# Polycarp told me to start this this thread.... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 8, 2002, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452 "2002-04-08T08:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/41 "2002-04-10T13:41:46Z")
PPPHHHHHBBBBLLLLTTTT!!! You! ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/42 "2002-04-10T13:57:17Z")
actually, to address the comment you made earlier: Yes, i used to think Potter was “bad”, becasue I hung around a lot of fundies and they were all “oooh Potter evil!” But now I realize science fiction isn’t evil. See, some ignorance Has been aradicated here! ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/43 "2002-04-10T15:23:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wendell Wagner \* > \*\*I want to get back to a point that Anahita tried to make early in this thread. Weirddave is already referring to GingerOfTheNorth’s son as “our son Matthew.” That’s either very sweet or downright frightening. Ginger, has Dave already insisted on putting his name on your bank accounts too? \*\* Hell no, but I’ve wormed my way in there. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/44 "2002-04-10T17:19:37Z")
> [@](#): > > You know, I just had this vivid mental image of you and Polycarp… > Dave: The answer is 25! > Poly: It’s 40, you unmitigated twit! > Dave: Your sister! > Poly: That’s it, punk! You wanna take this to the PIT? > Dave: See you there, mofo. > Okay, maybe not exactly like that. I enjoy very much talking to Dave, and we’ve covered a wide range of topics on the few phone calls we’ve had. (I think he appreciates my having given him the last rites after he had a knife inserted in his chest at **RTFirefly** ’s party.) What he doesn’t mention is that in that phone call, he asked me to marry him. . . . . . . . . . . . Unfortunately, I’m not a clergyman, so he and Ginger have to seek elsewhere for an officiant. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/45 "2002-04-10T18:00:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*actually, to address the comment you made earlier: Yes, i used to think Potter was “bad”, becasue I hung around a lot of fundies and they were all “oooh Potter evil!” > But now I realize science fiction isn’t evil. > See, some ignorance Has been aradicated here! \*\* Well, all we need to do is get you hooked on Star Wars and we’re all set. However, remember Star _Trek_ is the spawn of Satan. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/46 "2002-04-10T22:25:10Z")
“It’s evil, Jim, but not as we know it…” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/47 "2002-04-10T23:00:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > \*\* (He was talking about the book.) \*\* Yes, but I think that if Gandalf came back in the books, it’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll come back in the films, too. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452/48 "2002-04-11T03:15:00Z")
Ummm . . . I gotta question. See, I think I _do_ see a difference between Rowling and Tolkien. Master Potter & co. assemble ingredients to brew potions in cauldrons. They wave wands and chant incantations, they learn the placing of curses, turning people into stone and into frogs. They fly on broomsticks and their biggest annual holiday (at Hogwarts at least) is Halloween. In short, they are stereotypical witches, only mostly without the whole evil warty thing. As far as I remember, there’s virtually _nothing_ like that in _LotR_. Can someone give me an argument that the style and presentation of magic between the two series are _not_ vastly different? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polycarp-told-me-to-start-this-this-thread/102452.md?page=2)