History Main / AbominationAccusationAttack

* In an episode of the 1960's police show "NYPD" a young detective is going door to door trying to find a witness to a crime. When he encounters a young woman and says he's investigating, she immediately rips her blouse and screams rape. In trying to prove his innocence they ask themselves why she had such an extreme reaction. Turns out she panicked because [[spoiler: she and other housewives were part-time prostitutes]]

* During the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontario_general_election,_2003 2003 Ontario general elections]], then-incumbent premier Ernie Eves's campaign referred to his opponent Dalton [=McGuinty=] as an "[[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten evil]] [[TheReptilians reptilian kitten-eater from another planet]]". This [[InsultBackfire backfired]] [[EpicFail epically]] as was easy to predict, but the phrase itself went [[Memes/{{Politics}} memetical]].

* Played for laughs in ''Lost And Found'', when a bratty kid decides to get revenge on the {{jerkass}} man who pushed in front of him on the way to the bathroom. The man comes out of the restroom to find the cops waiting for him and the boy accusing him of molestation. He had earlier stated the threat of this was how he got random men to do his bidding.

Accusing someone of being some kind of [[YouMonster monstrous predator]]--sexual or otherwise--can be a really efficient weapon. It can make people hate the accusee, maybe even [[InternalizedCategorism get them to hate themself]]. Or, simply use it as a particularly nasty ChewbaccaDefense to shut him up. In some cases, it may [[GoneHorriblyRight backfire]] if the accusee decided to [[ThenLetMeBeEvil become what he was accused for]] and [[TheDogBitesBack bites back the others]].

If this is used in a debate, it's a form of AdHominem, and a very frivolous one at that. Compare GodwinsLaw for similar accusations of being a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]], and HitlerAteSugar for a method often used in both kinds of accusations. If used consistently, this trope becomes a form of {{Demonization}}. Compare VanHelsingHateCrimes.

* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': It's ''known'' that Eren is [[spoiler:capable of turning into an abomination]], the attack is against his fundamental humanity and whether he's a threat to the rest of the humans or not. Quite a few people want him dead for their own reasons and in order to achieve that, they accuse him in a half-assed way about him ''killing two human traffickers as a kid'' despite the fact that: 1) they want to have him executed and 2) they have showed willingness to kill deserters which makes the whole accussation of being a murderer without respect for human life, very ridiculous and hypocritical. Not to mention that killing human traffickers is more like an execution anyways.

* In the first issue of ''Comicbook/{{Lucifer}}'', a young woman gets angry with the protagonist when he doesn't stop her from touching some wet paint, explaining only afterwards that it's actually blood. In retaliation, she threaten to call the cops and claim that he's a pedophile who has kidnapped her.

* ''Film/TheWizard'' features a trio of children who basically run away from home so that one of them can join a video game tournament on the other side of the country. They're chased by a [[NonGivingUpSchoolGuy truant officer]] [[DesignatedVillain with shades of bounty hunter]]. When he finally corners them, the girl of the trio shouts out "HE TOUCHED MY BREAST!" It's PlayedForLaughs, but then the FridgeHorror hits for what this will probably do to the man for the rest of his life, [[HeroAntagonist just for doing his job]] and unintentionally looking a little creepy while doing it. However, while he does get roughed up by a group of bystanders, a random accusation with no follow-up doesn't stand up in a court of law. We see him later on, alive and free (albeit with a black eye). The accusation could still damage his reputation though, if others heard.

* ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen'': Crooks gets fed up with Curley's wife coming into his sleeping quarters and threatens to complain to Curley about it. Unfazed, she snaps, "You know what I could do to you if you opened your mouth? You know what I could do?", all but stating that she'll accuse of him of rape/attempted rape/or even merely ''looking'' at her and get him lynched. Cowed, Crooks shuts up.

* ''Series/KamenRiderBlade'': A friend of Kuriharas starts suspecting that [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Hajime]] [[TokenNonHuman Aikawa]] murdered her boss, the family's father, after she accidentally found a family picture in Hajime's possession and made the obvious, but wrong conclusion. He didn't kill her boss, he was just there when the man died after passing him the photo and asking to take care of his family. Investigating her suspicion, she finds out that he might not even be human, which leads her to accusing him of being a monster out to destroy the world after seeing him transform in Kamen Rider Chalice. She is convinced to drops her threats later on when Hajime protects her from an [[MonsterOfTheWeek Undead]] and provides some explanation. [[spoiler: What she didn't know is that he ''really is'' a monster out to destroy the world. He doesn't want to, because he is enjoying human life with his FoundFamily, but it's not in his control.]]

