History Main / YouAreACreditToYourRace

* Like many prey animals in ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'', rabbit Judy Hopps initially buys into the theory that predators are predominantly dangerous and might have savage, aggressive urges they are simply unable to control. When Nick [[WhatTheHellHero gets upset at her]] because [[spoiler:she was provoked into delivering a press conference that was discriminatory towards predator species]], she tries to tell him that he's not like other predators. [[PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure The fallout is quick and painful for her]], leading to a HeelRealization on her part.
-->'''Judy:''' Nick. Stop it. You're not like them.\\

--> '''Colonel:''' Remember, you're the first colored officer most of these men ever seen. The Army expects you to set an example for the colored troops... and be a credit to your race.
* ''Film/District9'' has an [[FantasticRacism alien vs. human variation]] early on, when Wikus van de Merwe and the MNU camera crew are trying to evict the aliens from the titular slum. When they hand alien Christopher Johnson a clipboard with the paperwork, he asks why he's being evicted, (rightly) points out that what they're doing is illegal, they're required by law to give him 24 hours advance warning before an eviction. Wikus then turns to his colleagues to discuss their strategy.
-->'''Wikus:''' ''[speaking about Christopher]'' [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything This one's a little sharper than the others, yeah?]]
* The ''Film/StarTrek2009'' movie has Spock welcomed into the Vulcan Science Academy in such a manner. "It is truly remarkable, Spock, that you have achieved so much, despite [[HalfHumanHybrid your disadvantage]] [...] Your human mother". Spock declines the offer (reminding them that by their own metric, their perfect record of accepting the offer to join among Vulcans still stands, as he is a "half-human" instead) and then turns it back on them with a [[StealthInsult viciously subtexted]] [[CatchPhrase "Live long and prosper"]] [[ParentheticalSwearing that sounds like]] a PrecisionFStrike. Brilliantly paraphrased by someone as "Live long and prosper... and the horse you rode in on" or "[[WebVideo/BumReviews Live long and suck it!]]" Many fans also translate it as "Live long and ''fuck you''."
* In ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ThePhantomMenace'', Watto describes Anakin as a credit to his species. Justified, since he and Qui-Gon were talking about pod racing and the only reason Anakin stands a chance is his force sensivity. Even so he had never finished a race up to that point.
%%* In ''Film/ThePatriot2000'', [[KnowledgeBroker Capt. Wilkins]] and [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor Tavington]].
%%* {{Boy Wonder}} has Detective Stenson pulls this on Ames.

* In ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'', the titular character practically says this verbatim to Azeem after the battle of Sherwood Forest, adding that he fought better than twenty English knights. The context implies that it is said with no malice and pure admiration.
* ''Film/SylviesLove'': Lacy's co-worker's wife lauds the Parkers for barely seeming (what she considers) black, as they're affluent folks with good jobs, a nice house, and "good diction".

* Happens to black Yo-less in ''[[Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy Johnny and the Bomb]]''. It's to be expected in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-era England, though.
* This is one of the primary ideas discussed in the superhero satire, ''Literature/TalesOfTheAstonishingBlackSpark''; The satire discusses this both in its subtext, and directly. Donald sees himself as "one of the smart ones" in reference to his race. He is constantly referenced as "speaking well" and lacks, for the most part, the ability to use AAVE (African-American Vernacular English). However, these things act just as detrimental to his psyche as they are in making him, to certain people, 'exceptional'.

