TV Tropes Monday: Egopolis

 

Tweet of the Day: Emotional Wound Entry: Having to Kill Another Person to Survive

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Every building bears their name, every square has a statute to their glory, every sign points to the next glorious piece of architecture named after the same person that everything else is named after.

Welcome to the Egopolis.

Clearly, this is a sign or a self-absorbed, megalomaniac of a ruler that holds the entire nation in their iron grip. At least that is how it looks to modern eyes. However in not such ancient times nations were the personal property of their rulers thus everything belonged to them. And what do people do when they own a thing? Why, put their name on it, of course! And if it already had a name, they can rename it. The reason why this trope is not more popular is that this, when done to excess, was also seen by historical cultures as at least gauche, if not a sign that a revolution might not be a bad idea.

Of course, the ruler may not be the one doing the naming during their lifetimes or done for political purposes. A name can become a brand (ever heard of Disney or Warner Brothers?) or belong to someone famous whom the locals want to associate with, or that the place city or even nation is associated by others regardless of the inhabitants wishes.

Still, it might not hurt to make sure your papers are in order and when the next boat, train, or flight out of the country is available, just in case.

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