Another thread about different editions of books got me to thinking about the kerfuffle regarding translating* Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" for the American market. Apparently some people figured that if American readers didn’t get some of the references, they could Google it, FFS. Others treated it as a grave injustice and insult to Ms. Rowling. Others acted as if crimes had been committed against English Literature, English itself, and Literature itself.
To me, making the book more accessible to American audiences made perfect sense. It had never occurred to me that anyone would take exception to the idea.
What are some things that you were surprised to see such passion about?
*Yes, I know that translating isn’t the right word for what’s being referred to here, but you get my drift.
Sports. Honestly I still have a hard time comprehending why anybody cares at all, and when I hear about things like riots over some game or another I just don’t comprehend at all.
I’m sort of weird.
(Also ‘americanizing’ Harry Potter is idiotic.)
They did make a number of other changes for the American audience such as changing “revising” (for an exam) to “studying” and changing the spelling. I think they overall did a good job, although I thought the change in title was idiotic, but I can’t say I am passionate about it. I mean “philosopher’s stone” is a standard reference and sorcerer’s stone is meaningless and people who don’t get the reference to the former will not better understand the latter, there being nothing there.
It was the first book and they were building an audience. Philosopher’s Stone is hardly obscure, but it comes off sounding academic rather than fantasy. It could make casual browsers think of it as a book like “From the Mixed Up Files…” as opposed to magic and dragons. If it were the 5th book, they would have left it since the audience was already built.
Obama’s birth certificate. Who would have thought it could have led to where we are today. Just an observation and please don’t start a political discussion but it is strange that people got so passionate over the thing.
Traveling with only carry on luggage. 3 weeks overseas and you’re only bringing a carry on? Look, I agree completely that you shouldn’t overpack and, ‘When in doubt, leave it out.’ But, I’m an adult, I don’t want to wear the same clothes constantly nor do laundry in a hotel room!
But wow, some travelers are so passionate about carry on only that they’ll start a Holy War over it.
People who have been gaslighted and are now passionate about what they have been convinced of. I hear them all the time calling into C-SPAN basically repeating the president’s dog whistles.
When I was little, I had a family relative who was adamant that you do not describe mathematical fractions or operations as “breaking up” something into components (i.e., “we break up sixteen units into ten and six”) - “breaking up means two people ending a relationship! You have to say break down.”
She also adamantly insisted that “airliner” means the company that flies passengers, not the aircraft that flies passengers. I also was oddly adamant that “airline” means a company, not an airplane, and we were both very vehement about it.
Video games. From “console wars” over two pieces of virtually identical technology with a couple different game titles to people spending hundreds of dollars on a plastic video game character statue to people going ape irate about how they’d never buy any title digitally and only on physical media because what if they really want to play some dusty old title from 2014 in the year 2035 and so on… I like video games in general but the amount of emotional energy a lot of people put into it (or into arguing about it) is baffling.
People who think the opening speech in the first episode of the Newsroom was the greatest work ever written in the history of entertainment. Go to the YouTube comments of any video of it and there’s hundreds of people passionately acting like it was the most mindblowing speech of all time.
Are you really surprised that people are passionate over politics or sports? It’s fine to think that people shouldn’t be so passionate over sports or think people are too worked up about a political issue. But I’m not sure it really comes as a surprise.
People who come out of the woodwork to tell you that no Mexican has ever celebrated Cinco De Mayo in history. When Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah are talking with 100% certainly that nobody with brown skin has ever even thought of celebrating Cinco De Mayo is when it goes too far.
There are literally people who think Cinco De Mayo is something only Donald Trump celebrates.
The way the Right was so passionately opposed to President Obama. A large segment of the US population truly believed that “He’s out to destroy the country!!!” And a large segment of the population passionately believed in everything Obama did. And you know what? The United States “survived” eight years of Obama.
Now its the Left’s turn to be passionately opposed to President Trump. A large segment of the US population truly believe that “He’s out to destroy the country!!!” And a large segment of the population believe in everything Trump is doing. And you know what? The United States is going to “survive” 8 years of Trump.
Look at the polls. Both Obama and Trump have very similar popularity numbers. Neither one was elected Dictator. Congress and the Courts limited what Obama wanted to do and they have limited what Trump wants to do and Congress and the Courts will continue to do so.
Now I can’t wait to be told by Dopers on the Left how Trump REALLY IS A THREAT!!! And Obama’s presidency was the greatest thing that ever happened to the country!
Just relax. The United States is going to be just fine. You want to go out and protest and RESIST Trump’s every move? That’s your right, but is it going to change anything?