ygert comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 18, chapter 87 - Less Wrong

4 Post author: Alsadius 22 December 2012 07:55AM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (592)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Cakoluchiam 25 December 2012 09:19:29PM 0 points [-]

You can't say it's obvious unless you can point to something it is specifically lampshading. The best answers I've seen so far in this thread are that it's lampshading itself, in which case there's no reason for it to have been in the story. Traditionally when you hang a lampshade on something, it's something that the author needs as a plot device but actually wouldn't make very much sense if the story were playing out realistically, that is, it threatens suspension of disbelief. I don't think any of us would disbelieve that Dumbledore would have a strange vroopy thingy in his office, so lampshading itself doesn't make any sense (which I suppose would make it a meta-lampshade, which breaks the suspension of disbelief I have that the author is trying to use a trope in its proper context, and such abstractions could recurse infinitely).

Comment author: ygert 26 December 2012 12:06:12PM 1 point [-]

I am sorry for being confusing about what the "obviously" was supposed to imply. I meant from the physical description, if you visualize the object in your head, the object is pretty obviously a lampshade. From there is is a pretty reasonable guess to say that this lampshade represents an attempt by EY to hang a lampshade on something. Of course, it is not so obvious what is being lampshaded.

Comment author: Cakoluchiam 28 December 2012 02:24:20PM 1 point [-]

I dunno about yours, but my lampshades don't usually spin, particularly not with a "vroop".

Comment author: Kindly 28 December 2012 03:07:56PM 0 points [-]

Right, EY just threw that in to make it harder to guess.