History Main / LittleBrotherIsWatching

* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': When Bobby was caught smoking, he was told his parents stopped smoking to avoid influencing him into smoking.

This trope doesn't just encompass evildoers. One of its most frequent uses in stories about drug use and quitting. The fundamental idea is that the parent, sibling, or role model does something that he doesn't want another to find out, not because it will ruin his life - most people probably already know - but because he doesn't want to influence the younger person to do the exact same thing. In order to make sure that doesn't happen - or sometimes upon discovery, although it's more often used as prevention - he quits the bad behavior.

* In Film/AmericanHistoryX, Creator/EdwardNorton gets out of prison for murder and has to convince his little brother to stop imitating his white supremacist life style.

* In AmericanHistoryX, Creator/EdwardNorton gets out of prison for murder and has to convince his little brother to stop imitating his white supremacist life style.
* At the end of AngelsWithDirtyFaces, Jerry tells Rocky that the boys in Jerry's care look up to Rocky and stand a chance of becoming criminals themselves because they idolize Rocky so. When Rocky is finally taken to the electric chair, instead of acting tough like he bragged about, he screamed, cried, begged for his life and "died yellow". It's ambiguous whether he truly panicked or just acted that way to discourage the kids from thinking he was cool. (Perhaps a bit of column A, a bit of column B?)

* ''KingOfTheHill'': When Bobby was caught smoking, he was told his parents stopped smoking to avoid influencing him into smoking.

* About eleven years ago, there was an anti-marijuana PSA that played this trope. In it, a teenage basketball player's little brother watches him win a streetball game. After the game, the teen meets up with some friends and one (the token female in the group) offers him some pot with the PSA's voiceover saying, "Some people think smoking weed makes you cool." His little brother is then shown looking at him in awe, and the voiceover asks, "But what about those who think you already are?"
* In an infamous anti-drug PSA a father is yelling at his son about the marijuana he found. "Where did you learn to do this stuff?" "From you, alright? I learned it by watching you!"

This trope doesn't just encompass evildoers, however. One of its most frequent uses in stories about drug use and quitting. The fundamental idea is that the parent, sibling, or role model does something that he doesn't want another to find out, not because it will ruin his life - most people probably already know - but because he doesn't want to influence the younger person to do the exact same thing. In order to make sure that doesn't happen - or sometimes upon discovery, although it's more often used as prevention - he quits the bad behavior.

* The song "Children Will Listen" from IntoTheWoods warns parents that children will copy their behavior.

->''Careful the things you say -\\

Careful the things you do -\\
Children will see\\

* In the film ''BoysTown'' MickeyRooney plays the younger sibling; he idolizes his older brother, who is in prison for murder. Older brother contacts Father Flanagan, asking him to take in his little brother so he won't follow the same path.

-->-- '''Ensemble''', ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods''

-->-- '''Stephen Sondheim'''

But children will listen...''\\

-->--'''Stephen Sondheim'''

* In the Mother Russia arc of ThePunisher, Frank is trying to retrieve a young girl (around the same age as his daughter was) whose blood contains a biological superweapon that will eat her alive if he doesn't get her out of there. The Russians send a guy called the Mongolian, who kicks Frank's ass until he threatens the girl. Frank goes PapaWolf, "twisting his leg off like a drumstick until I realize she's watching". Later on, he sees her pick up a gun to help him and immediately takes it from her so she won't shoot herself or someone.

[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] BigBrotherIsWatching, where the government makes sure you are responsible by being ready to punish any immoral acts.

* ''Franchise/LupinIII'': An indication of a LighterAndSofter storyline is the introduction of a child as main character.

''Careful the things you say -\\

But children will listen...''

--'''Stephen Sondheim'''

* In AmericanHistoryX, EdwardNorton gets out of prison for murder and has to convince his little brother to stop imitating his white supremacist life style.

* LittleBrotherIsWatching: An indication of a LighterAndSofter storyline is the introduction of a child as main character.

* In the film, Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro, Lupin is known as a HandsomeLech, but for Clarisse's sake, he tries to be a [[KnightInShiningArmor Thief In A Stylin' Suit]]. When Lupin tells Jigen about being "wild and crazy" in his past, Jigen's expression suggests Lupin may have been talking about ''last week''. At the end of the movie, she hugs him tight and begs to become a thief and leave Cagliostro with him. Lupin visibly trembles before he pushes her away gently.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode "The Last Tough Customer", Binky's former gang of bullies have decided to change their bullying ways, except for Molly, as she feels being a bully is her demand for respect. Seeing her little brother James start bullying other kids as well, and saying he got it from her changes her perspective, and realizes how not nice bullying really is.

* A early Full House episode had Joey giving up on his comedy career only to find out that DJ has quit trying to play the guitar as a result. A few seasons later there was a similar episode. Jesse has quit going back to school so Michelle quits learning to tie her shoes.

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