History Main / CallItKarma

* One episode of ''Series/TheAmazingRace'' had a contestant explaining Call It Karma to a cabdriver in Cambodia, who was probably laughing inside when comparing it with the real concept of Karma that he was probably raised with.
** ''Series/TheAmazingRace'' runs on Call It Karma. In Season 15, one racer even stated his opinion that the race is a game of who can collect the most Karma Points

* The ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' card [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=49011 Karma]]. The flavor appears to be that because your enemy draws dark power from the swamp, they are cursed to be strangled to death by branches in the swamp. Which is less karma and more JackassGenie.

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* The ''MagicTheGathering'' card [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=49011 Karma]]. The flavor appears to be that because your enemy draws dark power from the swamp, they are cursed to be strangled to death by branches in the swamp. Which is less karma and more JackassGenie.

To illustrate, CallItKarma will have a beautifully poetic ironic death where a killer dies at the hands of a "victim" wielding his own knife... while capital K {{Karma}} would have him look around and notice that the [[MoralityPet few]] things he cared about have been destroyed by his own actions, both directly and indirectly, ala classic Greek {{Tragedy}}. Therein lies the problem, the former is easier to be inserted in a narrative, but the latter needs longer narratives for it to be pulled off (thus taking time). For examples of the latter, see PyrrhicVillainy.

On [[RepeatedlyUsedOnThisVeryWiki this very wiki]], the term "karma" is used for several tropes of this nature:

* The TropeNamer is ''Film/{{Ghostbusters}}'', where Peter Venkman is saying these 3 words when he, Ray, and Egon are booted out of Weaver Hall after the dean claims that their research is nonsensical.

* One episode of ''Series/TheAmazingRace'' had a contestant explaining CallItKarma to a cabdriver in Cambodia, who was probably laughing inside when comparing it with the real concept of Karma that he was probably raised with.
** ''Series/TheAmazingRace'' runs on CallItKarma. In Season 15, one racer even stated his opinion that the race is a game of who can collect the most Karma Points

* One episode of ''TheAmazingRace'' had a contestant explaining CallItKarma to a cabdriver in Cambodia, who was probably laughing inside when comparing it with the real concept of Karma that he was probably raised with.
** ''TheAmazingRace'' runs on CallItKarma. In Season 15, one racer even stated his opinion that the race is a game of who can collect the most Karma Points

More generally, much like a sufficiently clever IceCreamKoan can seem like a perfectly executed {{Koan}}, the use of the word "karma" to describe something that isn't really karma as understood by spiritual teachings outside a work can look and seem like actual in-universe {{Karma}}, especially if done subtly rather than {{Anvilicious}}ly. While this may sometimes be a case of oversimplification because ViewersAreMorons or the author simply DidNotDoTheResearch, it can also be the result of the author looking for a term to borrow to use for their own concept, much as the authors of this site, seeing phenomena in fiction, seek to provide a terminology for it.

* The TropeNamer is ''{{Ghostbusters}}'', where Peter Venkman is saying these 3 words when he, Ray, and Egon are booted out of Weaver Hall after the dean claims that their research is nonsensical.

Originally, the term ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma Karma]]'' was a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit Sanskrit]] word for a rather specific spiritual concept, but over the centuries the word has been borrowed by countless languages, cultures, subcultures, religions, works of fiction, and even video games. Over time the word has [[{{flanderized}} evolved]] to such an extent that many who consider it to be part of their everyday vocabulary are unfamiliar with its original definition. In everyday terms, Karma has often been simplified as a direct cause-effect {{equivalent exchange}} reaction to a characters actions, both good and bad.

* KarmicTransformation: Detesting a group or species means you will turn into one of them.

[[AC: Film]]

* ''MyNameIsEarl'' is all about Karma, a concept developed by ''Carson Daly'', where every action is dictated by Karma which provides instant gratification to good deeds and equally opposite effects.
** Lampshaded in "The Professor", where the titular college professor briefly explains ''genuine'' Karma to Earl, before admitting that she prefers his version.

* ''{{DDG}}'' has Off World, which is where you go to work off Karmic debt if you weren't outright good or bad enough for heaven or hell.
* In ''TheAdventuresOfShanShan'', [[http://shanshan.upperrealms.com/view.php?pageid=037&chapterid=1 they speak of the balance between virtue and karma.]]
* In ''OrderOfTheStick'', [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0848.html in a discussion of a death, and a scolding.]]

