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

[Tim Golden]

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