** Professor Horace Slughorn zig-zags this. He seems to honestly realize that prejudice based on blood purity is wrong, but is also surprised when {{Muggle}}borns like Lily and Hermione are so talented. He also naturally assumes that [[BigBad Tom Riddle]] is from some old, noble family, which is only half true. There is some justification for his surprise in that Muggleborns [[FishOutOfWater would have a harder adapting to the Wizard society and lack a great deal of common knowledge their peers have]], having not know anything about magic until they're 12 or so.
** Speaking of Tom Riddle, it is highly suggested (both in the books proper and in [[WordOfGod Rowling's comments]]) that he views ''himself'' as a credit to his race. To wit, Tom Riddle's genocidal hatred of Muggles stems from his own half-Muggle heritage. To compensate for this, Riddle (as Voldemort) has developed a ''huge'' [[ItsAllAboutMe sense of self]]. Furthermore, both the books themselves and Rowling's [[WordOfGod personal comments]] have also suggested that Voldemort is willing to accept half-bloods and even Muggle-borns into the Death Eaters based on certain conditions. For the former group, it could be that he looks at Death Eaters whose wizarding ancestors are particularly prominent, like himself [[spoiler:and Severus Snape]]. However, it's not so much "YouAreACreditToYourRace" as it is "You are such a good follower for me that I don't care if you're not pure-blood."
** In an inversion, the Malfoy and Black families see the Weasleys as a disgrace to wizardkind despite them being a pureblood family, calling them [[CategoryTraitor "blood traitors;"]] one member of the Black family was even disowned for marrying a Weasley.

** Speaking of [[spoiler:Snape, it's possible that he viewed his friend/crush Lily Evans (Muggle-born) as this during their Hogwarts years. During this time period, Snape also hung around many Slytherins, most of whom became Death Eaters and therefore did not share his (barely) enlightened views. Of course, given how Snape [[{{Jerkass}} is more or less intolerant of]] ''[[{{Jerkass}} anyone]]'' who isn't Lily or Dumbledore, it's not really this trope, but rather "You are the only one I actually like." [[DeconstructedTrope It gets deconstructed]] after he publicly called her a FantasticSlur ("Mudblood") then tried to apologize using this trope. She pointedly asked ''what'' makes her different from any other Muggle-born and ended her friendship with him.]]
* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} book ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', this comes up a few times. For example, Sgt. Colon says that a fellow who runs a Klatchian takeaway is "not bad for a raghead". This may be PretendPrejudice, though, because Sgt. Colon eats there regularly, and while he believes absurd things about Klatchians, he doesn't actually mistreat any of them - he even seems genuinely perturbed when immediately after the above, [[DaChief Vimes]] takes him aside for a [[TranquilFury very quiet talk]] about racial epithets that leaves Colon shaking and puzzled, since ''he'' doesn't mind what people call him (this [[HypocriticalHumour being a Discworld book]], he immediately corrects one of his colleagues who uses his name rather than his rank). There's some TruthInTelevision behind this: many people in real life will hold very negative views of a particular race, yet still like and respect individual members of said race. [[note]]It's remarked on in-universe that he picked up this attitude out of nowhere when popular sentiment turned against Klatch and dumps it immediately after the current crisis; he's so prone to this kind of thing that his bosses use him as a kind of weather-vane for what "the man on the street" is thinking. After some time in Klatch on a very strange adventure with Nobby Nobbs and Lord Vetinari, he implicitly re-examines a number of his prejudices, [[NotSoDifferentRemark realising that Klatchians aren't that different.]][[/note]]
* In ''{{Literature/Malevil}}'', Emmanuel makes a comment concerning his foreign lover Birgitta. He "complements" her work ethic as "not being backwards" before stating Germans have no real sense of direction or motivation.
* Done frequently in Creator/HilariBell's ''Trickster's Girl''. The shapeshifter Raven has a very poor opinion of humans, but thinks well of Kelsa. Whenever he lets her know this, she's too offended by his opinion of humanity to care that she's being complimented.
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': The book is filled with FantasticRacism. For example, Frodo shares his view of the Big People (Men) and Aragorn (Strider) with Gandalf:
--> '''Frodo''': For I have become very fond of Strider. Well, fond is not the right word. I mean he is dear to me; though he is strange, and grim at times. In fact, he reminds me often of you. I didn't know that any of the Big People were like that. [[InnocentBigot I thought,]] well, that they were just big, and rather stupid: [[DumbIsGood kind and stupid]] like Butterbur; or [[StupidEvil stupid and wicked]] like Bill Ferny. But then we don't know much about Men in the Shire, except perhaps the Breelanders.\\
'''Gandalf''': You don't know much even about them, if you think old Barliman is stupid...
* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', Andalites are very prejudiced against the disabled, or ''vecols'', and expect them to live lives of quiet isolation so as not to bring shame to their families. In one book, the main characters discover a famous Andalite AcePilot who was permanently crippled in his last mission and is hiding out on Earth. Ax makes bigoted remarks about him throughout the whole book and even gripes about having to rescue him. But in the end, when they finally meet face to face, Ax promises to "remember him as he was", or to pretend the pilot died in battle instead of becoming a vecol. This is intended as and is taken as a great compliment.
* Averted in [[Creator/NathanielHawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s [[https://books.google.com/books?id=vWxMAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=nathaniel+hawthorne+honor+to+his+race&source=bl&ots=pmjAWnXOZM&sig=uy4ZOOh4lBVgqQ7aT2wVaWbDiSE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHncHdlvPVAhVIziYKHaBuC-YQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=race&f=false The House of Seven Gables]]. In Hawthorne's time (1851), the expression did not refer to ethnicity, but rather to family.
-->"Judge Pyncheon was unquestionably ''an honor to his race''. He had built himself a country seat within a few miles of his native town, and there spent such portions of his time as could be spared from public service in the display of every grace and virtue--as a newspaper phrased it on the eve of an election--befitting the Christian, the good citizen, the horticulturist, and the gentleman."
-->"As for Matthew Maule's posterity, it was supposed now to be extinct. For a very long period after the witchcraft delusion, however, the Maules had continued to inhabit the town where their progenitor had suffered so unjust a death. To all appearances, ''they were a quiet, honest, well-meaning race of people'', cherishing no malice against individuals or the public, for the wrong which had been done them; or if, at their own fireside, they transmitted, from father to child, any hostile recollections of the wizard's fate, and their lost patrimony, it was never acted upon, nor openly expressed."
-->"Phoebe, it must be understood, was that one little off-shoot of ''the Pyncheon race'' to whom we have already referred, as a native of a rural part of New England, where the old fashions and feelings of relationship are still partially kept up."
* ''Literature/TheHeartsWeSold'': The Daemon, along with most of his kind, doesn't think very highly of humans. (Not that he hates them or anything -- he just thinks of them as interesting but inconsequential at best, and annoying wrenches in his plans at worst.) The exception to this is the heartless troop, a group of human teenagers on his payroll. ''After'' they've proven themselves multiple times over. Dee, in particular, seems to be a human that has his respect.

