History Main / GuiltByAssociationGag

* ''TheDementedCartoonMovie'': "GAAAAAAH! Even when they fix the whole thing with the Zeeky Words, it still blew them up!"
* In TheNostalgiaChick's review of ''FreddyGotFingered'' (guest starring [[WebVideo/BrowsHeldHigh Oancitizen]]), the two ultimately decide that Canada must be punished for Tom Green. The episode ends with them beating up {{Phelous}} and Luke Mochrie.
-->"[[TakeThat This is for]] {{Nickelback}}!"

->(TheGrimReaper points at one of the platters on the table.)

->'''Lady Presenter''': (much later, as they're all being carried away to the afterlife) Hey, I didn't eat the mousse!

** Possibly inverted, as the friends posted bad things about Debbie, but it was steve who carried out the (Brutal retribution) on the girls. The friends were at fault for tricking him, but everyone was mad at Steve becuase he did those horrible things.

* This trope saved Broadway's life in the {{FiveEpisodePilot}} of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}''. Goliath catches some gargoyles arguing with friendly humans, and sends all three of them [[GoToYourRoom to the rookery]] (nursery, or more accurately the room where they keep the eggs), even though Broadway [[TheSnackIsMoreInteresting was just hanging out nearby, eating something]]. The next night, [[SleptThroughTheApocalypse the Trio emerges to find that Vikings sacked the castle during the day and smashed all the sleeping gargoyles above ground]], but [[InfantImmortality overlooked the rookery]].

* In TheNostalgiaChick's review of ''FreddyGotFingered'' (guest starring [[BrowsHeldHigh Oancitizen]]), the two ultimately decide that Canada must be punished for Tom Green. The episode ends with them beating up {{Phelous}} and Luke Mochrie.

[[folder:Web Animation]]

* Edd from ''EdEddNEddy'' doesn't deserve most of the crap he goes through even though most of the time he does nothing wrong, he gets beaten up on a fairly regular basis along with Ed and Eddy whom most of the stuff that happens is their faults, mostly Eddy though. This was Lampshaded on one occasion after beating up the Eds Sarah admits that Edd didn't deserve the beating but then she adds "Give those cute ones an inch, and they'll take a mile!"

* In ''{{Chicago}}'''s "Cell Block Tango," five of the six women insist their victims "had it coming" while not accepting responsibility. The sixth protests that she is innocent; unfortunately, in Hungarian. [[TearJerker She's the one who ends up being executed.]]

* The titular death scene from ''Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife''. It was, in a rare case for MontyPython, an ad-lib. What made that particular scene even funnier is that the character sounded more excited than anything, since they were in the middle of an intellectual debate about the afterlife when Death arrived.
** Another Monty Python example occurs in ''[[MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian Life of Brian]]'', during the crucifixion march scene. A kindly onlooker who tries to help a fallen prisoner by lifting his cross is marched off to the execution site by the guards after the prisoner ditches him and runs off into the crowd. This may be particularly savage TakeThat at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_of_Cyrene Simon of Cyrene]].

* The titular death scene from ''TheMeaningOfLife''. It was, in a rare case for MontyPython, an ad-lib. What made that particular scene even funnier is that the character sounded more excited than anything, since they were in the middle of an intellectual debate about the afterlife when Death arrived.

-->-- ''[[MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife Monty Python's The Meaning of Life]]''

* In that {{Eddie Izzard}} routine, the guy who accidentally asks for death instead of cake, even though he ''meant'' cake.

* The titular death scene from ''{{The Meaning of Life}}''. It was, in a rare case for MontyPython, an ad-lib. What made that particular scene even funnier is that the character sounded more excited than anything, since they were in the middle of an intellectual debate about the afterlife when Death arrived.

* ''{{Webcomic/Greg}}'' becomes the target of Ted's ex-girlfriend's homicidal rage as Ted manages to escape, leaving Greg to fend for himself. Although he has never met her, [[http://gregcomic.com/2011/07/15/guilt-by-association-part-2/ the guilt has already been transferred]].

** In the episode "Fear of a Bot Planet", Leela objects to being sentenced as a human by the human-hating robots because she is a one-eyed alien. (Although before going, {{the Professor}} ''did'' warn her that the robots are "not fans" of humanoid aliens.) Turned out much later that [[spoiler:she actually is human, albeit a mutant one.]]

->'''Geoffrey''': Dearest, you didn't use canned salmon, did you?

* ''MahouSenseiNegima'' has one of these during the "Kiss Negi" competition during the class trip. Nitta tells the students that anyone caught outside their hotel rooms will be forced to do the SeizaSquirm in the lobby all night. [[MetaGuy Chisame]] is roped into the competition by Ayaka, realizes early on the whole game is stupid, heads back to her room. And is caught by Nitta on the way. Eventually everybody else is caught too...along with Negi, who had absolutely nothing to do with it (but he was ''also'' outside of his room, for different reasons). [[FridgeLogic This makes even less sense when you consider that a teacher, 10 years old or not, really should be able to be out of his room]].

* A rare serious example: in ''{{Maus}}'', the punishment comes from the Nazis towards a prisoner who may or may not actually be the race they claim he is. Every day at lineup, he desperately insists that he was a German soldier who doesn't belong with "these Yids and Polacks". This is emphasized when Vladek sees him as a cat (analogous to a German) but the other Germans see him as a mouse (analogous to a Jew.)

