History Main / CulturalRebel

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Jorah is one of the few Northmen to be an anointed knight (a calling associated with the Faith of the Seven and would require Jorah to convert from the Old Gods to the Faith of the Seven). As a result of his exile and travels, Jorah has become the most widely traveled and cosmopolitan Westerosi of his generation, despite the fact that he originated from the most insular and isolated part of the Seven Kingdoms. This is given a {{lampshade}} by his nickname "Jorah the Andal" despite the fact that he's of the First Men.

* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': The comic is set in an AfterTheEnd world in which TheMagicCameBack. Its version of Finland is known for harboring poorly educated people, but also plenty of mages. Tuuri, one of the two Finns in the main MultinationalTeam, is an academic who speaks three languages and a non-mage. The other Finn, Lalli, actually is a poorly eductated mage, to the point that he needs Tuuri as a TranslatorBuddy because he only sepaks his native language.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge2'': Varric Tethras is a surface dwarf who is part of the Dwarven Merchant's Guild and is [[LikeGoesWithLike only attracted to other dwarves]]... and that's it. Otherwise, he fully embraces Andrastian human surface life; much to the chagrin of his [[TheExile exiled]] but [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy proud traditional dwarven parents and older brother]]. His greatest fear is even "turn[ing] out like his parents."

* There are quite some famous white jazz musicians who managed to gain respectability in a genre that is predominantly black: Bix Beiderbecke, Chet Baker, Music/DjangoReinhardt, Toots Thielemans, Music/BennyGoodman, Music/GlennMiller, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw. Then again, many of these musicians were Jewish (or, in Reinhardt's case, a Gypsy) during the height of the Nazi racial mythology, so they may have felt more black than white in the first place. Indeed, at that time many ethnic whites - even affluent ones - identified with blacks even at the very moment when (in America at least) they were becoming "white."

* J from ''I Am J'' bemoans about himself because he spent a day hanging at Starbucks "despite" being Puerto Rican. He keeps on doing it.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': Creator/BioWare is ''in love'' with this trope; mostly for non-human companions.
** ''VideoGame/DragonAge2'': Varric Tethras is a surface dwarf who is part of the Dwarven Merchant's Guild and is [[LikeGoesWithLike only attracted to other dwarves]]... and that's it. Otherwise, he fully embraces Andrastian human surface life; much to the chagrin of his [[TheExile exiled]] but [[ImpoverishedPatricians proud traditional dwarven parents]] and [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy older brother]]. His greatest fear is even "turn[ing] out like his parents."
** ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'': Sera ''prides'' herself on not being like [[EnslavedElves other elves]], and often boasts of how she's "just people," and how all her beliefs and interests lie with the majority Andrastian human commoner culture. (It ties back to her InternalizedCategorism.)

Basically, as much as many of us may argue that we are all individuals and have a right to our own preferences, there are still preferences that are stereotypically expected of us. As such, people who deviate from those expectations may face opposition (or, at least, odd looks) from other people � be it from people of their own cultural group or from outsiders. They may even be accused of [[CategoryTraitor cultural self-hatred]], even if they have nothing against their cultural heritage, but see no reason why they should be limited to preferences within their own culture.

** Another example in the Literature/{{Discworld}} is Hwel, a dwarf {{expy}} of Creator/{{William Shakespeare}}, appearing in the ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'' and ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'' "who�d been banished from his tribe years ago, not only because of his claustrophobia but also because he had a tendency to daydream."

Basically, as much as many of us may argue that we are all individuals and have a right to our own preferences, there are still preferences that are stereotypically expected of us. As such, people who deviate from those expectations may face opposition (or, at least, odd looks) from other people — be it from people of their own cultural group or from outsiders. They may even be accused of [[CategoryTraitor cultural self-hatred]], even if they have nothing against their cultural heritage, but see no reason why they should be limited to preferences within their own culture.

This prejudice probably reaches its nadir where race and ethnicity are involved, as if people who look different are not only from different cultures but are of different ''species'', and trying to pass from one group to another is seen as ridiculous. It gets even worse once you factor in religion. Since the stereotypical Christian is white or black, the stereotypical Muslim is Middle Eastern, and the stereotypical Buddhist is East Asian, say, a black person who wants to become a Buddhist or an East Asian who wants to be a Muslim will frequently be regarded as a freak -- even though Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are all supposed to be universal religions, and seek converts from all the countries of the world.

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* In ''ComicBook/TheInvisibles'', Dane (a white English teenage guy) is a big fan of GangstaRap, and he asks Boy (a young African-American woman) whether she likes it. She says it's okay, but she prefers European techno. Later, we find out that her brother was an actual gangsta rapper.

