History Main / OldShame

But sometimes [[SoCoolItsAwesome the work was good]], yet those in control would rather let it rot in a back vault forever while pulling down any and all online copies. For example, not many people know that a famous early-television personality hosted [[ThePriceIsRight a mega-popular show]] for five years, or that [[WheelOfFortune another mega-popular show]] had anybody at the helm other than the current duo. Sometimes, the shame happens because a work was FairForItsDay, but contains [[ValuesDissonance concepts, themes]], or [[OnceAcceptableTargets character archetypes]] that [[SocietyMarchesOn simply aren't considered acceptable in the present]] (that, or the work [[FamilyUnfriendlyAesop espouses values that were unacceptable even at the time the work was created]], because the author was in a ''really'' bad mood that day). Another possible reason is that the work heavily promotes a viewpoint that its author no longer holds.

It stands to reason that this trope is not [[TropesAreFlexible all black and white]], there are hundreds of ways someone can regret the work they did and much of it may not have anything to do with the final product. An OldShame may come from having bad memories of the TroubledProduction, loving the experience but perplexed at the direction it took or greatly disliking the {{Typecasting}} (or other attention) they received after the fact. It's actually rather common to make [[FireForgedFriends extremely close friends]] while working on an infamously bad tv show or movie.

But sometimes [[SoCoolItsAwesome the work was good]], yet those in control would rather let it rot in a back vault forever while pulling down any and all online copies. For example, not many people know that a famous early-television personality hosted [[ThePriceIsRight a mega-popular show]] for five years, or that [[WheelOfFortune another mega-popular show]] had anybody at the helm other than the current duo. Sometimes, the shame happens because a work was FairForItsDay, but contains [[ValuesDissonance concepts, themes]], or [[OnceAcceptableTargets character archetypes]] that [[SocietyMarchesOn simply aren't considered acceptable in the present]]. Another possible reason is that the work heavily promotes a viewpoint that its author no longer holds.

-->--'''Gelett Burgess''', ''Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue''.

Whether it's {{fan fic}}tion or original published work, some really bad stories have been written (this goes for other art forms too, sometimes just as badly). And even though you have to do bad work before you can do good work, the bad work still exists and the creator has to deal with it. Sometimes it's published to wither and die on its own; most of the time, it isn't.

But sometimes [[SoCoolItsAwesome the work was good]], yet those in control would rather let it rot in a back vault forever while pulling down any and all online copies. For example, not many people know that a famous early-television personality hosted [[ThePriceIsRight a mega-popular show]] for five years, or that [[WheelOfFortune another mega-popular show]] had anybody at the helm other than the current duo. Sometimes, the shame happens because a work was FairForItsDay, but contains [[ValuesDissonance concepts, themes]], or [[OnceAcceptableTargets character archetypes]] that [[SocietyMarchesOn simply aren't considered acceptable in the present]].

Compare CreatorBacklash, where the work in question gained popularity but earned the ire of its creators anyway. See also HamAndCheese, where an individual in a movie he/she knows will at some point become Old Shame decides to have fun with it, and TookTheBadFilmSeriously, where an individual doesn't even seem to realize the movie is awful and gives all they have. The motivation behind many an OrwellianEditor. Compare GrowTheBeard. IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney is an extreme example. Generally the opposite of FirstInstallmentWins, it can be the source of NeverLiveItDown. ArtEvolution is a visual example of this: there's no faster way to embarrass a webcomic artist than pointing to something early in their archives. Compare BleachedUnderpants, which this may overlap with.

It stands to reason that this trope is not all black and white, there are hundreds of ways someone can regret the work they did and much of it may not have anything to do with the final product. An OldShame may come from having bad memories of the TroubledProduction, loving the experience but perplexed at the final product or greatly disliking the {{Typecasting}} they received after the fact. It's actually rather common to make [[FireForgedFriends extremely close friends]] while working on an infamously bad tv show or movie.

-->'''Gelett Burgess''', ''Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue''.

