappropriate to commit to the main page.
The passage that I think prompted a previous editor to suggest that Cailan was attempting to turn the country over to Orlais was this:
- (This letter appears to have been crumpled then carefully smoothed out and folded again) Cailan, The visit to Ferelden will be postponed indefinitely, due to the darkspawn problem. You understand, of course? The darkspawn have odd timing, don't they? Let us deal with them first. Once that is done we can further discuss a permanent alliance between Orlais and Ferelden. — "A note written in an uncharacteristally familiar tone from Empress Celene to King Cailan"
I see the idea, but the claim of 'permanent alliance' is a hell of a distance from "turning over the country". The real thing here is the difference between Logaine's worldview (formed during the occupation of Fereldan by the Orlesians) of Orlais as an incredibly powerful enemy who would love to reconquer Fereldan, and the current reality (that Orlais is not currently hostile to Fereldan, and retaking the country would be a costly endeavour it does not care to endure).
Basically, I think the poster is Completely Missing The Point. Those letters imply that Cailan was secretly having an affair with the empress of Orlais, but it doesn't infer that he was traitorous.
Edited by JackSlack Hide / Show RepliesIn a feudal world where politics and personal relationships (up to AND including marraige) are so intertwined as to be effectively conjoined, it is difficult to say anything for certain, but even the simple fact that Cailan and Celene were having an affair would have sent up red flags in real life given how land transfers can happen amongst royalty via marraige, it is probable that an alliance would have been the very LEAST that would have happened, particularly considering the possibilities of Celene just using Cailan to prepare for a move on Fereldan in general. It's not 100% certain proof, but it is enough to be highly suspicious of, particularly that even if Cailan wasn't treasonous it might leave the door open for another occupation anyway.
I'm not sure whether I like the new image or the old one better (the old one definitely benefited from the caption), but either way I think we can do better. If anyone finds a better image, try posting it; I will if I find one. (I suspect that the current image is a very good illustration of a trope, but not this one. Not sure which one, though.)
No signature at present. (Except for these two sentences fragments.) Hide / Show RepliesRecommend that we not use an image that is clearly a Real Life example.
There is a fine line between recklessness and courage — Paul McCartneyWe need to clean up the Playing With section of Completely Missing The Point.
Signatures are for squares. Hide / Show RepliesWould that happen to be the subverted and double subverted points? Because I wasn't that sure if that would work when I wrote it
What happened to the image? (don't try to give justification for removing it. There is none)
Didn't another episode of Rick and Morty overlap this with "Hypocritical Humor"? Or is that more "Dramatically Missing the Point"?