# Obvious things about a creative work you realize after the millionth time (OPEN SPOILERS POSSIBLE) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117 "2009-07-24T13:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 365
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7287 "2026-09-06T03:13:38Z")
I just watched **The Incredibles** on my TV with the subtitles turned on, and as a result learned that the name of Syndrome’s island is **Nomanistan**. Obviously a bit of wordplay based on “No Man ins an Island.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7288 "2026-09-06T10:45:59Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > In the Harry Enfield/Paul Whitehouse “American Tourists Go for Breakfast” sketch, the male tourist cheerfully pontificates about American football teams with names like the “Rapists” and the “Terrorists.” Took me a while to realize this isn’t just random surreal humor - it’s playing on the British perception of actual American team names like “Pirates” and “Raiders” and “Buccaneers.” When the Raiders play the Cardinals is that the Rapists against the Papists? ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7289 "2026-09-06T10:49:58Z")
There is actually a UK rugby team called the Cornish Pirates, as a name it’s not _that_ unusual from a UK perspective; many of the pirate cliches come from the UK. Pirates are seen as a bit of a silly joke here too, even when that’s a little[inappropriate](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-22381593). A lot of the names of US sports teams do sound pretty weird to us though. Also because we don’t typically follow the actual sports, we often just hear about names when they’re controversial or in the news due to being changed as they’re offensive, like the ‘Washington Redskins’. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7290 "2026-09-06T17:52:09Z")
At least the US doesn’t have any team named after a large repository of weaponry. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7291 "2026-09-06T19:48:10Z")
Not since the Washington Bullets became the Wizards, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7292 "2026-09-06T21:29:27Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I just watched **The Incredibles** on my TV with the subtitles turned on, and as a result learned that the name of Syndrome’s island is **Nomanistan**. > > Obviously a bit of wordplay based on “No Man ins an Island.” It’s closer than you think: it’s actually [Nomanisan Island](https://the-incredibles.fandom.com/wiki/Nomanisan_Island). ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7293 "2026-09-06T22:18:43Z")
As the joke went at the time, if they wanted to make the name less violent, they should have changed it from the Washington Bullets to just the Bullets. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7294 "2026-09-07T02:57:51Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s closer than you think: it’s actually [Nomanisan Island](https://the-incredibles.fandom.com/wiki/Nomanisan_Island). Blame the subtitles. I just read 'em ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7295 "2026-09-07T23:30:05Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > As the joke went at the time, if they wanted to make the name less violent, they should have changed it from the Washington Bullets to just the Bullets. And if they had wanted to make it more accurate for the time and place, they should have changed it to the Stray Bullets. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7296 "2026-09-07T23:42:22Z")
The team had been the (alliterative) Baltimore Bullets before moving to DC. “In November 1995, owner Abe Pollin announced he was changing the team’s nickname, because Bullets had acquired violent overtones that had made him increasingly uncomfortable over the years, particularly given the high homicide and crime rate in the early 1990s in Washington, D.C., and the recent assassination of Pollin’s longtime friend, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Pollin was quoted ‘If I save one life, make a change in one life, it’ll be worth it.’” [Washington Wizards - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Wizards#Becoming_the_Wizards) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7297 "2026-09-08T03:58:09Z")
Nearly 60 years ago, the Walden College football team included Zonker Harris, who always addressed his quarterback B.D. as “Captain America.” I just realized that the design on B.D.’s helmet was the same as on Peter Fonda’s in _Easy Rider_. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7298 "2026-09-08T04:12:52Z")
Umm, I do not think so. BD had one big star. Easy Rider- was like a stylized American flag. [https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?SeriesID=22317865](https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?SeriesID=22317865) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7299 "2026-09-08T13:14:28Z")
In the song _Hello, Dolly_, she sings > You’re lookin’ great, Stanley > Lose some weight, Stanley? To my ear, the second line sounded like a statement, not a question, and I wondered why Dolly was being mean to Stanley. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7300 "2026-09-08T13:42:26Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > To my ear, the second line sounded like a statement, not a question, and I wondered why Dolly was being mean to Stanley. In the movie version, Barbra Streisand adds quick aside at this point – “I think you did, there, Stanley” (I know this because I had a copy of the tape and listened to it repeatedly.) Probabl not in the Broadway show, but it’s been ages since I last saw that. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7301 "2026-09-09T12:41:18Z")
I saw the 1987 supernatural detective thriller _Angel Heart_ when it came out in theaters. Robert DeNiro played Satan, who appears in the guise of a man seeking Mickey Rourke’s detective character’s services for unholy reasons. DeNiro gives his name to Rourke as Louis Cypher. We realize at the end of the movie that Cypher is actually the devil. I thought it was symbolic of a riddle: Cypher is an enigma until the end. Talking about that movie recently, I realized how obvious it actually is. Louis Cypher = Lucifer. Duh! ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7302 "2026-09-09T13:19:50Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > it’s playing on the British perception of actual American team names like “Pirates” and “Raiders” and “Buccaneers.” Have I got a video for you! “…well, not pillaging, anyways…” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uJqEKYbh-LU/maxresdefault.jpg "The Phrase 'Rape and Pillage' | David Mitchell's SoapBox") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJqEKYbh-LU) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7303 "2026-09-09T13:22:23Z")
I may buy a ticket for the new Broadway production of _The Fantasticks_ just to see how they handle the “Rape Ballet.” ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7304 "2026-09-09T13:42:25Z")
“Remember, pillage _then_ burn”. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7305 "2026-09-09T14:07:11Z")
In the movie version (which I admittedly haven’t seen in quite a while) “It Depends on What You Pay”, which is what I presume you mean by the “Rape Ballet” was replaced by “The Abduction Song”. I would presume some version of the latter is now what is used in stage productions. The DVD does include the original version as a deleted song. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/7306 "2026-09-09T20:24:34Z")
“Rape Ballet” happens a couple of numbers after “It Depends On What You Pay”. The replacement song “Abductions” actually uses the music of “Rape Ballet”. The ballet is usually referred to as “Abduction Ballet” these days. The alternate song never really took hold, and usually people use an edited version of "“It Depends” instead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=364) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=366)