Bad Writing

[Andara Bledin]

Normal human beings?
That's why I don't see the point of muggle, same as why babylon 5's psi cor called everyone else mundanes.

edit:
one word?
People

Normal? Who defines what is "normal?" Ask ten people what "normal" is and you'll get a dozen different answers.

And "people" includes wizards and muggles both, so is useless for this exercise.

^-.-^

[Ginger Tea]

Doctors don't go around calling non doctors derogitory terms, which is how I see muggles.
Having the ability to cast magic is akin to jedi, you dont hear sith or jedi calling people without high midiclorean counts terms do denote their inability to wield the force.
edit:
Well it's been some time since I read a starwars book, but those I read never had any terms that stuck out.

Also with the Xmen and the whole Marvel universe Mutant Gene we have mutants refering to themselves as homo superior and the rest of humans as homo sapiens, which is acceptable as it's a scientific term for people, although the former is currently purely fictitious.

Say for example instead of wizards it was artists calling those that cannot paint, sculpt or draw etc a derogetory term like muggles, we would be quick to call them out as pretentious twats with ego's the size of small moons.

[Andara Bledin]

Doctors don't go around calling non doctors derogitory terms, which is how I see muggles.

You haven't spent time around the same medical professionals as I have, then. There's as much derogatory use of "lesser" nursing designations by those with "higher" designations as there ever was in the Harry Potter books.

There's a funny illustration of something to this effect in the movie Nine to Five where the character Violet is in a hospital wearing a stolen labcoat and gets stopped by a candy striper who wants to know where the coffee shop is. When the candy striper notices that the badge on the coat says that Violet is supposed to be a doctor, she starts to stammer an apology for talking to her, and Violet responds, "Oh... I'm a doctor. So, why the hell am I talking to you? Piss off!"

Also with the Xmen and the whole Marvel universe Mutant Gene we have mutants refering to themselves as homo superior and the rest of humans as homo sapiens, which is acceptable as it's a scientific term for people, although the former is currently purely fictitious.

And, yet, Magneto has no difficulty using the term "homo sepiens" as an insult. Plus, it's useless for something like Harry Potter, where all of the people involved are one species. Not that the designation "homo superior" has any real scientific basis, even in the comic universe, or is any less pretentious than your later example.

Say for example instead of wizards it was artists calling those that cannot paint, sculpt or draw etc a derogetory term like muggles, we would be quick to call them out as pretentious twats with ego's the size of small moons.

Except that drawing or painting or writing music is something that everybody can do to some degree if they care to try.

Being a wizard is like being a mutant. Either you are or you aren't, and no amount of wishful thinking or effort will change it. So why is it ok to have a term for non-mutants, but it's not ok to have a term for non-wizards?

^-.-^

[Ginger Tea]

Seeing as I've never read or seen any harry potter books or films, I'm guessing then that the magic abilitiy is like the mutant gene or midiclorean count, an ability you are born with.
So anyone can go to med school and become a doctor if they wish, but you need that extra bit for hogwarts.

It's just the whole calling everyone else muggles that irks me, I'm cool with mutants calling us homo sapiens, even if said in a tone that says "less than me", hell we can say a nations name or language and make it seem like an insult just as much.

"They can't cast magic like us?"
"Who can't?"
"The muggles"
"Who are muggles?"
"Everyone else."

or

"They can't cast magic like us?"
"Who can't?"
"Everyone else."

Edit:
again I have not watched or read harry potter, so I only know of the term Muggle to mean non wizards, but I have no idea if it is used in a derogitory manor, but to me it comes across as one.
yes magneto can call us homo sapian and make it seem like we are lower down the food chain than he is, most other "you are not one of us" fictitious branches of humanity do this
I have no beef with a vampire calling humans cattle or food, as that is what we are to them after all
Agent Smith sees us as a disease
etc as these are intentionally looking down on humanity for not being like them
Whereas in the potter books it just comes across as pointless, even with the genetic traight or whatever that allows them to say words and magic happens, where everyone else would have nothing happen with the same incantation, it becomes a job title, just like doctor or plumber, just one with a prerequisit on the entrance exam.

