History Main / AggressiveCategorism

*** This is actually ''true'', but Goku hit his head on a rock as as small child, altering his personality just enough to lose the bloodthirstiness but keeping the love of fighting.

* Played for laughs in an episode of ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': Marshall's father needs an umbrella and suggests they ask Marshall's across-the-hall neighbors for one, because Koreans are always a well-prepared group. The punchline is that he's *right*: the neighbors do have an umbrella he can borrow.

-->-- Moe Syzlack, ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when Mr. Burns wants to join the bowling team

Bob knows that Alice is stupid: She's a woman, and women are stupid - never mind that Alice has a [=PhD=] and an IQ of 150, she's still a woman... and women are stupid, thus Alice is stupid. If Bob finally accepts that Alice is indeed smart, he might resort to [[NoTrueScotsman claiming that she is not]] ''[[NoTrueScotsman really]]'' [[NoTrueScotsman a woman]]. Bonus points if Bob uses Alice [[LogicBomb not being stupid as an example of the principle that women are stupid]] — either because [[NoTrueScotsman she's too smart to be a real woman,]] or as [[InsaneTrollLogic "the exception that verifies the rule".]] Also bonus points if "Alice" isn't even a woman, and Bob [[StrawAffiliation simply assumed a neutral Internet nickname to be female because he thinks the person is stupid]]. Alternatively, Alice actually does something stupid one single time — and Bob draws the conclusion that she is (and all other women are) ''always'' stupid.

Sometimes combined with StrawAffiliation to make it extra insane: If you have Trait X you belong to group Y, and everyone in group Y are Z. For example, if you are a man who has long hair, you obviously turn over gravestones and nail live kittens to church doors. Because men with long hair are satanists, and satanists do that kind of stuff. Compare NonsenseClassification and InsaneTrollLogic. When used by characters rather than the narrative itself, tropes such as DepravedHomosexual, BondageIsBad, and AllGaysArePedophiles are often played as aggressive categorism. With the first two tropes, this come in the form of reducing people to their sexuality and reducing the sexuality to the sex. With the last two tropes, it comes in the form of deciding that everyone who have a certain quality X also has the unrelated quality Y[[note]]For example, in the case of AllGaysArePedophiles, homosexuality is the X quality, while pedophilia is the unrelated-but-bundled-together quality Y[[/note]]. This line of thinking easily leads to an AbominationAccusationAttack. When the aggressive categorism grows into being mentally unhealthy, it often takes the form of [[CategorismAsAPhobia a phobia]] or a tendency to [[BlackAndWhiteInsanity see everything in black and white]].

Often done by the RacistGrandma, the HeManWomanHater, the female character who DoesNotLikeMen, the StrawFeminist, the WindmillCrusader, the StrawLoser, or the NobleBigot, and is often used to highlight how shallow the character's thinking is. This is often PlayedForLaughs at the character's expense or as a joke in its own right. Rarely done by more nuanced and PlayedForDrama characters, such as the TroubledSympatheticBigot. May lead to IrrationalHatred. Note that "ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld" is usually ''not'' this: Even when it's not a joke or metaphor, it's usually restricted to one parameter.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': Jonathan Kent is firmly convinced that ''all'' Kryptonians are evil by nature. When Martha points out that [[InterspeciesAdoption their son]] is a Kryptonian himself, Jonathan simply replies that Clark is the exception because he was RaisedByHumans and with human values.

Often done by RacistGrandma, HeManWomanHater, DoesNotLikeMen, StrawFeminist, WindmillCrusader, StrawLoser, or NobleBigot, and often used to highlight how shallow the character's thinking is. This is often PlayedForLaughs at the character's expense or as a joke in its own right. Rarely done by more nuanced and PlayedForDrama characters, such as TroubledSympatheticBigot. May lead to IrrationalHatred. Note that "ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld" is usually ''not'' this: Even when it's not a joke or metaphor, it's usually restricted to one parameter.

** If a female Warden recruits Sten in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', a conversation will eventually ensue where he states that he doesn't believe you're a woman, because Qunari women cannot be warriors. Despite the deep cultural divide, you can eventually make him respect the Warden as a warrior. In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' The Iron Bull states that even though he's lived among non-Qunari long enough that the culture shock is less severe than Sten's he still mentally categorizes female fighters like Cassandra as men in his mind. He also states that Qunari women ''can'' in fact be warriors if the show particular talent in that area -- they just [[LoopholeAbuse get treated like men]] for all intents and purposes. This also means that they're very accepting of transgender people, because as they see it if someone's living life as a particular gender then they are that gender, biology be damned.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

[[quoteright:182:[[Webcomic/{{XKCD}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/doublestandard_630.png]]]]

* [[TokenEvilTeammate Cartman]] from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' does this with just about any kind of minority, often in utterly bizarre ways ("[[RedHeadedStepChild gingers]] [[MemeticMutation have no souls]]," for example). However, sometimes he's portrayed as [[RuleOfFunny actually being right]] about some things, to the perpetrators' [[StopBeingStereotypical own annoyance]] (e.g. Token's ability to play bass, and Kyle carrying "Jew-Gold" around his neck).

