History Main / CaptainObviousAesop

* "[[AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog If you think it's cool to climb in a dryer, you're]] '''''[[AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog really]]''''' [[AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog all wet!]]"

** Which reveals Wanloo didn't read up on why Spurlock did it in the first place - it was a response to/protest against the infamous ''McLibel'' case, where two British protesters were successfully sued for libel (and several media outlets were threatened with similar suits if they didn't retract their stories). The judge ruled that they had not proved every one of their criticisms to be true, in particular "if one eats enough McDonald's food, one's diet may well become high in fat etc., with the very real risk of heart disease." Spurlock's experiment made the same point that was made by the protesters in the UK - but it was done in the US, where it is much harder to win a libel case, and as such there was nothing McDonald's could do to stop him.

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* A lot of Oscar Bait films fall prey to this; after all, there's nothing daring about pointing out that the Holocaust was bad.

-->'''Johnny:''' If a lot of people loved each other, the world would be a better place to live.

-->'''Johnny:''' If a lot people loved each other, the world would be a better place to live.

** Which reveals Wanloo didn't read up on why Spurlock did it in the first place - it was a response to/protest against the infamous ''McLibel'' case, where two British protesters were successfully sued for libel (and several media outlets were threatened with similar suits if they didn't retract their stories) for stating the truth thanks to the fact that in UK law, the truth is not an absolute defense against libel. Spurlock's experiment made the same point that was made by the protesters in the UK - but it was done in the US, where truth ''is'' an absolute defense, and as such there was nothing McDonald's could do to stop him.

** Which reveals Wanloo didn't read up on why Spurlock did it in the first place - it was a response to/protest against the infamous ''McLibel'' case, where two British protesters were successfully sued for libel for stating the truth thanks to the fact that in UK law, the truth is not an absolute defense against libel. Spurlock's experiment made the same point that was made by the protesters in the UK - but it was done in the US, where truth ''is'' an absolute defense, and as such there was nothing McDonald's could do to stop him.

** Which reveals WAnloo didn't read up on why Spurlock did it in the first place - it was a response to/protest against the infamous ''McLibel'' case, where two British protesters were successfully sued for libel for stating the truth thanks to the fact that in UK law, the truth is not an absolute defense against libel. Spurlock's experiment made the same point that was made by the protesters in the UK - but it was done in the US, where truth ''is'' an absolute defense, and as such there was nothing McDonald's could do to stop him.

* OscarBait WorldWarII movies inform us about the fact that Nazism is bad. This includes ''{{Casablanca}}''.

This is a trope for when characters are treated as brave revolutionaries by the other characters in the work for stating the obvious: that Eyepatch Q. Blackheart is a bad man, that the Nazis were evil, that cancer is bad, etc. Can also apply to situations or things instead of people.

** {{Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped}}:
--->"Restraint? Why are you so concerned with saving their lives? The whole idea is to kill the bastards. At the end of the war, if there are two Americans and one Russian, we win."
--->-- '''General Thomas S. Power''', Commander of the U.S. Strategic Air Command (1957-1964)

* ''HighSchoolMusical'' tells us that [[BeYourself being yourself is good]] and cliques and bullying are bad. [[SarcasmMode Thanks HSM, I'd never seen it that way before]].

** In fairness, Spurlock was trying to get a rise out of [=McDonald's=]. By all accounts, it worked; they stopped offering to supersize things.

** Also, the BlackAndWhiteMorality of all Nazis being 100% evil is averted with a heartwarming speech by a Nazi general near the end.
*** To [[YourMileageMayVary this troper]] he looks more like an old-school Prussian general than like a Nazi one. At least, IIRC, he wears an uniform of the Wehrmacht and not of the SS.
** Played straight (and DoneWell) when they find an nazi [[MoralEventHorizon death camp]]. Which serves as a sharp reminder that despite their many personal losses that there ''are'' some things worth fighting for.

* The quote at the top of this page derives from the novel ''The Better Part of Valor''. It begins with the main character recounting the story of how she managed to get herself into such a bad position with the brass. The trope is not played entirely straight as her friends are morbidly fascinated that she actually thought this moral required contemplation.
** Seriously? It sounded like a SpoofAesop to me.

** And yet BP keeps going on doing it.
*** But not because they don't think that spilling oil is bad. It's just that they have not been sufficiently convinced that "being careful with potentially hazardous substances is good".

** Played straight (and DoneWell) when they find an nazi [[MoralEventHorizon death camp]]. Which serves as a sharp reminder that despite their many personal losses that there ''is'' some things worth fighting for.

*** But not because they don't think that spilling oil is bad. It's just that they have been sufficiently convinced that "being careful with potentially hazardous substances is good".

* Morgan Spurlock's experiment in ''SuperSizeMe'' demonstrates that... fast food isn't good for your health.

*** To [[YourMileageMayVary this troper]] he looks more like an old-school Prussian general that like a Nazi one. At least, IIRC, he wears an uniform of the Wehrmacht and not of the SS.

-> ''"And the moral of the story is to never call your commanding officer a bastard to his face."''
-->--'''Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr''', ''prior to her assignment to a [[strike: suicide]] research mission,'' The Better Part of Valor

-> ''"You have to admire the people who sing [protest] songs, it takes a certain amount of courage to get up ... and come out in favor of the things everyone else in the audience is against. Like peace and justice and brotherhood and so on.''"
-->--'''TomLehrer,''' Folk Song Army

Obviously there's TruthInTelevision here. ValuesDissonance can sometimes result in this, if the Aesop really ''was'' revolutionary and controversial for its time/place.

Compare {{Anvilicious}}, AndThatsTerrible, StockAesops, and DrugsAreBad. Contrast FamilyUnfriendlyAesop and SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped.

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* Morgan Spurlock's experiment in ''SuperSizeMe'' demonstrates that...fast food isn't good for your health.

** Mocked in {{Band Of Brothers}} (of all places), when a new recruit is troubled by reports of Nazi atrocities:
---> '''George Luz:''' Turns out the Nazis... are ''bad''. [acts astonished]

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--> ''We are the folk song army''
--> ''Everyone of us cares''
--> ''We all hate poverty, war and injustice''
--> ''Unlike [[TakeThat the rest]] [[YouSuck of you squares]]''

** SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped:

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* Parodied on {{Family Guy}} when Congressman finally realize smoking is bad.
-->'''Congressman''': Smoking is a horrible vice! It shortens life expectancy and pollutes our air. And according to recent polls, air is good!

* Morgan Spurlock's experiment in ''Super Size Me'' demonstrates that.... fast food isn't good for your health.
* Oscar bait WW2 movies inform us about the fact that Nazism is bad.

*Morgan Spurlock's experiment in Super Size Me proves that.... fast food isn't good for your health.