History Administrivia / ExampleAsAThesis

* LaboriousLaziness

* SpinTheEarthBackwards

* HePannedItNowHeSucks

* HouseRules

* CourtroomAntics

* MoeStare

* EvilFormerFriend

* FarmingYourFriend

* RacingTheTrain

* LikeThatShowButWithMecha

* AdaptationDisplacement

* DeathIsCheap

* EyesAreMental

* SuddenlyBlonde

* {{Weredragon}}

* TheWormGuy

When a trope is described by giving a generic example of it first, rather than simply stating its definition (its 'thesis').

In most cases, the best order of things is to tell the folks what you are going to talk about and ''then'' talk about it. Frequently -- if the thesis is good and does a good job describing the trope -- you can just remove the introductory example completely; after all, there's an entire list of perfectly serviceable examples right below the introduction... a good quote and image also tend to do a lot more than trying to work an example into the introduction text. Alternately, you can try moving the example to the ''middle'' of the description rather than the beginning so that readers know what they're supposed to be reading about ahead of time.

This isn't to say that this format is ''never'' acceptable--it's just that [[SturgeonsLaw 90% of the time]], it's a weak way to introduce the trope, even when not outright misleading. (In journalism, this is called "burying the [[InsistentTerminology lede]]" and is trained out of professional journalists very, very early.) So if you're considering starting a description with an example, take a minute to think first about whether you should just cut to the chase instead.

* ParentsAsPeople

* BackstabbingTheAlphaBitch
* BadassOnPaper