Bob knows that Alice is stupid: She's a woman, and women are stupid - never mind that Alice has a [=PhD=] and an IQ of 150, she's still a woman... and women are stupid, thus Alice is stupid. If Bob finally accepts that Alice is indeed smart, he might resort to [[NoTrueScotsman claiming that she is not]] ''[[NoTrueScotsman really]]'' [[NoTrueScotsman a woman]]. Bonus points if Bob uses Alice [[LogicBomb not being stupid as an example of the principle that women are stupid]] - either because [[NoTrueScotsman she's too smart to be a real woman,]] or as [[InsaneTrollLogic "the exception that verifies the rule".]] Also bonus points if "Alice" isn't even a woman, and Bob [[StrawAffiliation simply assumed a neutral Internet nickname to be female because he thinks the person is stupid]]. Alternatively, Alice actually does something stupid one single time - and Bob draws the conclusion that she is (and all other women are) ''always'' stupid.

This trope can come into play in two ways: Either ''establishing'' or ''upholding''. The first is often in the form of making a raging overgeneralization about a group - one that cannot possibly be true in all cases, and is often so outrageous that it might even be hard to find a valid example. The second is upholding the prejudice in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, often with the help of TheoryTunnelVision, InsaneTrollLogic, and/or IRejectYourReality.

Often done by RacistGrandma, HeManWomanHater, WindmillCrusader, StrawLoser, or NobleBigot, and often used to highlight how shallow the character's thinking is. This is often PlayedForLaughs at the character's expense or as a joke in its own right. Rarely done by more nuanced and PlayedForDrama characters, such as TroubledSympatheticBigot. May lead to IrrationalHatred. Note that "ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld" is usually ''not'' this: Even when it's not a joke or metaphor, it's usually restricted to one parameter.

* ''Anime/CrossAnge'': In a world where mages are commoners, every muggle is treated ''worse'' than a witch; not only are muggles forced to a deserted island where they secretly fight an invasion force of alien dragons in highly unstable cool mecha with a disturbingly high death rate, but the friends and family who actually cared for them slowly erode in opinion until it's as if they hated their muggle companion all along. Including ''Ange's beloved little sister'' Slyphia. (In her possible defense it might have been [[CorruptTheCutie her older brother Julio]] convincing her Ange was to blame for the death of their parents.) Muggles are treated like devil spawn even if their behavior doesn't change or they show exceptional merit and mercy. [[spoiler:Though this is only partly their fault: it's revealed near the end that the mana they use is like meth, only it makes them obedient to an abusive thousand-year-old pervert]]. In response to this, said muggles have no qualms with opening fire on civilians for their past torments (said civilians usually shown having guns, and planning to use them first), but show mercy to traitors in their ranks for harsher war crimes.

* ''Anime/CrossAnge'': In a world where mages are commoners, every muggle is treated ''worse'' than a witch; not only are muggles forced to a deserted island where they secretly fight an invasion force of alien dragons in highly unstable cool mecha with a disturbingly high death rate, but the friends and family who actually cared for them slowly erode in opinion until it's as if they hated their muggle companion all along. Including ''Ange's beloved little sister''; [[Franchiuse/CodeGeass Princess Nunnally]] [[AvertedTrope that]] {{bitch|InSheepsClothing}} [[MisBlamed is]] [[NeverMyFault NOT]]. (In her possible defense it might have been [[CorruptTheCutie her older brother Julio]] convincing her Ange was to blame for the death of their parents.) Muggles are treated like devil spawn even if their behavior doesn't change or they show exceptional merit and mercy. [[spoiler:Though this is only partly their fault: it's revealed near the end that the mana they use is like meth, only it makes them obedient to an abusive thousand-year-old pervert]]. In response to this, said muggles have no qualms with opening fire on civilians for their past torments (said civilians usually shown having guns, and planning to use them first), but show mercy to traitors in their ranks for harsher war crimes.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': Jonathan Kent is firmly convinced that ''all'' Kryptonians are evil by nature. When Martha points out that [[InterspeciesAdoption their son]] is a Kryptonian himself, Jonathan simply replies that Clark is the exception because he was {{raised by humans}}.

* ''MadMagazine'' used to run a recurring feature called ''You can't win with a bigot'' which alternated examples of bigots contradicting themselves in ways that ensured their interpretation of events always conformed to their prejudices.

-->--Moe Syzlack, ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when Mr. Burns wants to join the bowling team

Bob knows that Alice is stupid: She's a woman, and women are stupid - never mind that Alice has a [=PhD=] and an IQ of 150, she's still a woman... and women are stupid, thus Alice is stupid. If Bob finally accepts that Alice is indeed smart, he might resort to [[NoTrueScotsman claiming that she is not "really" a woman]]. Bonus points if Bob uses Alice [[LogicBomb not being stupid as an example of the principle that women are stupid]] - either because [[NoTrueScotsman she's too smart to be a real woman,]] or as [[InsaneTrollLogic "the exception that verifies the rule".]] Also bonus points if "Alice" isn't even a woman, and Bob [[StrawAffiliation simply assumed a neutral Internet nickname to be female because he thinks the person is stupid]]. Alternatively, Alice actually does something stupid one single time - and Bob draws the conclusion that she is (and all other women are) ''always'' stupid.

** In general mages are looked down upon [[FantasticRacism even more than in the rest of Thedas]], being treated essentially as animals that need to be leashed like mad dogs. If a Mage Hawke in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' manages to win their respect then clearly they're not a mage, they're just a perfectly ordinary person who happens to have innate magical powers.