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* Holden of ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'', who makes a point of hating everything his peers love.

** Another example in the Literature/{{Discworld}} is Hwel, a dwarf {{expy}} of Creator/{{William Shakespeare}}, appearing in the ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'' and ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'' "who’d been banished from his tribe years ago, not only because of his claustrophobia but also because he had a tendency to daydream."

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* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':

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* Many German metal bands formed out of a desire to make their country known for something apart from Schlager and Europop. They wanted to make it distinctive, and as a result German metal is heavier and scarier than anything else until Black Metal from Norway became famous a few years later. Now, of course, German metal has itself become a cliché.

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* Holden of ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye''.

* DeathByAdaptation: The 2007 film kills off George Emerson in the epilogue.

A black person who loves ClassicalMusic and hates RAndB? An Italian person who likes Mexican food just a little more than Italian food, even though he has not a drop of Mexican blood in him? A lifelong resident of Nashville who hates {{country music}}, preferring {{heavy metal}} -- or, alternatively, {{Blues}} and {{Soul}}? A middle-aged adult who likes modern rock as well as classic rock? An American with a penchant for Canadian rock music? A blond teen girl who gets down with {{death metal}} and {{gangsta rap}}? Yes, all of these - and so much more.

This prejudice probably reaches its nadir where race and ethnicity are involved, as if people who look different are not only from different cultures but are of different ''species'', and trying to pass from one group to another is seen as ridiculous. It gets even worse once you factor in religion. Since the stereotypical Christian is white or black, the stereotypical Muslim is Middle Eastern, and the stereotypical Buddhist is East Asian, say, a black person who wants to become a Buddhist or an East Asian who wants to be a Muslim will frequently be regarded as a freak - even though Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are all supposed to be universal religions, and seek converts from all the countries of the world.

Perhaps, this character may not even start out as a rebel -- but becomes rebellious only after repeated snide remarks about his preferences. He may then [[DefectorFromDecadence run off to join the other side]] - but if he is rejected there, too, the PretenderDiss is most likely at work.

What's interesting is [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority how often characters like this are often the protagonists in stories]] - but what's even more interesting is that they're often portrayed as heroic not because of their rugged individualism, but because of all the adversity they face for daring to be different. Sometimes this is a genuine plea for tolerance on the part of the author(s), but at other times it is actually a coded defense of the status quo: a sneaky way of suggesting that the hero faces this adversity not because of society's prejudices, but because people who act differently are, well, [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong kind of misguided]], if not outright freakish. In stories featuring an ActionGirl, for example, the implication is sometimes that it's okay for ''this'' female to be the way she is because she's...[[CondescendingCompassion different, and just can't mesh with the other, "normal" females]], [[StayInTheKitchen who are expected to know their place]]. (Compare YouAreACreditToYourRace, where a character is "praised" for being so much "better" than the rest of their kind, and thus the exception.)

--> "I was born a poor black child...then one day I heard my first Mantovani record, and realized - ''these'' are my people!"

What's interesting is [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority how often characters like this are often the protagonists in stories]] - but what's even more interesting is that they're often portrayed as heroic not because of their rugged individualism, but because of all the adversity they face for daring to be different. Sometimes this is a genuine plea for tolerance on the part of the author(s), but at other times it is actually [[ReactionaryFantasy a coded defense of the status quo]]: a sneaky way of suggesting that the hero faces this adversity not because of society's prejudices, but because people who act differently are, well, [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong kind of misguided]], if not outright freakish. In stories featuring an ActionGirl, for example, the implication is sometimes that it's okay for ''this'' female to be the way she is because she's...[[CondescendingCompassion different, and just can't mesh with the other, "normal" females]], [[StayInTheKitchen who are expected to know their place]]. (Compare YouAreACreditToYourRace, where a character is "praised" for being so much "better" than the rest of their kind, and thus the exception.)

* Music/SineadOConnor, while her musical genre has always been strictly pop, has been the subject of controversy with her [[BaldWoman baldness]] -- and she steadfastly refuses to let negative public opinion influence her decision. She also often goes against the traditionalist attitudes of Catholicism, the dominant religion of her home country. Most famously, she ripped up a photo of The Pope on a live TV broadcast in protest of the sexual abuse that goes on within the Church.
* Living Colour aren't really this trope because they are funky hard rock, but are commonly called metal. On the other hand, they ''are'' black and have not chosen rap or soul as their medium of expression, so they still count. And if you never saw them, you might assume they were just another '80s [[HairMetal hair band]].

* Music/SineadOConnor, while her musical genre has always been strictly pop, has been the subject of controversy with her [[BaldWoman baldness]] -- and she steadfastly refuses to let negative public opinion influence her decision.