History Main / YouWouldntHitAGuyWithGlasses

* Similarly to the comics example, in one episode of the ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' cartoon, some toughs in a bar are getting belligerent with Cyclops. He tries to play it cool and says the line, but one of them says "So? ''take 'em off.''", grabs Cyke's shades, and things start to go downhill from there.

[[quoteright:349:[[Franchise/{{Superman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/guywglasses.png]]]]

Compare WouldntHitAGirl, WouldntHurtAChild, and WouldNotShootACivilian for similarly other people that it is generally deemed bad form to harm. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Also]], this trope is not about hitting Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.

The origins of this trope probably has roots in two things from Western culture: first, there was a time when wearing glasses was considered to be a sign of enfeeblement, as the only people who would need glasses were old folks, people with truly severe sight disabilities, and [[NerdGlasses people that read too many books]]. (It was assumed that the last group would not care too much about "manly" sports or training.) As a result, hitting a man with glasses was picking on somebody who was obviously weaker than the person doing the hitting. This has become a DiscreditedTrope, as the advancements in mass production of eyeglass lenses and correctly diagnosing even milder vision correction that a person needs have resulted in far more people wearing glasses than in decades past. On top of that, the fact that most people are far more likely to have to read than they did even at the start of the 20th century, the increase of screen time with televisions, computers, and even smart phones, has made the use of glasses more frequent among both the general population and in fiction.

Compare WouldntHitAGirl, WouldntHurtAChild, and WouldNotShootACivilian for similarly other people that it is generally deemed bad form to harm. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Also this trope is not about whether you're considering hitting]] [[Website/ChannelAwesome That Guy With The Glasses]].

In real life this was a legitimate concern in the past, but today anyone worrying about being blinded by broken glasses -- or for the assailant, [[SoftGlass having their knuckles cut up]] -- will be glad to hear that [[TechnologyMarchesOn technology has marched on]]. Currently (at least in the US) the lenses of virtually all glasses are made of one form of plastic or another. Due to this and other properties of the plastics used to make lenses, the lenses of modern glasses are nearly shatterproof. In fact, excluding the occasional exception, (such as Ray-Ban sunglasses, where the non prescription lenses that come with the sunglasses are usually made of glass) in order to get glass lenses made someone needs to specifically request them, (and be prepared to wait at least several weeks while the lenses are made) or have vision issues that make them unable to adequately use the plastic lenses.

There was a time when glasses were considered to be a sign of enfeeblement: the only people who would need glasses were old folks, people with sight disabilities, and [[NerdGlasses people that read too many books]] (it was thought that such people would not care too much about "manly" sports or training). As a result, hitting a man with glasses was picking on somebody who was obviously weaker than the person doing the hitting. This is becoming a DiscreditedTrope, as the advent of the internet and cell phones, which makes people stare at screens much more than they used to, made the use of glasses more frequent outside of those groups.

%% Image selected via crowner in the Image Suggestion thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/ImagePickin/ImageSuggestions68

[[quoteright:203:[[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfield_glasses.png]]]][[caption-width-right:203:Well, not in the face, at least.]]

For anyone with poor eyesight, HoldMyGlasses is still a good idea prior to a fight, because while the ''lenses'' may not shatter, the ''frames'' that hold the lenses are not the most durable of objects, and no one wants to be stuck in a BlindWithoutEm situation.

** In "Scrap Happy Daffy", WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck uses this against a goat. When the goat goes to [[LiteralAssKicking attack Daffy's rear]], a pair of glasses appear on his tail feathers too.

'''Candy:''' You'd hit a guy ''with'' glasses... That, heh...that's...well played.

In real life this was a legitimate concern in the past, but today anyone worrying about being blinded by broken glasses -- or for the assailant, [[SoftGlass having their knuckles cut up]] -- will be glad to hear that [[TechnologyMarchesOn technology has marched on]]. Currently (at least in the US) the lenses of virtually all glasses are made of one form of plastic or another. Due to this and other properties of the plastics used to make lenses, the lenses of modern glasses are nearly shatterproof. In fact, excluding the occasional exception, (such as Ray-Ban sunglasses, where the non prescription lenses that come with the sunglasses are usually made of glass) in order to get glass lenses made someone needs to specifically request them, (and be prepared to wait at least several weeks while the lenses are made) or have vision issues that make them unable to adequately use the plastic lenses. There was a time when glasses were considered to be a sign of enfeeblement (only an old person or a person who was physically underdeveloped would need them), thus hitting a man with glasses was picking on somebody who was obviously weaker than the person doing the hitting.

