History Main / InherentInTheSystem

* ''Anime/CodeGeass'': Part of the problem [[IdealHero Suzaku]] has with his plan to become an InternalReformist for [[TheEmpire Britannia]] is that he doesn't recognize that the system is intentionally designed to keep Numbers (read:[[FantasticSlurs the natives of Britannian occupied countries]]) oppressed for the sake of Britannian dominance. Even when he finds a potential way to circumvent this, it's made clear that his path is not going to be easy, and he'll have to fight hard to achieve his VelvetRevolution. [[spoiler:Ultimately, he fails and has to resort to more extreme measures to achieve his goals]].

Compare CrapsackWorld and ItIsBeyondSaving. See also SocietyIsToBlame and WretchedHive. Compare also AsLongAsThereIsEvil, which is when ''supernatural'' evil is inherent in the world, and BrokenSystemDogmatist, where someone's deeply devoted to a system despite its numerous flaws inherent in it. Contrast IndustrializedEvil. Compare ''and'' contrast LegalizedEvil, when the system is specifically designed to permit evil ends.

* George Martin's ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is set in a WorldHalfEmpty that dramatically illustrates what happens when this trope goes ''really'' bad. It's understandable, since during the main series, the Seven Kingdoms are being ripped apart by civil war, and the prequel novels illustrate a kind of a golden age. However, many of the problems within the system led to the civil war, and other wars, in the first place.
** Very much TruthInTelevision, as any student of European history knows, and George Martin was nothing if not true to that with his own world.
** ''A Dance With Dragons'' is this trope taken [[ExaggeratedTrope ridiculously]]. There doesn't seem to be ''anything'' Daenerys can do with the best intentions for Meereen that doesn't make the situation worse.

* ''Webcomic/GuildedAge'': Gastonia's "Altruistic" bureaucratic takeover shows how any stagnant government, even one that was founded on the principles of kindness and free thought, can be systematically corrupted and used against its own people. The council is so stifled by red tape that any attempt to appeal to anti-racism is shot down by its own supporters out of fear of being fired and replaced by someone less tolerant. The conspirators make these fears a reality by imposing harsh demands and deadlines through bureaucracy, leaving their opponents holding the blame when their untested, unstable new technologies and policies inevitably explode from overclocking, which is seized by the conspirators and then applied to weapons testing with safer conditions and longer testing times under the excuse of the projects being inherently dangerous, which further increases their credibility and sows racist fearmongering of the original scientists. The conspirators themselves act from increasing paranoia to the outside wars, which are fueled by Gastonia's genocides to gather resources. And to add insult to injury, when the 'Altruistic' conspirators win and remove all the minority-protecting restrictions, they also undermined too much of Gastonia's law and infrastructure preventing tyranny; one sociopathic usurper assassinates his own family, claims his birthright to kinghood, and seizes the throne that was so lovingly crafted for him through blind bureaucracy. The one with nukes installed, as a result of the conspirators convincing themselves that, in their narrow understanding of politics through conspiracy, no-one in charge would be stupid enough to use a weapon that mass-murders their own citizens and causes a ZeroPercentApprovalRating. Except he got the dictatorship because he doesn't ''care''.

* In the ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''/''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' Crossover ''[=FatexFake=]'', Micheal reveals that Xenovia and Asia's excommunication is this. The system that Heaven runs on is admittedly obsolete, however with God dead, everything but the most basic of systems are locked. Thus, the Archangels have to take drastic measures just to maintain the status quo never mind trying to change it.

** Discussed further in ''Film/TheMatrixReloaded'': The Architect of the matrix explains that there have been ''six'' The Ones, each resetting the system and rebuilding Zion after the machines purge most of the main base. Because of the ''flawed nature of human beings'', the second matrix was designed like Agent Smith says, but still failed. Then the Oracle stepped up and made a suggestion; human choice. As a result, 99% of the population chose to stay in the third matrix, but for three whole matrices, The One would appear and make choices that brought about the destruction of Zion despite numerous attempts to negotiate or impede their progress, and each time, they had the opportunity to doom all of humanity for a selfish decision. The Architect concludes that a system governed by free will, while surprisingly effective, is still flawed because the system will eventually allow dissenting rebels to rise up and wreak chaos - and eventually, one of them will choose what they love over the rest of humanity. [[spoiler:Neo is that one]].