* In ''Literature/MagikOnline'', Concordia, an empire built around dragon superiority and conquest of lesser species, openly practices exceptionalism; three of its Ministers (the highest ranks below the Grandmaster) are non-dragons (A Bullman, a Hob, with Brina's species a mystery). Though emphasis should be placed on ''exceptional'', you have to be particularly skilled, intelligent, and powerful if you want to break the glass ceiling.
* ''Literature/OlgaDiesDreaming'': Olga and Prieto's grandmother buys her home from a Mr. Olsen. Tia Lola, Olga's aunt, tells her that he loved her mother and was nice to her family, but was not fond of Puerto Ricans in general, and said things like "If only all Puerto Ricans were like your family!" whenever the kids bring in the mail.
* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'':
** Mister D, aka Dionysus, does not like demigods, and is anything but friendly to those at Camp Halfblood. That sounds [[BoomerangBigot strange]], because he was once a demigod and later made to a pure god, and he has also children with human women. However, he does seem to like his own children, and later he tells Percy that he's fine for a demigod. Of course this probably has more to do with the fact that he's being forced to watch over the Demigods at the Camp as a punishment from Zeus. He doesn't have anything against them personally, he'd just much rather be doing something else.
** Annabeth and Percy's half-brother Tyson start like this. Tyson is a cyclops, and Annabeth and her friends have been attacked by vicious cyclops in the past. When he shows on his first mission how heroic he is, Annabeth plays this trope as she says he is not like other cyclops. In the course of the plot, they become real friends, to the point that Annabeth breaks some rules of the camp for his sake.
** Zoe Nightshade is a special case. Like almost all [[AmazonBrigade Hunter of Artemis]], she despises and hates men (and even boys). But after experiencing an adventure with Percy and seeing him and his actions, she makes an exception for him among the men. But this is more a variant of ''You are a credit to your gender.''
* ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments''
** Simon gets this from two different angles. Alec Lightwood dislikes vampires. Most [[{{Nephilim}} shadowhunters]] [[FantasticRacism do not like downworlders]], but he especially hates vampires. He insults vampires several times when Simon is nearby, but always that Simon is not like the others. Then, in ''Literature/TalesFromTheShadowhunterAcademy'' Simon is no longer a vampire, but has become [[BroughtDownToNormal mundane]] again. And the other shadowhunters he trains with are always referring to mundanes, but then they point out that Simon is not like the other mundanes, eventually leading to Simon blowing up at them.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/PebbleInTheSky'': In chapter 20, "The Deadline That Was Reached", the colonel of the Galactic Empire is unashamedly racist against Earthmen, but as Balkis (an Earthman) manipulates him by claiming that long imprisonment is acceptable as long as the truth of treason against the Galactic Empire is uncovered, the colonel sees him as doing his duty for the GalacticSuperpower and gives Balkis the greatest compliment that he can.

