The Old Country: Difference between revisions
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There's just one problem - if you claim this geographic hodgepodge is a real country, you'll get a lot of complaints from nationals of that country, either because you've totally misrepresented their traditions, or because you've just described them as a bunch of uneducated peasants. So, the best route to take is to ignore the country issue altogether: Whenever you need to have your character talk about his origins, have them call it "the old country". |
There's just one problem - if you claim this geographic hodgepodge is a real country, you'll get a lot of complaints from nationals of that country, either because you've totally misrepresented their traditions, or because you've just described them as a bunch of uneducated peasants. So, the best route to take is to ignore the country issue altogether: Whenever you need to have your character talk about his origins, have them call it "the old country". |
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The old country is usually a [[Ruritania]] or [[Uberwald]], with splashes of [[Oktoberfest|Bavaria]], [[Olive Garden|the Mediterranean]], [[In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You|the Former Soviet Union]], [[Norse |
The old country is usually a [[Ruritania]] or [[Uberwald]], with splashes of [[Oktoberfest|Bavaria]], [[Olive Garden|the Mediterranean]], [[In Soviet Russia, Trope Mocks You|the Former Soviet Union]], [[Norse by Norsewest|Scandinavia]] and [[Scotireland]]. Expect everyone to drive [[The Alleged Car|Ladas]] and tractors (if not goat carts), eat some sort of [[Foreign Queasine|bizarre offal sausage]] and speak in a lilting yet guttural tongue. |
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{{examples}} |
{{examples}} |
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== [[Live Action TV]] == |
== [[Live Action TV]] == |
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* ''[[House (TV)|House]]'' and ''[[Scrubs]]'' have both featured doctors, struggling with their [[Worthless Foreign Degree|Worthless Foreign Degrees]], who merely came from the old country. |
* ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' and ''[[Scrubs]]'' have both featured doctors, struggling with their [[Worthless Foreign Degree|Worthless Foreign Degrees]], who merely came from the old country. |
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* Let us not forget [[Andy Kaufman|Latka Gravas]] of ''[[Taxi]]'' fame, whose country was entirely fictional and rather vague. Probably the [[Trope Codifier]] for the current era. |
* Let us not forget [[Andy Kaufman|Latka Gravas]] of ''[[Taxi]]'' fame, whose country was entirely fictional and rather vague. Probably the [[Trope Codifier]] for the current era. |
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* The original ''[[All That]]'' had a recurring character named Ishboo (played by Kenan Thompson) who fit this trope. |
* The original ''[[All That]]'' had a recurring character named Ishboo (played by Kenan Thompson) who fit this trope. |
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== [[Western Animation]] == |
== [[Western Animation]] == |
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* Rolf from ''[[Ed, Edd n Eddy]]'' claims to be from "the old country", which is a land of strange folk tales, ghastly traditions involving seafood, and lederhosen. Perhaps he's actually from [[Cloudcuckooland]]? |
* Rolf from ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'' claims to be from "the old country", which is a land of strange folk tales, ghastly traditions involving seafood, and lederhosen. Perhaps he's actually from [[Cloudcuckooland]]? |
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** Rolf is based (and exaggerated) from childhood experiences of the show's creator, Danny Antonucci, himself the child of Italian immigrants, dealing with the culture shock that sort of upbringing provides. |
** Rolf is based (and exaggerated) from childhood experiences of the show's creator, Danny Antonucci, himself the child of Italian immigrants, dealing with the culture shock that sort of upbringing provides. |
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* Didi's parents on ''[[Rugrats]]'' are like this. Especially her father. Apparently, in the old country, a woman gives birth in the potato fields, puts the child on her back and keeps going. Yeah. |
* Didi's parents on ''[[Rugrats]]'' are like this. Especially her father. Apparently, in the old country, a woman gives birth in the potato fields, puts the child on her back and keeps going. Yeah. |
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* Parodied on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' - see the page quote. |
* Parodied on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' - see the page quote. |
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* Tish's family in ''[[The Weekenders]]''. Again, it is just called ''The Old Country'' and nobody knows which one. When a television report was done on Tish, they said experts were unable to locate on a map or even ''pronounce'' the country. Presumably it no longer exists... |
* Tish's family in ''[[The Weekenders]]''. Again, it is just called ''The Old Country'' and nobody knows which one. When a television report was done on Tish, they said experts were unable to locate on a map or even ''pronounce'' the country. Presumably it no longer exists... |
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* In ''[[Kick Buttowski]]'', this is where Gunther's family is from. Aparently it is set somewhere [[Norse |
* In ''[[Kick Buttowski]]'', this is where Gunther's family is from. Aparently it is set somewhere [[Norse by Norsewest]], where the people [[Horny Vikings|still follow the old ways]]. One episode takes place there, and it is indeed called The Old Country. |
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== [[Real Life]] == |
== [[Real Life]] == |