History Main / MiseryPoker

* It's an odd way of bonding, but Mercy and Cirr of ''Webcomic/{{Ice}}'' masochistically compete over who's hurt Sarah more.

* Referenced and then {{defied|Trope}} in Creator/BruceCoville's ''Literature/MyTeacherFlunkedThePlanet'': When Peter hears Susan say "Boy, I miss my family" (as they're traveling with aliens and can't see their families, and she can only have occasional phone calls with them) he thinks ''"At least you have family to miss"'' (due to him thinking that his father couldn't care less about his disappearance) but keeps silent because he doesn't want to get in a game of "Who's the most miserable".

'''Steph''': ''[laughs]'' You've been listening to me whine about having the Cluemaster for a dad, when your dad's like the scariest killer on the planet?\\

'''Steph''': Oh man, I can't beat you at ''anything''.

* Played for drama in ''ComicBook/AstroCity''. Rose Wilkerson, a woman who lost her young son and her right hand in a supervillian attack, has joined "Miranda's Friends", a [[TropaholicsAnonymous support group]] for survivors of super-conflicts. However, when the group's organizer reveals that his wife was [[RetGone erased from history]] in a CloseEnoughTimeline accident, she becomes enraged, insisting that he's a fraud and ''her'' trauma is far worse.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has [[PlayerCharacter the Warrior of Light]] and a few of their allies try to talk a captured Fordola into making a HeelFaceTurn. When they arrive, [[GhostMemory the Echo]] shows them visions of her DarkAndTroubledPast. Fordola notices this and tries to them out, claiming that a few visions wouldn't let them understand her pain, only for [[spoiler:her artificial Echo]] to trigger and show them [[TraumaCongaLine everything]] [[BrokenBird the]] [[HurtingHero Warrior]] [[DentedIron of]] [[HeroicFatigue Light]] has been through. By the end of it, she questioning just how they're even able to ''keep going'' in spite of all the loss and betrayal they've suffered from.

* The [=MazM=] [[VisualNovel/MazMThePhantomOfTheOpera Visual Novel adaptation]] of ''The Phantom of the Opera'' has the Phantom doing this to Christine; one scene in particular has him repeatedly one-upping her while she tries to explain what hardships she's had in her life by sharing more details about his own awful upbringing. Parents died? at least they loved her; impoverished for most of her childhood? at least she later got taken in by kind people, etc. until he finally gets angry at her for even trying to compare their hardships. These are non-comedic examples meant to highlight how little the [[{{Narcissist}} Phantom]] thinks about other people's suffering.

* The Four Yorkshiremen sketch from ''Series/AtLastThe1948Show'', which later appeared in other ''Creator/MontyPython'' works including ''Film/MontyPythonLiveAtTheHollywoodBowl'' has a group of rich men one-upping each other with increasingly ridiculous and over-the-top claims about how miserable and [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood abusive]] their childhoods in poverty were.

* ''Film/MontyPythonLiveAtTheHollywoodBowl'' has a sketch where a group of rich men try to one-up each other with increasingly ridiculous and over-the-top claims about how miserable and [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood abusive]] their childhoods in poverty were.

Also sometimes known as Misery Dicks (i.e., my misery dick is bigger than yours) and Woe-Offs -- as well as Oppression Olympics, when it occurs in debates concerning social justice issues.

* Defied in ''Fanfic/BornOfTheSameImpulse'', when [[Film/IronMan Tony]] started ranting to [[Film/DoctorStrange2016 Stephen]] about how the Avengers were disrupting his privacy, and that their concerned attempts to get him out of his shell are hindering him from work. Stephen, at this point, is verging on depression due to having to relive his hand injuries, but--unlike Tony--doesn't have the luxury of either friends or work to distract him from his troubles. In his monologue after this interaction, Stephen expresses bitterness over Tony's apparent whining, but he humours the latter while he was talking.

* ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}s [[ComicBook/Batgirl 2000 Cassandra Cain]] and [[ComicBook/Batgirl2009 Stephanie Brown]] (then Spoiler) compare sucky childhoods:

* In ''Anime/WeissKreuz'', after Tomoe Sakura has one of her kidneys stolen by a MadScientist and becomes the subject of a great deal of prying media attention, she laments what's happened to her and that the surgery has left her unable to run track like she could before. Aya, whose little sister and only living family has been in a coma for two years and shows no signs of ever waking, delivers a verbal slap to Sakura in which he roughly points out to her that at least she's still alive and conscious and capable of moving under her own power.

* ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}s [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2000}} Cassandra Cain]] and [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl 2009}} Stephanie Brown]] (then Spoiler) compare sucky childhoods:

* The entire point of ''Series/MadTv'' 's Depressed Persian Tow Truck Man. It's even lampshaded in the opening jingle.

* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': This is an occasional problem with companions from oppressed groups. They'll still follow you in whatever you choose unless it's something they're deeply against, but in conversations they tend to play up their own group's suffering over others. For Anders, it's mages (who are stuck in Circles and bullied by the Templars), for Fenris it's slaves (he's an escaped Teventir slave), for several elf companions it's elves (subjects of heavy FantasticRacism), and for Sera it's the common folk.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Extremely common in real life. Complain about literally anything, ''especially'' on the internet, and someone will be there to tell you about how they or other people in the world have it worse. Weather too hot or too cold? Someone from a greater climate extreme will be there to laugh at you for being such a wimp. Tough childhood? Bullied at school? Toxic work environment? Abusive spouse or parent? They've had it worse!
** ''Very'' common among military personnel. You think ''your'' previous assignment was bad? Rest assured, it wasn't as bad as theirs! And don't even get started if someone has deployed to a war zone when someone else hasn't. The previous generation of soldiers will always look down on the current one for being "soft" and "weak."
** Among social justice activists this is referred to as "The Oppression Olympics", and strongly discouraged. Trying to one-up each other over who has suffered more discrimination (of whatever kind) only creates division, resentment, and hinders cooperation among people who would otherwise work together to improve things. Even so, it still happens.
* The previous generation of anyone, anywhere, in any context or career field, will always look down on the newer generation for "having it easy." It just seems to be a universally human thing.
[[/folder]]

** Amy recruited Leonard to be her date for a co-workers wedding after Sheldon refused, and she took care of the various arrangements. When getting ready she got a corsage for Leonard to give to her, while Penny says that a corsage is more for high school proms than as a wedding guest. Amy replied that due to her FriendslessBackground she didn't go to her high school prom, her mom hired her cousin to take her and he then bailed and spent the money on drugs. Penny, tearing up, tells Leonard to give her the corsage.

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' featured a scene in which Penny expresses disbelief that Leonard, Howard, and Raj haven't gone fishing with their fathers before. Leonard and Raj both express misery that their fathers were always busy with their scientific jobs, and then Howard mentions that his "father-son bonding" time was spent waiting for his dad to come home. Leonard even says, "Okay, Howard wins." And that's not the only time Howard has pulled the "My dad left" card to trump someone else's complaints.

'''Galadriel''': You have not see what I have seen.\\

** [[Franchise/{{Batman}} My]] [[ParentalAbandonment parents]] [[Webcomic/{{PVP}} are]] [[MemeticMutation DEEAAAAAAAD!]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

[[/folder]]

* Davan from ''Webcomic/SomethingPositive'' trumps Kestrel from ''Webcomic/QueenOfWands'' at a game during [[https://somethingpositive.net/comic/kestrel-s-panties-don-t-live-here-anymore-pt-4/ one of their crossovers]] when [[http://www.somethingpositive.net/sp05132004.shtml they compare their jobs]].

--> '''Teddy:;'' I live in a mobile home next to the employee parking lot for a theme park.

* In ''Anime/WeissKreuz'', after Tomoe Sakura has one of her kidneys stolen by a MadScientist and becomes the subject of a great deal of prying media attention, she laments what's happened to her and that the surgery has left her unable to run track like she could before. Aya, whose [[IllGirl little sister]] and only living family has been in a coma for two years and shows no signs of ever waking, delivers a verbal slap to Sakura in which he roughly points out to her that at least she's still alive and conscious and capable of moving under her own power.