In real life this was a legitimate concern in the past, but today anyone worrying about being blinded by broken glasses -- or for the assailant, [[SoftGlass having their knuckles cut up]] -- will be glad to hear that [[TechnologyMarchesOn technology has marched on]]. Currently (at least in the US) the lenses of virtually all glasses are made of one form of plastic or another. Due to this and other properties of the plastics used to make lenses, the lenses of modern glasses are nearly shatterproof. In fact, excluding the occasional exception, (such as Ray-Ban sunglasses, where the non prescription lenses that come with the sunglasses are usually made of glass) in order to get glass lenses made someone needs to specifically request them, (and be prepared to wait at least several weeks while the lenses are made) or have vision issues that make them unable to adequately use the plastic lenses.

->'''King Candy:''' ''[pulls out a pair of glasses]'' You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you? ''[Ralph grabs them and knocks King Candy on the head with the frames]'' You hit a guy ''with'' glasses... That, heh...that's...well played.

* In ''Vivacious Lady'', the Apt. Manager (Franklin Pangborn) says that he has glasses, but they're being fixed, reminding Peter (James Stewart) that he shouldn't hit a man with glasses.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''Webcomic/AxisPowersHetalia'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Japan never asked this question even as he wore [[Anime/DeathNote Teru Mikami]]'s glasses with his [[{{Cosplay}} cosplay]]. Not that that stopped [[DrillSergeantNasty Germany]] from punching his glasses straight off and shattering the spectacles during their [[CockFight cock fight]].

->'''King Candy:''' ''[pulls out a pair of glasses]'' You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you? ''[Ralph grabs them and knocks King Candy on the head with the frames]'' You hit a guy ''with'' glasses... [[ActuallyPrettyFunny That, heh...that's...well played.]]

->'''King Candy:''' ''[pulls out a pair of glasses]'' You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?\\
''[Ralph grabs them and knocks King Candy on the head with the frames]''\\
'''King Candy:''' You hit a guy ''with'' glasses... [[ActuallyPrettyFunny That, heh...that's...well played.]]

''(Clumsy promptly removes his own glasses and ''[[WouldHitAGirl knocks Fat Broad]] [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender for a loop]]'' with them)''

''(Clumsy promptly removes his own glasses and ''[[WouldHitAGirl knocks Fat Broad]] [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender for a loop]]'' with them [[note]] predating ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' by [[OlderThanTheyThink several decades]] with the VisualPun of hitting someone ''[[AmbiguousSyntax with]]'' glasses[[/note]])''

''(Clumsy promptly removes his own glasses and ''[[WouldHitAGirl knocks Fat Broad]] [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender for a loop]]'' with them [[note]][[OlderThanTheyThink predating]] ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' by several decades with the VisualPun of hitting someone ''[[AmbiguousSyntax with]]'' glasses[[/note]])''

''(Clumsy promptly removes his own glasses and ''[[WouldHitAGirl knocks Fat Broad]] [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender for a loop]]'' with them[[note]][[OlderThanTheyThink predating]] ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' by several decades with the VisualPun of hitting someone ''[[AmbiguousSyntax with]]'' glasses[[/note]])''

''[Clumsy promptly removes his own glasses and ''[[WouldHitAGirl knocks Fat Broad]] [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender for a loop]]'' with them[[note]][[OlderThanTheyThink predating]] ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' by several decades with the VisualPun of hitting someone ''[[AmbiguousSyntax with]]'' glasses[[/note]]]''

''[Clumsy promptly removes his own glasses and ''[[WouldHitAGirl knocks Fat Broad]] [[SlapstickKnowsNoGender for a loop]]'' with them[[note}}[[OlderThanTheyThink predating]] ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' by several decades with the VisualPun of hitting someone ''[[AmbiguousSyntax with]]'' glasses[[/note]]]''