* One activist who got an essay published in a Swedish newspaper argued the point that all white men who are in relationships with Asian women are actually pedophiles. Because Asians are smaller then western women, or something like that. The author was, of course, a male Asian. And he later got arrested for stalking and arson against his (white) Swedish ex-girlfriend. Classy.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MonkeyDust'', the Paedofinder General is universally feared for his ability to call anyone a paedophile (and then get the randomly accused person killed). For example, he kills the fiddler in ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' for fiddling on the roof, implying that it must be an euphemism for paedophilia.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "The Wacky Molestation Adventure", Kyle is furious at his parents for not letting him go to a ''Raging Pussies'' concert despite him fulfilling a ridiculously difficult task they had assumed he wouldnt be able to (get Fidel Castro to abandon communism). Cartman tells him to just call the police and tell them his parents had been "molestering" him, even though none of the boys know what molestation is and treat it like a magic spell. Sure enough, the cops haul the Brofloski's away with no proof whatsoever, and social services dont even bother to check that anyone else looks after the kids, and Kyle relishes in his newfound freedom. Soon, all the kids begin accusing their families and teachers of molestation, and shortly after, the entire town is left to the kids.

* WAY too common in social media due to {{GIFT}}. One user has a grudge against another; maybe a political opinion, maybe they [[{{Shipping}} ship a pairing]] the accusing party finds distasteful, maybe they drew a character in fanart the "wrong way" (ie, a dark skinned character half a shade lighter because they paid attention to lighting conditions or with the wrong cup size). Cue the grudge holder laying into the object of their grudge with accusations of every "-ism" and "phobia" in the book, [[MortonsFork especially phrased in a way the accused can't debate without it being "proven" true.]] A particular incident of this came about on Website/{{Tumblr}} due to a disagreement over WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse fan art, and ended with the artist attempting suicide.

* When suffering through an intervention to find out why she hates ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'', WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick at one point ends up pointing a finger at her friends and calling them "Disney zealots".

* WAY too common in social media due to {{GIFT}}. One user has a grudge against another; maybe a political opinion, maybe they [[{{Shipping}} ship a pairing]] the accusing party finds distasteful, maybe they drew a character in fanart the "wrong way" (ie, a dark skinned character half a shade lighter because they paid attention to lighting conditions or with the wrong cup size). Cue the grudge holder laying into the object of their grudge with accusations of every "-ism" and "phobia" in the book, [[MortonsFork especially phrased in a way the accused can't debate without it being "proven" true]]. A particular incident of this came about on Website/{{Tumblr}} due to a disagreement over WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse fan art, and ended with the artist attempting suicide.
** Of course, this also works on the opposite side of the spectrum. Rather than calling the accused an "ism", instead they'd call them an "SJW" -- meaning the type of condescending person that talks over marginalized groups and [[TheHorseshoeEffect accuses everyone else of doing so]]. Take the ''Steven Universe'' fanart discourse for example: the argument was over weight rather than skin color, and the suicide attempt turned out to be unrelated to the discourse at all. The user even mentioned that they didn't want anyone to use the two incidents as ammunition for {{Fan Hater}}s of the series to blanket-accuse the rest of the fandom of being venomous {{Soapbox Sadie}}s and bullies, yet...
* When a cave diver named Vern Unsworth, involved in the effort to rescue a group of Thai boys trapped in a cave, told Elon Musk his plan for using a submersible wouldn't work, Musk infamously called Unsworth "pedo guy" on Twitter, with nothing to back it up. It backfired on Musk; he was widely mocked, and Unsworth later sued.

* In ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', Gaston doesn't believe that the Beast even exists. When Belle proves him wrong, he changes his position to accusing him of eating children - never mind that the Beast has been around for a long time and the only person who had been missing was Belle herself! Or that the villagers believed Gaston over Belle despite that Gaston was proven wrong immediately beforehand.

** Of course, this also works on the opposite side of the spectrum. Rather than calling the accused an "ism", instead they'd call them an "SJW" -- the type ofcondescending person that talks over marginalized groups and [[TheHorseshoeEffect accuses everyone else of doing so]]. Take the ''Steven Universe'' fanart discourse for example: the argument was over weight rather than skin color, and the suicide attempt turned out to be unrelated to the discourse at all. The user even mentioned that they didn't want anyone to use the two incidents as ammunition for {{Fan Hater}}s of the series to blanket-accuse the rest of the fandom of being venomous {{Soapbox Sadie}}s and bullies, yet...

** Of course, this also works on the opposite side of the spectrum. Rather than calling the accused an "ism", instead they'd call them an "SJW" -- the type ofcondescending person that talks over marginalized groups and [[TheHorsehoeEffect accuses everyone else of doing so]]. Take the ''Steven Universe'' fanart discourse for example: the argument was over weight rather than skin color, and the suicide attempt turned out to be unrelated to the discourse at all. The user even mentioned that they didn't want anyone to use the two incidents as ammunition for {{Fan Hater}}s of the series to blanket-accuse the rest of the fandom of being venomous {{Soapbox Sadie}}s and bullies, yet...

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "The Wacky Molestation Adventure", Kyle is furious at his parents for not letting him go to a ''Raging Pussies'' concert despite him fulfilling a ridiculously difficult task they had assumed he wouldnt be able to (get Fidel Castro to abandon communism). Cartman tells him to just call the police and tell them his parents had been molesting him, even though none of the boys know what molestation is and treat it like a magic spell. Sure enough, the cops haul the Brofloski's away with no proof whatsoever, and social services dont even bother to check that anyone else looks after the kids, and Kyle relishes in his newfound freedom. Soon, all the kids begin accusing their families and teachers of molestation, and shortly after, the entire town is left to the kids.