->''"This special has'' never ''re-aired and to this day Creator/GeorgeLucas has apparently gone out of his way to make sure that'' nobody ''sees it. So, just to recap, this is the guy who said [[TheScrappy/{{Film}} this]] [Jar-Jar Binks] is OK, and [[Film/HowardTheDuck this]] [Howard the Duck] is OK. Which means'' this ''is the project he was'' personally ashamed of. ''Gonna go over that again: OK, OK'', personally ashamed of. ''*{{beat}}* There are not enough toilets in the world to contain the'' '''''[[PrecisionFStrike shit]]-spewing fear''''' ''that I am going through right now."''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''' - ''[[http://blip.tv/nostalgiacritic/nostalgia-critic-star-wars-christmas-3027358 The Star Wars Holiday Special]]''''

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''' - ''[[http://blip.tv/nostalgiacritic/nostalgia-critic-star-wars-christmas-3027358]]''

-->-- '''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic''' - ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS6PwQcCIXo The Star Wars Holiday Special]]''

->''"This special has'' never ''re-aired and to this day Creator/GeorgeLucas has apparently gone out of his way to make sure that'' nobody ''sees it. So, just to recap, this is the guy who said [[TheScrappy/{{Film}} this]] [Jar-Jar Binks] is OK, and [[Film/HowardTheDuck this]] [Howard the Duck] is OK. Which means'' this ''is the project he was'' personally ashamed of. ''Gonna go over that again: OK, OK'', personally ashamed of. ''*{{beat}}* There are not enough toilets in the world to contain the'' '''''shit spewing fear''''' ''that I am going through right now."''

->''"This special has'' never ''re-aired and to this day Creator/GeorgeLucas has apparently gone out of his way to make sure that'' nobody ''sees it. So, just to recap, this is the guy who said [[TheScrappy/{{Film}} this]] is OK, and [[Film/HowardTheDuck this]] is OK. Which means'' this ''is the project he was'' personally ashamed of. ''Gonna go over that again: OK, OK'', personally ashamed of. ''*{{beat}}* There are not enough toilets in the world to contain the'' '''''shit spewing fear''''' ''that I am going through right now."''

->''"This special has'' never ''re-aired and to this day Creater/GeorgeLucas has apparently gone out of his way to make sure that'' nobody ''sees it. So, just to recap, this is the guy said [[TheScrappy/{{Film}} this]] is OK, and [[Film/HowardTheDuck this]] is OK. Which means'' this ''is the project he was'' personally ashamed of. ''Gonna go over that again: OK, OK'', personally ashamed of. ''*{{beat}}* There are not enough toilets in the world to contain the'' '''''shit spewing fear''''' ''that I am going through right now."''

->''"This special has'' never ''re-aired and to this day Creater/GeorgeLucas has apparently gone out of his way to make sure that'' nobody ''sees it. So, just to recap, this is the guy said [[TheScrappy/Film this]] is OK, and [[Film/HowardTheDuck this]] is OK. Which means'' this ''is the project he was'' personally ashamed of. ''Gonna go over that again: OK, OK'', personally ashamed of. ''*{{beat}}* There are not enough toilets in the world to contain the'' '''''shit spewing fear''''' ''that I am going through right now."''

->"''You birds have a hundred thousand bad drawings in you; start getting rid of them now.''"
-->-- '''Creator/ChuckJones''', quoting one of his art school instructors.

They say that you have to do bad work before you can do good work. Not just one piece of bad work, but ''[[SturgeonsLaw tons]]'' of it, some so bad that it puts ''TheEyeOfArgon'' and ''BabyGeniuses'' to shame.

If the creator tries to [[CanonDiscontinuity erase any trace of its existence]], shies away from it, moves on to the next question when it's brought up, or otherwise just tells people not to care about it, it's an OldShame.

->"''You birds have a hundred thousand bad drawings in you; start getting rid of them now.''"\\
-- '''Creator/ChuckJones''', quoting one of his art school instructors.

Compare CreatorBacklash, where the work in question gained popularity but earned the ire of its creators anyway. See also HamAndCheese, where an individual in a movie he/she knows will at some point become Old Shame decides to have fun with it, and TookTheBadFilmSeriously, where an individual doesn't even seem to realize the movie is awful and gives all they have. The motivation behind many an OrwellianEditor. Compare GrowTheBeard. IWasYoungAndNeededTheMoney is an extreme example. Generally the opposite of FirstInstallmentWins, it and can be the source of NeverLiveItDown. ArtEvolution is a visual example of this: there's no faster way to embarrass a webcomic artist than pointing to something early in their archives. Compare BleachedUnderpants, which this may overlap with.

-- '''ChuckJones''', quoting one of his art school instructors.

They say that you have to do bad work before you can do good work. Not just one piece of bad work, but ''[[SturgeonsLaw tons]]'' of it, some so bad that it puts ''TheEyeOfArgon'' and ''BabyGeniuses'' to [[IncrediblyLamePun shame]].