History Main / TheProfessorIsCryingAgain

[[quoteright:263:[[ElGoonishShive http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/20101004_qRwR_1657.png]]]]
[[caption-width-right:263:Every time you invoke AWizardDidIt, [[SomewhereThisIndexIsCrying God makes a physicist cry.]]]]

So, we all know that [[TheFarSide every time you show dinosaurs and cave-people together]] in the same era [[SomewhereAPalaeontologistIsCrying a palaeontologist cries]]. Probably not literally, of course. You'd have to be fairly unstable to be brought to tears just because some TV show DidNotDoTheResearch. After all, [[MST3KMantra it's just a show]]...

However, if a scientist or other expert saw this kind of defiance of the laws of the universe taking place ''right in front of them'', it's likely that they would be [[HeroicBSOD a bit]] [[FreakOut shaken up]].
'' All those years of careful study and research suddenly proven wrong...'' ''[[BigNo NOOOOOOOOOO!]]''

This trope occurs when the expert in question is a character in the work who becomes upset that their reality is blatantly defying the laws of nature, physics, etc. This may manifest as actual crying, UnstoppableRage, or even a [[HeroicBSOD nervous breakdown]].

Often PlayedForLaughs as a form of LampshadeHanging- the author is demonstrating that, yes, they know perfectly well that it doesn't make sense, and are giving the viewer a gentle reminder [[MST3KMantra not to take it too seriously]].

If the professor is already aware of the existence of other magic, aliens, etc, then his disbelief is ArbitrarySkepticism. Often happens to the AgentScully.

Contrast AdmiringTheAbomination, when the Professor is pleased rather than alarmed at a sudden scary turn of events because it's proved him ''right''.
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!!Examples

[[AC:Comics]]
* Reed Richards in ''FantasticFour'' does this all of the time.
** Which is itself an incredible source of FridgeLogic, given he can stretch and bend like he's made out of [[PrecisionFStrike goddamn]] [[BuffySpeak stretchy-goo]].

[[AC:Film]]
* Ellie and Alan's miniature freakout the first time they see a dinosaur in ''JurassicPark''.

[[AC:FanFiction]]
* In the final chapter of [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6575772/1/Yabba_Dabba_Joes Yabba Dabba Joes]], a paleontologist working on Sue the T-Rex's skull before she goes on display goes into a temporary brain shutdown when he pulls a nine millimeter bullet out of a pockmark on Sue's jaw.
* Ritsuko in ''Fanfic/ShinjiAndWarhammer40K'' suffers a serious blow to her sanity after repeatedly witnessing Shinji playing RealityWarper with his AT-field wizardry and psyker abilities without finding ANY scientific explanation for it.
* Harry goes through this a couple times in HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality, but mostly when [[ItMakesSenseInContext Professor McGonagall turns into a cat.]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* Physics grad student Chris Parsons in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' serial "Shada" does a lot of this.
* This is actually a plot point quite often on ''{{Fringe}}''. In a season 3 episode, Walter was confused and upset when the heaviest element was used by another scientist (who stumbled upon it and has no idea why it's doing this either) to make people float in the sky. Yes, it makes no sense. As it turns out, this lapse in the laws of physics is a sign that our universe is about to collide with another one and destroy them both.

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''ElGoonishShive'' (TropeNamer) has a professor who [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-04 starts crying]] whenever the laws of physics are [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2010-10-11 violated]] hard enough. Whether he's actually present or not!
** Tweed suit... floppy hair... ''bow-tie''... that's [[Series/DoctorWho the Doctor]]!
*** Nah, not the Doctor himself, but a ShoutOut to him.
** There's also a high school physics teacher [[ShoutOut named]] "[[{{Nukees}} Mr. Bleuel]]" who gets rather peeved when he spots one of his students floating down the hallway out of habit.
* The Infinite Summation Honeybee Professor in ''ProblemSleuth'' gets upset whenever the characters abuse the properties of [[PortalPicture windows]] in order to generate matter or discharge energy.
* In [[http://www.somethingofthatilk.com/index.php?id=21#comic this]] ''"Something of that Ilk"'' comic, one man's refusal to believe in physics, and subsequent flying off, leaves the physics professor utterly speechless.
* [[http://skin-horse.com/comics/11052011/ Luckily for Dr. Lee in]] SkinHorse, the ancient, mystic order of notaries has a special couch just for scientists.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* An old LooneyTunes cartoon had a professor giving a lecture where he refuted the existence of UFO's and "Little green men". Just as he's laughing at the very idea, a flying saucer with a baby green Martian flies in and hovers before his face for a few moments, causing the laughter to turn into tears.

[[AC: Video Games]]
* One of the planet travel guides in {{Tyrian}} reads "Many a scientist comes here after retirement to watch all their fundamental mathematical theorems fall apart as they watch the landmasses floating in apparent defiance to their life's work."

** Which is itself an incredible source of FridgeLogic, given he can stretch and bend like he's made out of goddamn stretchy-goo.

[[AC:Fanfiction]]

* This is actually a plot point quite often on {{Fringe}}. In a recent episode, Walter was confused and upset when the heaviest element was used by another scientist (who stumbled upon it and has no idea why it's doing this either) to make people float in the sky. Yes, it makes no sense. As it turns out, this lapse in the laws of physics is a sign that our universe is about to collide with another one and destroy them both.