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Okay, so you're going to have to pardon me for a second again because I think I'm going to go on a small rant... many of you liked the last rant, Kill The Toys 22 postings and counting, so here it goes again...
So what is with all this "there were lots of Muggles around so I had to be careful..." crap!? I'm quiet aware that the age range of Geocachers is very broad, but come on already... Muggles? Did Geocaching become somehow affiliated with the Harry Potter films over the last couple of years or what? Every time I read a post with the word "Muggle" in it it just makes me cringe... I feel like I'm back in junior high school surrounded by all of the Dungeons & Dragons kids!
I guess the whole "word that I shall never speak again" thing i.e. "Muggles" isn't to bad, it just gets under my skin. When I first joined the Geocaching community it had a different feel, I'm not really sure how to describe it, but it was different. Now, it feels like everything else, polluted with pop culture.
So, I guess that concludes my little rant. Hope I didn't step on to many toes. What do you all think about it, questions or comments!?
Cheers'
Jamaican Steve
So what is with all this "there were lots of Muggles around so I had to be careful..." crap!? I'm quiet aware that the age range of Geocachers is very broad, but come on already... Muggles? Did Geocaching become somehow affiliated with the Harry Potter films over the last couple of years or what? Every time I read a post with the word "Muggle" in it it just makes me cringe... I feel like I'm back in junior high school surrounded by all of the Dungeons & Dragons kids!
I guess the whole "word that I shall never speak again" thing i.e. "Muggles" isn't to bad, it just gets under my skin. When I first joined the Geocaching community it had a different feel, I'm not really sure how to describe it, but it was different. Now, it feels like everything else, polluted with pop culture.
So, I guess that concludes my little rant. Hope I didn't step on to many toes. What do you all think about it, questions or comments!?
Cheers'
Jamaican Steve
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Tue, May 2, 2006 - 4:31 PMWell, I'm new to all this, but now that you mention it...the Harry Potter reference annoys me too. Too kiddie-cutesy-icky. I've never read the HP books or seen the movies, and I don't have any plans to do so. Fantasy just isn't one of my genres.
Jamaica Steve, I'd really like to hear more about how the GC community was before. Can you expand on that? My sense is that the way it USED to be is what I was expecting from geocaching and why I've been so compelled to try it. And what word, if any, was used to describe the phenomenon of other-people-who-aren't-cachers-and-whom-we-don't want-to-see-us-because-they-might-plunder?
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Tue, May 2, 2006 - 8:11 PM
I always like a good rant, and am not a huge fan of the muggles term. It is often used when referring to patrons at Renaissance Faire, as well...
That being said, it is convienent to have a handy term that means "non-geocachers". I mean, I guess you could say "there were lots of people around", but I understand the desire to have a slang term that is used to refer to "them".
So, as an alternative to merely ranting, anyone have suggestions for a good term to use, instead of muggles? I'd love to see someone come up with something truly creative and unique.
Other terms:
Civilians - heard this used, but I'm not a big fan of the military feel
Mundanes - this is often used at Ren Faires, instead of Muggles - not sure it works so well for this purpose
People - works, but not very interesting
Non-GeoCachers - strikes me as a bit awkward
Anyone, anyone? -
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Sat, May 6, 2006 - 8:20 PMHow about People-Who-Didn't-Appear-to-Have-a-GPS-Unit-But-I-Could-Be-Mistaken-Maybe-They-Were-Better-Cachers-Than-I-and-Were-Laughing-at-Me-Wandering-In-Circles?
Or Future Cachers? Satellite Differently-abled? The Unpossessed? Humans Not Questing?
The possibilities are endless and each look as goofy as the next... lol Better than average rant. -
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Tue, May 9, 2006 - 11:30 AMThanks! I like your first suggestion...
Did you see that the Google ad in this thread is for the Harry Potter books?
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Sat, December 16, 2006 - 9:36 PMI had a fondness for the Harry Potter books, but the hollywood stuff is annoying. However, the word "muggled" to refer to when a cache has been pawed, stolen, or messed with by an unitiated person, sounds about right.
How about geo-gentiles? Like the mormons use the term to refer to anyone who isn't a mormon.
--a recent convert to geo-ism.
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Tue, July 10, 2007 - 9:48 AMI was first exposed to the term "Mundanes" through association with SCA folks.
"Bystanders" or "Witnesses" might be good terms, but they would perhaps suggest that we are engaging in activities illegal, rather than merely clandestine.
One term dating back a half century or so, "Straights," has taken on more specific meanings, so it is probably not as useful. ;-)
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Sun, August 27, 2006 - 2:20 PMPersonally, I don't mind. It's short and to the point, and everyone knows what you're talking about. It's just one of those words (Like 'Grok, 'Doh!' and God knows how many more) that are entering our language through fiction. You hear it at Renfaire, Computer helpdesks, anywhere there is a group of people 'in the know' and another group of 'clueless' people.
But here's my question: aside from the obvious bomb scare potential, what's the big idea if a pedestrian finds out what you're doing? isn't that just another way to potentially bring people into Geocaching? -
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Wed, January 3, 2007 - 11:03 PMWell, while there are people who would find it interesting, there are also a lot of people who would go "You're just leaving a bucket of stuff there. Right there... where anyone could take it? Hm." and off goes the cache. =)
I don't mind "muggles," but it's a matter of personal taste, I suppose. "Mundanes" makes me want to club people with a leather mug and then tie them up with a historically inaccurate costume. Not that I have any issues or anything. ;) -
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Fri, March 23, 2007 - 1:07 AMThis is funny. I'm new to Geocaching and I never read the Harry Potter books so I was wondering what all the "muggle" stuff was about. Hard to thiink of a term that is easy to jot down, has some amount of charm or secrecy to it, and catches on. At the sametime, I like the concept of a term that is used within the geocaching culture. -
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Fri, March 23, 2007 - 12:53 PMfunny how have to devide themselves ................Them and us...............we must be better.
how freaking sad
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Re: "Muggles"!?
Fri, July 13, 2007 - 6:13 PMI use 'locals' when the term comes up, as I'm often elsewhere with a loaded GPS. Works well enough. Not so fond of the Harry Potter connection, as there's nothing especially magical about our hobby. Other than the chunky magic wand that leads us to treasure, of course.
