History Main / ScaryMinoritySuspect

* Inverted in ''Film/WhiteMansBurden'', since the entire movie is a race flip, the whites are the scary minority suspects, as the protagonist finds himself on the wrong end of it when two black cops harass him because he "fit the description" of another suspect. Another white man notes that black cops are scared of white ghetto people because they think they look like ghosts at night.

The large, dark, swarthy fellow who insists loudly that he didn't do it. If he's the only non-white about, he [[WronglyAccused usually didn't]].

Knox's 5th rule of {{Fair Play Whodunnit}}s ("No [[YellowPeril Chinaman]] must figure in the story.") forbids these.

See also ScaryBlackMan.

* Mocked on ''Series/TheWire''. When a white man is giving a discription of Omar Little to Bunk, he describes Omar as huge and so is his gun. Bunk and another black detective share a chuckle over their in-joke: BNBG - Big Negro, Big Gun.

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** Inverted in the book ''Literature/{{Jingo}}''. After an assassination attempt on a major Klatchian official, Commander Vimes of the Watch immediately suspects everybody ''except'' the Klatchians, [[spoiler:who turn out to be behind the murder attempt after all.]]

** Inverted in the book ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}''. After an assassination attempt on a major Klatchian official, Commander Vimes of the Watch immediately suspects everybody ''except'' the Klatchians, [[spoiler:who turn out to be behind the murder attempt after all.]]
** Coalface in ''Discworld/MenAtArms'' is the FantasticRacism counterpart; a dwarf was killed, he's a troll, as far as Mayonnaise Quirke of the [[BadCopIncompetentCop Day Watch]] is concerned, you don't need any more evidence than that.

* ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "The Fox" features one in the form a victim's abusive ex-husband.

* Tom Robinson in ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird''. Although Tom is a very nice man who isn't scary in the least, and of course, is completely innocent. However, most of Maycomb assume he is a scary minority suspect who did rape Mayella because of the prevailing racist attitudes of the time.

Knox's 5th rule of {{Fair Play Whodunnit}}s ("No Chinaman must figure in the story.") forbids these.

* Patrice O'Neal has a bit where he discusses how this trope makes him afraid when a white woman walks by him:

* Very little is known about the defendant in ''Film/TwelveAngryMen'' except that he's a black man. Despite this, most of the jurors are eager to say he's guilty and get the trial over with, although only the most vindictive juror admits to outright racism.

Knox's 5th rule of {{Fair Play Whodunnit}}s forbids these.

!!Examples

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Inverted in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' book ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}''. After an assassination attempt on a major Klatchian official, Commander Vimes of the Watch immediately suspects everybody ''except'' the Klatchians, [[spoiler:who turn out to be behind the murder attempt after all.]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Stand-Up Comedy ]]

* Patrice O'Neal has a bit where he discusses how this trope makes him afraid when a white woman walks by him:
-->Oh Jesus, I hope nobody kills this white woman because I'ma get blamed for it.

[[/folder]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC: Stand-Up Comedy]]

* Subverted in ''Film/WhiteMansBurden'', since the entire movie is a race flip, the whites are the scary minority suspects, as the protagonist finds himself on the wrong end of.

* The defendant in ''Film/TwelveAngryMen''.

* Tom Robinson in ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird''.
** Although Tom is a very nice man who isn't scary in the least, and of course, is completely innocent. However, most of Maycomb assume he is a scary minority suspect who did rape Mayella because of the prevailing racist attitudes of the time.

* Subverted in one episode of ''Series/{{CSI}}''. While the Scary Black Man the [=CSIs=] first suspect didn't actually kill the murder victim (the murder was actually done by [[spoiler:the white pedophile who offered his services as a "consultant" to Grissom]]), he ''did'' viciously beat the victim and his friend while he was babysitting them, which made them run out of the house until they were picked up by the real killer. He's arrested on assault and battery charges, and it's noted that, even if he didn't kill the boys himself, he indirectly contributed to their deaths.

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* The defendant in ''[[TwelveAngryMen 12 Angry Men]]''.
* Subverted in ''[[Film/WhiteMansBurden The White Man's Burden]]'', since the entire movie is a race flip, the whites are the scary minority suspects, as the protagonist finds himself on the wrong end of.

* Mocked on ''TheWire''. When a white man is giving a discription of [[EnsembleDarkhorse Omar]] [[{{Badass}} Little]] to Bunk, he describes Omar as huge and so is his gun. Bunk and another black detective share a chuckle over their in-joke: BNBG - Big Negro, Big Gun.

* Subverted in ''[[Film\WhiteMansBurden The White Man's Burden]]'', since the entire movie is a race flip, the whites are the scary minority suspects, as the protagonist finds himself on the wrong end of.

* Tom Robinson in ''ToKillAMockingbird''.