* Lampshaded in one episode of ''TheSimpsons''. After Homer causes Apu to be fired from the Kwik-E-Mart for selling tainted meat, Apu goes to his house. Initially Homer thinks he's there to sell something, but Apu replies that the only thing he's selling is "karmic realignment".
-->'''Homer''': [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "You can't sell that! Karma can only be portioned out by the cosmos!"]] ''[slams the door]''
--><[[BeatPanel beat]]>
-->'''Apu''': "He's got me there."

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]

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<<|ReligionTropes|>>

* KarmaHoudini: An evil character shrugs off any bad karma he has and gets away mostly scott free with all the bastardly deeds he's done.

* SexualKarma: When being good gets you goodies, and being bad gets you... [[RapeAsComedy boned.]]

''This trope covers cases where the word or concept of "karma" is used "incorrectly" compared to the original meaning of the term; see {{Karma}} for the more traditional religious use of the term. Frequently paired with {{Reincarnation}}.''

To illustrate, CallItKarma will have a beautifully poetic ironic death where a killer dies at the hands of a "victim" wielding his own knife... while capital K {{Karma}} would have him look around and notice that the [[MoralityPet few]] things he cared about have been destroyed by his own actions, both directly and indirectly, ala classic Greek {{Tragedy}}. Therein lies the problem, the former lends itself well to a narrative, but the latter is much harder to pull off in a limited timeframe that the audience can appreciate. For examples of the latter, see PyrrhicVillainy.

Originally, the term ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma Karma]]'' was a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrit Sanskrit]] word for a rather specific spiritual concept, but over the centuries the word has been borrowed by countless languages, cultures, subcultures, religions, works of fiction, and even video games. Over time the word has [[{{flanderized}} evolved]] to such an extent that many who consider it to be part of their everyday vocabulary are unfamiliar with its original definition.

Over time, Karma has often been misinterpreted as a direct cause-effect reaction to a characters actions, both good and bad. More generally, much like a sufficiently clever IceCreamKoan can seem like a perfectly executed {{Koan}}, the use of the word "karma" to describe something that isn't really karma as understood by spiritual teachings outside a work can look and seem like actual in-universe {{Karma}}, especially if done subtly rather than {{Anvilicious}}ly. While this may sometimes be a case of oversimplification because ViewersAreMorons or the author simply DidNotDoTheResearch, it can also be the result of the author looking for a term to borrow to use for their own concept, much as the authors of this site, seeing phenomena in fiction, seek to provide a terminology for it.

To illustrate, CallItKarma will have a beautifully poetic ironic death where a killer dies at the hands of a "victim" wielding his own knife... while capital K {{Karma}} would have him look around and notice that the [[MoralityPet few]] things he cared about have been destroyed by his own actions, both directly and indirectly, or, even more strictly, that he's now died and come back as a rock rather than a person. Therein lies the problem, the former lends itself well to a narrative, but the latter is much harder to pull off in a limited timeframe that the audience can appreciate. For examples of the latter, see PyrrhicVillainy.

* The TropeNamer is ''{{Ghostbusters}}'' has Peter Venkman saying these 3 words when he, Ray, and Egon are booted out of Weaver Hall after the dean claims that their research is nonsensical.

{{Karma}} is a complex spiritual concept whose [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma disambiguation]] is perhaps best left not to TVTropes or ThatOtherWiki, but to actual religious study.

This trope covers cases where the word, or concept of, "karma", is used "incorrectly" per its "original" meaning. For the more traditional religious use of the term, see "{{karma}}''. Frequently paired with {{Reincarnation}}.

* KarmaHoudini: An evil character shrugs off any bad karma he has and gets away mostly scott free with all the bastardly deeds he's done

To illustrate, CallItKarma will have a beautifully poetic ironic death where a killer dies at the hands of a "victim" wielding his own knife... while capital K {{Karma}} would have him look around and notice that the [[MoralityPet few]] things he cared about have been destroyed by his own actions, both directly and indirectly, or, even more strictly, that he's now died and come back as a rock rather than a person. Therein lies the problem, the former lends itself well to a narrative, but the latter is much harder to pull off in a limited timeframe that the audience can appreciate.