* ''Series/CobraKai'': Johnny Lawrence believes that there's nothing objectively wrong with the Cobra Kai philosophy ("Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy"), feeling that it can be used by practitioners to gain confidence and initiative ("Strike First"), apply themselves 100% to everything they do ("Strike Hard"), and keep fighting back even when life is unfair ("No Mercy"). He considers the way he and his friends acted during [[Film/TheKarateKid their high school years]] to be more because Sensei Kreese was [[SenseiForScoundrels a colossal asshole who corrupted it]]. However, by the end of the first season even he comes to realize that when taken to its logical conclusion, the Cobra Kai philosophy's inherent aggression and dogmatism is nothing but a recipe for creating belligerent and merciless assholes driven by chips on their shoulders or [[MightMakesRight thirst for power]]. [[spoiler:Robby Keene, Johnny's own son, eventually learns the same lesson when Kenny Payne, a student he mentored when he joined Cobra Kai himself, becomes a bloodthristy, rage-filled and ruthless bully from a meek and helpless victim of bullying. ]].

* Near-future thriller ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' realistically enough does not portray the country's increasingly severe problems as the work of any one evil politician, or even party (though there are plenty of these along for the ride trying to [[LetNoCrisisGoToWaste exploit]] them). Rather, they are the product of long decades of corruption and decay throughout the government, until the dysfunctional but power-hungry system has itself become the enemy of the very people it ought to serve.

* In ''Comicbook/JudgeDredd'', a combination of an oppressive PoliceState government, mass unemployment, and chronic overcrowding lead millions of people to simply freak out and turn to crime out of boredom and/or despair. It is often said that Dredd's main enemy is not Judge Death, PJ Maybe, Orlok, or Mean Machine, but Mega-City One itself. All attempts to reform it somehow have ultimately fallen flat and simply reinforced the status quo.

* Many OurVampiresAreDifferent films and series subvert this to take out some of the inherent antagonism implicit in such settings by making a readily available alternate blood source, leading to [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Friendly Neighborhood Vampires]]. Happens in ''Film/Underworld2003'' with cloned blood (though they aren't that friendly).

* It isn't really anyone's fault that the world of ''Videogame/{{Nier}}'' is all but doomed [[spoiler:with the possible exceptions of the long-dead [[VideoGame/{{Drakengard}} Grotesquerie Queen, Caim, and Angelus]], and even then it wasn't intentional on their part]]. There is no real villain responsible for everything. The desperate measures humanity took to ensure its survival in the wake of a disaster that introduced magic to the world, measures that attempted to exploit said magic through technological means, just had too many flaws.

* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' takes ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve in a fairly depressing way. {{Youkai}} are creatures born of human fear and defined by their antagonistic relationship with humans. Nowadays people at best can wish youkai existed, but their common sense and a scientific and rational world don't allow them to do so. The solution was the creation of Gensokyo as a FantasticNaturePreserve, and the adoption of a non-lethal spellcard system to meet the antagonism quota. Problem is, many humans have found youkai to be people too, oftentimes smarter and nicer than other humans, but they won't be able to fully get along with humans without ceasing to be youkai.

* In ''WebComic/LiveWithYourself'', Todd gets a $3,000 bill for having the doctor literally slap him in the face, and goes on a quest to find out who's responsible for the absurdly high prices and stick it to them. He ultimately makes it to the CEO of the hospital, only to find a literal straw-man. There is no one person to blame, because the entire system is designed to exploit the little man. Todd tries to protest by refusing to pay, but ultimately does because [[ShaggyDogStory it'd look bad on his credit rating otherwise]].