This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Working Title: Straw Critic: From YKTTW
Haven: Does the Psychonauts example count? He was a critic, but of opera, not video games. And I don't think there were any critics who said that Psychonauts was derivative (at the very least, not any who wrote before the game came out, so that character could be a response to them). So even though he is a "stock critic", I don't think he's really a "straw critic", as his function in the game is, basically, an overactive super-ego, not a Take That! on the game's detractors.
Some Guy: I think you can argue that the Psychonauts is a parody of this kind of character, although the entry should mention this. It's worth noting that a Straw Critic doesn't necessarily have to be a Take That! on retractors. That's just how they usually end up being used because writers are spiteful for poor critical reception. On that note, the subentry to Ratatouille pigeonholes critics into "all wanting to be this kind of character but actually distancing themselves". It's worth noting that while most critics liked Ratatouille, not all of them did.
HeartBurn Kid: Took out:
- Could be Truth in Television depending on how popular you think Yahtzee is.
- Oh come on, sure, the guy's mean and vulgar… But he's shown a liking for a few games, including Call of $#^%ing Duty! Give him a break.
Changing this:
- Critic: I liked your novel. Who wrote it for you?Author: I wrote it. Who read it for you?
to:
- Movie star (some say Humphrey Bogart): I liked your novel. Who wrote it for you?Ilka Chase: I'm so glad you liked it. Who read it for you?
Ms. Chase is demonstrably the novelist in question - I have it on several books' authority - though the movie star is a little dubious. The Bogie reference is included in only one source.
Some Guy: Removed the quote wholeclotch. I always thought it was a weird quote for this page, and now that we know the full context of the it we can clearly see it doesn't have anything to do with the Straw Critic at all. Who added that in the first place, anyway? Isn't two page quotes enough?
Man Without A Body: Removed the Ratatouille example, because Ego isn't really a Straw Critic, it turns out. Whatever happened to that Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders quote?
Some Guy: I think you could argue that Ego averts the Straw Critic stereotype, but it's not something I really want to fight about. Don't know what happened to the quote, but honestly one quote per page is plenty, so not shedding any tears over that one either.
Some Guy: Anyway, I deleted two Truth in Television examples from the page and added a disclaimer against doing this kind of thing in the future. It's worth stating again, but it's a major pet peeve of mine when people unintentionally put meta-examples in the War On Straw pages.
Big T: Removed because I'm not sure how it's an example of this trope. We need more than a quote:
