TGM Glossary

This page is an index of all the trademarked theories, disorders, definitions, and just plain made-up words that The Gimcrack Miscellany has created over the years. Each term is listed below along with a brief explanation and a link to the post where the theory was introduced. As new theories are created, which they inevitably will, they will be added to this list. Click the name of the theory to see all articles pertaining to that theory.

Theories/Disorders

Reference Burst Theory™

Definition: Something gets referenced all of the sudden multiple times in a short period, from seemingly disconnected sources.

Example: You hear an obscure 20-year-old song on the radio that you havenï¿½t heard in a long time, then you flip through an old magazine the next day and come across the name of that artist, then you proceed to see an old sitcom on TV where one of the characters makes a reference to that very song.

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Pop Aversion Theory™

Definition: Disliking something not because of an aversion to the thing itself, but because so many other people like it.

Examples: Titanic, Coldplay, American Idol, chain restaurants.

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Opinion-Esteem Disorder™

Definition: Fear of expressing an opinion that most others do not share, and the resulting building-up of false opinions. Can also refer to the inability to make the distinction between whether something is personally enjoyable vs. good in absolute terms (i.e. rating a film)

Example: I love Starship Troopers and Half Baked, but I recognize that they aren’t actually well-made films, and thus despite my personal enjoyment of them, I would rate them poorly as a film critic.

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