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Re: Off-topic: Pop culture references [was Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend]

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Date Thu, 21 Nov 2013 09:08:15 +0000
From Tim Golden <mail@timgolden.me.uk>
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Subject Re: Off-topic: Pop culture references [was Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend]
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On 21/11/2013 00:27, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> I fully support the right of everyone to make cryptic references to 
> movies, television shows, science fiction and fantasy novels, internet 
> memes, and assorted pop culture references. 

One of the (occasionally humbling) effects of internet communication is
the realisation that the pop-culture reference you assumed would be
instantly shared and understood by *any normal person anywhere* is, in
fact, confined to your own back yard.

You may or may not have caught sight of the BBC's recent blanket
marketing of the upcoming 50th anniversary of Dr Who, a somewhat iconic
British TV series. I was genuinely perplexed when US-based websites
started running articles like "What the *** is this Dr Who all about?"
and "All you need to know about Dr Who: a Guide for the Unknowing".

Here in Britain, even if you've never watched and/or hate the thing, you
can't help at least knowing *something* about Dr Who. At least the
basics: Doctor, TARDIS, Daleks; that sort of thing.

In reverse, I'm sometimes bemused by (often, but not always) references
to things which apparently sit centrally in the American pop-culture
psyche but which are unknown over here, or at least simply known *about*.

It's not usually a problem -- it's always fun to gain a bit of an
insight into some other culture. Just occasionally, though, someone
says, eg, "You keep using that word; I don't think it means what you
think it means", intending it as a humorous reference to "The Princess
Bride". But if you have (as I strongly suspect 99% of the world's
population has) no knowledge of that film, or at least of its
catchphrases, then it can come across instead as a slightly blunt
admonition of someone else's ignorance.

(Of course, if some were to say "My name is Inigo Montoya; you killed my
father; prepare to die" without any further comment then you'd either
have to assume that they were making a reference to a film or book
unknown to you or that someone going by that alias genuinely believed
you were responsible and had tracked you down across the internet to
confront you finally on comp.lang.python. Who knows?)

TJG

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Thread

Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend bradleybooth12345@gmail.com - 2013-11-19 10:40 -0800
  Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend maxwell34m@gmail.com - 2013-11-19 11:05 -0800
  Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Neil Cerutti <mr.cerutti@gmail.com> - 2013-11-19 14:07 -0500
  Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Gary Herron <gary.herron@islandtraining.com> - 2013-11-19 11:06 -0800
  Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend bradleybooth12345@gmail.com - 2013-11-19 11:27 -0800
    Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2013-11-19 20:48 +0000
      Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Duncan Booth <duncan.booth@invalid.invalid> - 2013-11-20 11:38 +0000
        Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2013-11-23 02:03 +0000
    Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Mark Janssen <dreamingforward@gmail.com> - 2013-11-19 14:51 -0800
  Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-11-20 00:17 +0000
    Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-11-19 22:10 -0500
      Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2013-11-20 03:52 +0000
        Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Dave Angel <davea@davea.name> - 2013-11-20 00:54 -0500
          Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 09:29 +0000
            Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-20 13:57 +0000
              Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 14:51 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2013-11-20 18:33 -0500
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> - 2013-11-21 15:44 +0200
              Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 14:49 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-21 02:05 +1100
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 15:06 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 15:09 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-21 02:14 +1100
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 15:35 +0000
                Multiple postings Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 15:36 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 15:34 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-20 16:29 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 16:45 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com> - 2013-11-20 09:12 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-20 17:37 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com> - 2013-11-20 09:51 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-20 18:09 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com> - 2013-11-20 10:18 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-20 18:35 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com> - 2013-11-20 11:54 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-21 07:26 +1100
                Off-topic: Pop culture references [was Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend] Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2013-11-21 00:27 +0000
                Re: Off-topic: Pop culture references [was Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend] MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2013-11-21 00:48 +0000
                Re: Off-topic: Pop culture references [was Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend] Tim Golden <mail@timgolden.me.uk> - 2013-11-21 09:08 +0000
                Re: Off-topic: Pop culture references [was Re: Newbie - Trying to   Help a Friend] Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2013-11-22 17:10 +1300
                Re: Off-topic: Pop culture references [was Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend] Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-21 20:46 +1100
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2013-11-21 12:53 +0100
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-22 02:48 +1100
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Neil Cerutti <mr.cerutti@gmail.com> - 2013-11-21 11:29 -0500
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2013-11-22 04:10 +1100
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend bradleybooth12345@gmail.com - 2013-11-21 15:17 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Gary Herron <gary.herron@islandtraining.com> - 2013-11-21 15:35 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend bradleybooth12345@gmail.com - 2013-11-21 15:55 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-11-21 19:55 -0500
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Gary Herron <gary.herron@islandtraining.com> - 2013-11-21 20:17 -0800
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2013-11-21 19:17 -0500
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 15:34 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 15:06 +0000
                Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2013-11-20 15:24 +0000
              Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 14:50 +0000
              Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 14:50 +0000
          Re: Newbie - Trying to Help a Friend Alister <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2013-11-20 09:29 +0000

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