* WAY too common in social media due to {{GIFT}}. One user has a grudge against another; maybe a political opinion, maybe they [[{{Shipping}} ship a pairing]] the accusing party finds distasteful, maybe they drew a character in fanart the "wrong way". Cue the grudge holder laying into the object of their grudge with accusations of every "-ism" and "phobia" in the book, [[MortonsFork especially phrased in a way the accused can't debate without it being "proven" true]]. A particular incident of this came about on Website/{{Tumblr}} due to a disagreement over WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse fan art, and ended with the artist attempting suicide.

Accusing someone of being some kind of [[YouMonster monstrous predator]]--sexual or otherwise--can be a really efficient weapon. It can make people hate the accusee, maybe even [[InternalizedCategorism get them to hate themself]]. Or, simply use it as a particularly nasty ChewbaccaDefense to shut him up. In some cases, it may [[InsultBackfire backfire]] if the accusee decided to [[ThenLetMeBeEvil become what he was accused for]] and [[TheDogBitesBack bites back the others]].

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_libel Blood libel]] is the term for the practice of accusing social, ethnic, or religious groups of ritualistic crimes such as cannibalism, human sacrifice, or the poisoning of wells.
* When someone is accused of [[{{Paedohunt}} being a pedo]] or a rapist, they will usually be ConvictedByPublicOpinion and become a pariah for the rest of their lives ([[DoubleStandard particularly if they're a man]]). And if they're tried and found not guilty, they've got a high chance of being despised even ''more'', because now they're considered a KarmaHoudini.
** Inversely, if a woman accuses a man of rape and cannot prove that he did it (and proving that right or wrong is almost impossible, as there are usually no witnesses) she is branded a false accuser and hated by the general public. There's some overlap with SlutShaming, as a woman's previous sexual experience is typically used against her, to "prove" that she must by default have consented because, hey, she had sex before.

* ''Film/TheWizard'' features a trio of children who basically run away from home so that one of them can join a video game tournament on the other side of the country. They're chased by a [[NonGivingUpSchoolGuy truant officer]] [[DesignatedVillain with shades of bounty hunter]]. When he finally corners them, the girl of the trio shouts out "HE TOUCHED MY BREAST!" It's PlayedForLaughs, but then the FridgeHorror hits for what this will probably do to the man for the rest of his life, [[HeroAntagonist just for doing his job]] and unintentionally looking a little creepy while doing it.
** While he does get roughed up by a group of bystanders, a random accusation with no follow-up doesn't stand up in a court of law. We see him later on, alive and free (albeit with a black eye).
* Played for laughs in ''Lost And Found'', when a bratty kid decides to get revenge on the {{Jerkass}} man who pushed in front of him on the way to the bathroom. The man comes out of the restroom to find the cops waiting for him and the boy accusing him of molestation.

* When someone is accused of [[{{Paedohunt}} being a pedo]], they will usually be ConvictedByPublicOpinion and become a pariah for the rest of their lives ([[DoubleStandard particularly if they're a man]]). And if they're found not guilty, they've got a high chance of being despised even ''more'', because now they're considered a KarmaHoudini.
* If a woman accuses a man of rape and cannot prove that he did it (and proving that is almost impossible, [[HeSaidSheSaid as there are usually no witnesses]]) she is branded a false accuser and hated by the general public, while the accused gets to be "innocent until proven guilty". There's some overlap with SlutShaming, as a woman's previous sexual experience is typically used against her, to "prove" that she must by default have consented because, hey, she had sex before. Of course, the reverse can happen, where the man is treated about like someone who is labeled a pedophile as above.
** Inversely, if a woman ''falsely'' accuses a man of rape (either mistaking him for the real rapist or doing it for an alternate agenda), then people might knee-jerk believe her over him under the assumption that only men are capable of rape. If he is found innocent, then he is publicly perceived as a KarmaHoudini.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* To get a bit more specific, there was a pedophile in YMCA Camp Kenan a few decades ago. Attendance dropped like a stone.

** Category 9 laws basically enforce an inversion: the man was accused of rape, therefore he must have because who would lie about that and how dare he try to defend himself instead of immediately commit seppuku. [[SarcasmMode Thanks, feminism.]]

* ''TheWizard'' features a trio of children who basically run away from home so that one of them can join a video game tournament on the other side of the country. They're chased by a [[NonGivingUpSchoolGuy truant officer]] [[DesignatedVillain with shades of bounty hunter]]. When he finally corners them, the girl of the trio shouts out "HE TOUCHED MY BREAST!" It's PlayedForLaughs, but then the FridgeHorror hits for what this will probably do to the man for the rest of his life, [[HeroAntagonist just for doing his job]] and unintentionally looking a little creepy while doing it.