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“The Harry Potter Fallacy “ could also be a descriptor meaning “People will remember or care about your idea if you invoke this particular piece of old pop cult

“The Harry Potter Fallacy “ could also be a descriptor meaning “People will remember or care about your idea if you invoke this particular piece of old pop culture.” I hope they learn about the “I Beg You To Please Read Another Book Corrollary”

corobo 4y ago
"Please read another book" is more overused than Harry Potter references these days. Super popular media is referenced because people will probably get the reference. If I start busting out War and Peace plot points I'm going to look like an uppity dickhead and nobody will get what I'm on about. "Read another book" is just another way to shut down a conversation, usually when someone's ran out of real arguments but still wants to feel superior. You either get the reference and we're good to continue talking or you don't, you tell me, I'll state it in a different way. I read 2-6 books a month, I'd reference some of them but the people following the thread probably have not read the book and then how do I get upvotes out of that?
- braingenious 4y ago
  There are more books than the HP series and War and Peace. I do not have advice about how to optimize your reading for upvotes on HN though aside from maybe books about topics that are regularly discussed here?
  - corobo 4y ago
    Just an example, I think I'd have reached the character limit if I listed every book in existence Upvotes was a bit of a joke. It didn't land well, it is what it is. I was being too silly.
- dmix 4y ago
  No one is saying we should instead all be walking around referencing literary texts in every day conversations (speaking of straw mans, trying to use an extreme counterexample to dismiss criticism...). It's possible to communicate without relating everything back to pop culture.
  - corobo 4y ago
    > It's possible to communicate without relating everything back to pop culture. That's a fair point

corobo 4y ago

"Please read another book" is more overused than Harry Potter references these days. Super popular media is referenced because people will probably get the reference. If I start busting out War and Peace plot points I'm going to look like an uppity dickhead and nobody will get what I'm on about. "Read another book" is just another way to shut down a conversation, usually when someone's ran out of real arguments but still wants to feel superior. You either get the reference and we're good to continue talking or you don't, you tell me, I'll state it in a different way. I read 2-6 books a month, I'd reference some of them but the people following the thread probably have not read the book and then how do I get upvotes out of that?

braingenious 4y ago
There are more books than the HP series and War and Peace. I do not have advice about how to optimize your reading for upvotes on HN though aside from maybe books about topics that are regularly discussed here?
- corobo 4y ago
  Just an example, I think I'd have reached the character limit if I listed every book in existence Upvotes was a bit of a joke. It didn't land well, it is what it is. I was being too silly.
dmix 4y ago
No one is saying we should instead all be walking around referencing literary texts in every day conversations (speaking of straw mans, trying to use an extreme counterexample to dismiss criticism...). It's possible to communicate without relating everything back to pop culture.
- corobo 4y ago
  > It's possible to communicate without relating everything back to pop culture. That's a fair point