History Main / TheFreelanceShameSquad

* The titular character from ''Angus'' has the squad deployed on him at several points, the worst probably being when the JerkJock stole his boxers and ran them up the school flagpole. Angus' friend doesn't help matters by remarking that the shorts are nearly as wide as the flag.
** The last time is when Rick plays an embarassing video of Angus at the Winter Ball dance just as Angus is being crowned. The principal, at least, was unamused.

* The titular character from ''Angus'' has the squad deployed on him at several points, the worst probably being when the JerkJock stole his boxers and ran them up the school flagpole. Angus' friend doesn't help matters by remarking that the shorts are nearly as wide as the flag.

* In the original ''Karate Kid'' film, a ballroom filled with refined, upper-crust partygoers all stop dancing and put down their canapes just to laugh at Daniel-San after he bumps into a waiter and gets bolognese sauce all over his outfit. They were probably mocking the poor waiter too, but it doesn't come across as strongly.

* In TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy, Grim meets up with his old schoolmate, The Boogeyman, and is ''not'' happy about it. When asked why, we flashback to their school days, where Boogey gave Grim one hell of a wedgie in front of the whole school. Right before they all laugh at him, one monster says [[LampshadeHanging "Let's all point and laugh at his humiliation!"]]

* In ''WeirdScience'', an entire mall atrium full of shoppers stop all their business just to laugh at Gary and Wyatt after bullies dump an Icee on their heads. To their credit, the two girls hanging out with the bullies weren't impressed by the crude little stunt, but it doesn't count for much when everybody else in the mall seemed to be.

Thankfully, this is not TruthInTelevision, as in reality most onlookers will react with either concern, confusion or just plain apathy when seeing someone else's faux pas. This trope shares a bunk with NoSympathy, and like that, it's a trope that [[PetPeeveTrope tends to really get on people's nerves]]. See also HumiliationConga.

** Played much straighter near the beginning, when Carrie has her [[AvertedTrope first]] [[NoPeriodsPeriod period]] in the girl's locker room. Every other girl savagely mocks her for this with laughter and thrown tampons, as though they never had one of those before. While Carrie cowers in the corner, terrified that she's bleeding to death.

** Subverted in "Homer Goes to College": Homer's Nuclear Physics 101 professor makes an atom based pun and everyone but Homer laughs. The professor then drops his notes and Homer laughs uproariously...while everyone else looks at him awkwardly.

*** And at one point, this gets reversed on him in an epic fashion when he makes the mistake of laughing at an extremely tall fellow who happened to drive a tiny car. The man makes him pull down his pants and waddle down main street as all of Springfield mocks him. It's not so funny when it happens to ''you'', eh, Muntz?

** Actually, the girls were laughing at her because she had no idea what a period was(thanks to her nutjob mother).

* In ''Angela'sAshes'', the kids immediately notice and mock Frank's shoes.

* In ''AngelasAshes'', the kids' immediately notice and mock Frank's shoes.

* Invoked in SouthPark when Stan shows up to the class Halloween party dressed up as Raggedy Andy (and Wendy doesn't go through with dressing as Raggedy Ann). Mr. Garrison actually says "Let's all laugh and point as Stan, everyone", and they do.

** Subverted in "Homer Goes to College": Homer's Nuclear Physics 101 professor makes an atom based pun and everyone but Homer laughs. The professor then drops his notes and Homer laughs uproariously...while everyone else looks at him awkwardly.

** Actually averted in the movie, in that most of the students are in shock and horror, but Carrie hallucinates them laughing at her. In the book, survivors admit that they were so shocked they didn't know what else to do.

** Played much straighter near the beginning, when Carrie has her [[AvertedTrope first]] [[NoPeriodsPeriod period]] in the girl's locker room. Every other girl savagely mocks her for this with laughter and thrown tampons, as though they never had one of those before.

* In ''WeirdScience'', an entire mall atrium full of shoppers stop all their business just to laugh at Gary and Wyatt after bullies dump an Icee on their heads.

** Actually averted in that most of the students are in shock and horror, but Carrie hallucinates them laughing at her.

Thankfully, this is not TruthInTelevision, as in reality most onlookers will react with either concern, confusion or just plain apathy when seeing someone else's faux pas. This trope shares a bunk with NoSympathy, and like that, it's a trope that [[PetPeeveTrope tends to really get on people's nerves]].

--> "''Ha ha ha! Your pain gives us joy!''" - [[MST3K Tom Servo]], ''[[{{Morozko}} Jack Frost]]''

When embarrassing things happen to characters in a comedy, however, every stranger within a 100-foot radius will go out of their way to stop what they were doing, point out the thing in question, laugh loudly about it, and basically humiliate the character into feeling like a quivering little pile of crap. This is known as TheFreelanceShameSquad, a group of otherwise unremarkable people who apparently missed the memo that life isn't like elementary school, and still act like [[ComedicSociopathy sociopathic]] five-year-olds upon witnessing a stranger's misfortune.

Thankfully, this is not TruthInTelevision, as in reality most onlookers will react with either concern, confusion, or just plain apathy when seeing someone else's faux pas. This trope shares a bunk with NoSympathy, and like that, it's a trope that [[PetPeeveTrope tends to really get on people's nerves]].

* In WeirdScience, an entire mall atrium full of shoppers stops all their business just to laugh and Gary and Wyatt after bullies dump an Icee on their heads.
* Done in the film and book versions of ''{{Carrie}}''. Everybody except poor Carrie's date finds her getting doused with pig's blood to be the funniest goddamn thing in the world. [[BewareTheNiceOnes Then she snaps]], [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge and things start getting much less funny in a hurry]].

* The TropeNamer comes from the MysteryScienceTheater3000 episode ''[[{{Morozko}} Jack Frost]]'', where a large gaggle of villagers comes out of nowhere to mock the wicked stepsister every time something humiliating happens to her. Crow dubs this jolly band of assholes the Freelance Shame Squad.
* MalcolmInTheMiddle: Every kid sitting on the benches at the water park starts giggling derisively at Reese after Malcolm yanks down his trunks in front of them.

* Humorously exaggerated in an older episode of ''TheSimpsons''. Bart already didn't want to go clothes shopping with his mom, but then Marge has to go and throw open his changing room door and leave it open on him, stripped to his tighty-whities. Predictably, everyone in the store points at Bart and guffaws at his embarrassment, one guy even yelling "Look at that stupid kid!"
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