* In ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ThePhantomMenace'', Watto describes Anakin as a credit to his species. Of course, most humans ''can't'' do what Anakin can.

* [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/get-to-know-solas-they-said This]] ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings'' strip, which illustrates [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition gaining Solas' respect]] as a Qunari. The Inquisitor's response is (sadly) not available to the PlayerCharacter.

** Possibly [[PlayingWithTropes played with]]. When Watto tells Qui-Gon that Anakin is "a credit to your race", Anakin is about to enter a podrace, more or less on Qui-Gon's behalf. So Watto may have meant "Anakin is a credit to the human race" ''[[DoubleMeaning or]]'' "Anakin is a credit to your efforts in today's podrace".

* In ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', Rudol Von Stroheim (a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi Officer]]) goes to a group of Mexican prisoners and makes them choose which one of them will be [[{{Ghostapo}} sacrificed to the "Pillar Man".]] One boy stands up to offer himself to save the rest, and Stroheim is so impressed by his bravery that he chooses to [[YouWillBeSpared spare him]] and kill the rest [[CruelMercy (giving the boy exactly what he did]] ''[[CruelMercy not]]'' [[CruelMercy want)]].

* ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'': Dracula comments when he first meets [[Characters/Castlevania2017Protagonists Lisa]] that she's unlike any human he's ever met before. After falling in love with her and after her subsequent murder drives him over the edge, Dracula at one point rants that Lisa was the only thing that made humans' continued existence upon the world justifiable.

** A humorous inversion from ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', when Fry thinks believes he's a robot and saves everyone.

* A darker variation occurs in ''Manga/OnePiece'' when Arlong goes into one of his racist tirades against humans and Nami tells him she's already heard it. Arlong apologizes to her, saying he would make an exception for her since she can't help what species she is. He continuously praises her skills as a navigator and says she's the one human he values the most.
** Later, Arlong says to Luffy that while the rest of humanity are rats, Nami is a cat. Any rebellious behavior from her would be seen as cute.
** Arlong also respects Captain Nezumi for their mutual MoneyFetish.

%%* In ''Film/ThePatriot'', [[KnowledgeBroker Capt. Wilkins]] and [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor Tavington]].

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': The bigoted Mr. Carlo, Alderman Fenwick's assistant, assumes that all Black people are unintelligent, so when Louis de Pointe du Lac exhibits a high degree of business acumen, Carlo compliments Louis' cleverness in a manner which is ''extremely'' condescending. After being constantly patronized by rich Caucasian businessmen whom he had to display deference to throughout his human lifespan, Louis -- who is now a vampire -- is so pissed off that he consumes Carlo's blood and kills him.

* ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'': After spending three straight cases disparaging Japan and Ryunosuke's capabilities as a lawyer, Barok Van Zieks admits at the end of the fifth that Ryunosuke has pretty good skill and instincts, "despite being a Nipponese".