"Highschool of the Dead" calling the zombies 'Them' when there is a perfectly good term already in use for describing the undead, well more than one for that matter.

[Andara Bledin]

It's just the whole calling everyone else muggles that irks me, I'm cool with mutants calling us homo sapiens, even if said in a tone that says "less than me", hell we can say a nations name or language and make it seem like an insult just as much.

I'm not understanding why there being a basic single-word term to refer to not-wizards is something to be irked over. The term itself is neutral, and most of the characters don't use it as anything else.

^-.-^

[Ginger Tea]

well tbh the ammount of terms used to describe someone who is not like you normally end up derogatory and if Muggles is not being used as an insult to the rest of humanity, then there is no need for it, it was an invented word to describe non magic wielders ie everyone else.

In my original Doctor analogy I meant that they dont call every other person in the world a word to describe them as not a doctor, nor do painters or builders.
granted I dont work with them so I have no idea if it is widespread this whole "you are a nurse and beneath me" bit is.

[Kheldarson]

So...you're saying that it's silly to denote a difference between myself and another? Because Muggle is used just as a definition of one vs. another. Like Jew and Gentile. You're either a Jew or not. Or Smith and Johnson (or whatever family name you want). Or Sharks and Jets. Whatever. We name ourselves and others to define ourselves against another.

So yeah, the wizards in HP view themselves differently than others. That's recognized in their use of the term Muggles. Still means they're human, but view themselves differently. And why a made up word? Because why not? It's fantasy. Heck, Tolkien created whole languages near-broadcloth, why can't Rowling throw in a made up word or two?

[DrFaroohk]

I thought of two more things I consider bad writing -

"Fish out of water" scenarios - this is when someone is pretending to be someone else, whether for nefarious reasons or not, and they do it very very poorly, but no one notices. for instance, it might be a vampire trying to blend in with people. But instead of being good at it, it's ridiculously obvious.

Girl - Man you're cute.

Vampire - Yeah, and I'd love to suck your blood out! I mean, you're cute too.

Girl - How old are you?

Vampire - Four thousand years old. I was born long before your Christ walked this earth, and I mocked him in his insolence of the....I mean, I'm 17.

Girl - Awesome! What do you like to do for fun?

Vampire - I LIKE TO SUCK BLOOD! I LIKE TO MURDER INNOCENT FEMALES AND DRAIN THEM OF THEIR LIQUID LIFE FORCE! I mean, I like to watch TV.

---

And no one ever notices it.

Ok, second one -

Sequels - For some reason, sequels always involve the hero being back on skid row for some reason. Usually having forgotten whatever he learned in the first movie. The first movie is all about the new guys on the basketball team coming together, getting over their differences and winning a championship. Suddenly, in movie 2, they've forgotten how to get along, and then new teams come out of the woodwork that are way better than movie 1's opponents, and where the hell were they last time around? And didn't these guys just learn how to get along and forgive each other for the round of genital herpes, but now they're back at it again. Worse off than they were before.

[lordlundar]

World of Cardboard; If Superman actually cut loose and moved at top speed, the collateral damage to buildings (and people) would be staggering; Needless to say, for the Big Red S, that stuff doesn't sit right.

So, Justified in that he basically has a mental 'power limiter' and can only really cut loose in areas that are essentially devoid of human habitation.

The few times he does have to use Superspeed offensively, it's actually pretty scary; you get a sense that if he whiffed a punch at that speed the pressure wave would pulp an Innocent Bystander.

You saw that episode of Justice League Unlimited as well, huh?

For the record, it was the final episode and Darkseid was engaging in a full invasion of Earth. He finally appeared and Superman did a full exposition of just how much he was holding back out of a fear of just how much damage he would do, not just to civilians or property(which even constrained tends to be pretty bad), but his opponent. Then he made it clear that with no civilians in the area and no concern of the property damage (half of Metropolis was leveled at this point), and knowledge that Darkseid could survive Supe at his full force, he had no reason to hold back. He then proceeded to beak Darkseid into unconsciousness without even needing to catch his breath.