* Non-Comedy example: In ''AshesToAshes'' the cops suspect someone protesting about the Docklands redevelopment might try something on the Royal Wedding day, so he rounds up members of the protest groups, and one man from the Anti-Nazi League by mistake; he gets the worst of it because he talks back.

** In another episode, "Grade School Confidential," Martin Prince's parents throw him a birthday party...but they [[IdiotBall serve raw oysters instead of cake]]. The children all come down with food poisoning. Including, at first glance, Lisa (a vegetarian). However, it's a subversion in that she only pretended to be sick so she wouldn't have to stay at the disaster of a party.

* Schools often employ this tactic to keep students under control in chaotic classrooms, much to the chagrin of well-behaved students.
* This can be used as a punishment in military training, and can and has been exaggerated to the point of only one person "eating the mousse". This can have the intent of [[BandOfBrothers banding the group together]] against an [[DrillSergeantNasty unfair superior]] or of having the group further punish their guilty peer and leaving the guilty party an outcast for at least as long as they continue to misbehave. Whichever result is intended can, of course, backfire into the other result.

** Monty Python just loves this one-- near the beginning of ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', a man is loaded onto a cart full of dead plague victims. When he insists he's "not quite dead yet" and attempts to leave, the cart-pusher refuesse to take the live man at first, but the man who brought him slipped him some money. A hefty whack from his cudgel and the man wasn't complaining any more.

** Another Monty Python example occurs in ''{{Life of Brian}}'', during the crucifixion march scene. A kindly onlooker who tries to help a fallen prisoner by lifting his cross is marched off to the execution site by the guards after the prisoner ditches him and runs off into the crowd. This may be particularly savage TakeThat at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_of_Cyrene Simon of Cyrene]].
** Monty Python just loves this one-- near the beginning of ''MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', a man is loaded onto a cart full of dead plague victims. When he insists he's "not quite dead yet" and attempts to leave, the cart-pusher refuesse to take the live man at first, but the man who brought him slipped him some money. A hefty whack from his cudgel and the man wasn't complaining any more.

* ''{{Futurama}}'':

* ''TheSimpsons'': in the "Heck House" segment of episode "Treehouse of Horror XVIII", Bart, Milhouse, Nelson and Lisa are sent temporarily to hell, yet Lisa took no part in the chaos they wreaked. She points this out along the way to hell: "I warned you, and yet my punishment is no less severe. That's odd".

* The ''HeyArnold'' episode where a drill sergeant replaced Mr. Simmons. He punished 3 kids by making them stand in room's corner. He makes Stinky do the same because of "symmetry".

* In one teaser of an episode of ''BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', the sidekicks were forced to fight a training simulation as punishment for fighting each other. Speedy was one of them even though it was Robin and Aqualad who fought each other.

* On ''ArrestedDevelopment'', Oscar is constantly being hunted down and savagely beaten by police (and was actually imprisoned between the second and third seasons) for the crimes committed by his identical twin brother. It's especially ironic because he's probably the only member of the family who ''hasn't'' committed massive fraud and "...maybe [[CatchPhrase a little light treason]]"; he never seems to be guilty of much beyond possession of marijuana.

* In ''EightBitTheater'', the Light Warriors are all to be killed by Sarda because they're horrible people. Except for Fighter. "He's a casualty."

* ''{{Webcomic/Greg}}'' becomes the target of Ted's ex-girlfriend's homicidal rage as Ted manages to escape, leaving Greg to fend for himself. Although he has never met her, [[ http://gregcomic.com/2011/07/15/guilt-by-association-part-2/ the guilt has already been transferred.]]

* The titular death scene from ''The Meaning of Life''. It was, in a rare case for Monty Python, an ad-lib. What made that particular scene even funnier is that the character sounded more excited than anything, since they were in the middle of an intellectual debate about the afterlife when Death arrived.
** Another Monty Python example occurs in ''The Life of Brian'', during the crucifixion march scene. A kindly onlooker who tries to help a fallen prisoner by lifting his cross is marched off to the execution site by the guards after the prisoner ditches him and runs off into the crowd. This may be particularly savage TakeThat at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_of_Cyrene Simon of Cyrene]].

* In one episode of ''TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', a phantom duck caused many people to get arrested, including [[EvilConCarne Hector Con Carne]] who stated [[BreakingTheFourthWall "I'm not even on this show anymore!"]]
* Happens in ''AmericanDad'', when Steve is targeted with his other friends, who misled him into believing three of the {{Alpha Bitch}}es sabotaged girlfriend Debbie's chances for election, leading to some MisplacedRetribution. Steve apologizes and reveals it was his friends, but he gets targeted along with them.

* ''MahouSenseiNegima'' has one of these during the "Kiss Negi" competition during the class trip. Nitta tells the students that anyone caught outside their hotel rooms will be forced to do the SeizaSquirm in the lobby all night. [[MetaGuy Chisame]] is roped into the competition by Ayaka, realizes early on the whole game is stupid, heads back to her room. And is caught by Nitta on the way. Eventually everybody else is caught too...along with Negi, who had absolutely nothing to do with it (but he was ''also'' outside of his room, for different reasons). This makes even less sense when you consider that a teacher, 10 years old or not, really should be able to be out of his room.