Talk:Bort (name)

The Simpsons reference.
I've reinserted both the Simpsons reference, and the image. I don't see how an image can be claimed to be "useless" when it contains the article subject - keyring/license plate names are a common thing. Chaheel Riens (talk) 22:34, 13 January 2018 (UTC)


 * I challenge whomever removed it to find any other thing with the name Bort on it. Except maybe a legal document. VoidHalo (talk) 20:40, 25 July 2023 (UTC)
 * It's a custom-made license plate keychain referencing the Simpsons joke, though, isn't it? You can buy these things printed with anything you like on them.
 * The article shouldn't be implying that Bort is a common enough first name in the US that mass produced souvenir keychains exist. And I guess it's WP:OR to say in the caption that the keychain is Simpsons merch or custom-made by a fan or bought from an Etsy store, since we don't know where it actually came from. (The Flickr user just makes a Simpson's reference in the photo description.)
 * I rewrote the article to explain the Simpsons joke and to move the photo next to that paragraph, but I now think the article is probably better without the photo at all. I've removed it. Belbury (talk) 09:33, 26 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Excellent idea. Context is key and explaining it will help clarify the article. While I personally think it seems far fetched that somebody would assume it's a popular name because of the picture, it's best not to make assumptions about knowledge of readers.
 * So, I agree with your change. It retains the original image, and joke, but doesn't leave people who are unfamiliar with The Simpsons in the dark. A good Wiki article should transcend cultures in this way, where reasonably possible, of course. VoidHalo (talk) 08:45, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
 * My change was ultimately to remove the image. I don't think Wikipedia can say "this keychain is a Simpsons joke" in a caption because we don't know where the object actually came from or why it exists. Belbury (talk) 09:39, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
 * I think it's pretty self evident where it came from to anyone who knows the joke.
 * Regardless, now that I think about more, I think inside jokes have no place on Wikipedia. People aren't coming here for a laugh, they're coming here for objective information. I mean, you wouldn't expect to see such a thing in the Oxford Dictionary, or Encyclopedia Britanica.
 * In this case, I think it was relatively benign, but such jokes could certainly make articles more confusing and obscure. Not to mention it makes the content VERY Amero-centric to have a reference to a joke from an American TV show, and expecting everyone will get it. A good Wiki article should be globally applicable. At least, as much as an English article can be.
 * I realize there will probably be some inevitable degree of localization due to the language of an article. But, I think my point about global applicability stands.
 * So, self evident or not, I think it's a triviality atbthis point. VoidHalo (talk) 15:01, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
 * I mean the origin of the object: it's either official/unofficial Simpsons merch, or something the photographer had printed at a place that lets you put any word onto a keychain. It's probably the latter, but by the time we've explained any of these things in the caption (that this is a crafted reference to the Simpson's joke rather than evidence that yes, US souvenir stalls do often have items with the name Bort), it's not funny any more.
 * The text should say what the Simpsons joke was, though, if it's mentioning the joke at all. The current article has been cut back to The name was used as a gag twice in The Simpsons. which is meaningless to a reader who hasn't already seen the episode. Belbury (talk) 15:39, 27 September 2023 (UTC)
 * Well, the fact that it was used as a gag in The Simpsons might be of interest to somebody unfamiliar with the series if their name was Bort. I think if I had a unique surname lile Bort, I would be really confused and curious if I saw it on some souvenir out of context. But honestly, how many people would fit into that category AND have specifically looked for this page.
 * I'm imagine in the west a good number of people named Bort have probably heard OF the joke from somebody making a remark about it, at the very least. But that's just speculation. VoidHalo (talk) 00:03, 28 September 2023 (UTC)