History Main / YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb

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* The premise of VideoGame/{{Shivers}} is that you get locked in an abandoned haunted museum on a dare.

* In a ''Literature/WarriorCats'' ExpandedUniverse story, this is why the tradition exists of having new warriors sit a silent vigil for one night to watch over the camp. A [=RiverClan=] medicine cat named Meadowpelt was worried because his Clan's young warriors were repeatedly injuring themselves doing stupid stunts, such as deciding to jump off a cliff for fun, or having a "who can fall out of a tree the hardest" contest. Eventually, he convinced them to grow up by having them sit a silent vigil for one night. They were uncertain about it at first, but Nettlepad heard a fox about to sneak into the camp and attack the nursery, and Molewhisker and Lightningpelt chased it away. This incident made them realize they never would have heard the fox if they had been playing around. They decided to take their warrior duties more seriously from then on, and the vigil tradition was instituted for all new warriors as a result.

Popular [[HorrorTropes Horror Trope]]. Often makes them TooDumbToLive. "Hey everyone, we should ''so'' go to the abandoned campground where dozens have been slaughtered in the last year and have a party with bad music and alcohol! Afterwards, [[LetsSplitUpGang we'll all split up]] and [[DeathBySex have sex]]!!"

* An InvokedTrope in ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods''. The five selected victims must be both young ''and'' ignore the HarbingerOfImpendingDoom, engage in "transgressions" (e.g. DeathBySex), and choose the manner of their demise (by going down into the CreepyBasement and handling the SchmuckBait). If they fail to do these things, the ritual can't take place. Of course the Facility does everything possible to make the selected five engage in these actions, [[EnforcedTrope including drugging them to ignore common sense.]]

* An InvokedTrope in ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods''. The five selected victims must be both young ''and'' ignore the HarbingerOfImpendingDoom, engage in "transgressions" (e.g. DeathBySex), and choose the manner of their demise (by going down into the CreepyBasement and handling the SchmuckBait). If they fail to do these things, the ritual can't take place. Of course the Facility does everything possible to make the selected five engage in these actions.

[[folder: Film]]

* In a ''Literature/WarriorCats'' ExpandedUniverse story, this is why the tradition exists of having new warriors sit a silent vigil for one night to watch over the camp. A [=RiverClan=] medicine cat named Meadowpelt was worried because his Clan's young warriors were repeatedly injuring themselves doing stupid stunts, such as deciding to jump off a cliff for fun, or having a "who can fall out of a tree the hardest" contest. Eventually, he convinced them to grow up by having them sit a silent vigil for one night, and it worked.

* In a ''Literature/WarriorCats'' ExpandedUniverse story, this is why the tradition exists of having new warriors sit a silent vigil for one night to watch over the camp. A bunch of young [=RiverClan=] warriors repeatedly do stupid stunts, such as deciding to jump off a cliff for fun, or having a "who can fall out of a tree the hardest" contest. Eventually, Meadowpelt, the Clan's medicine cat, convinces them to grow up by having them sit a silent vigil for one night, and it works.

* In a ''Literature/WarriorCats'' ExpandedUniverse story, a bunch of [=RiverClan=] apprentices and young warriors repeatedly do stupid stunts, such as deciding to jump off a cliff for fun, or having a "who can fall out of a tree the hardest" contest. Eventually, a [=RiverClan=] cat convinces them to grow up, [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext by having them sit a vigil]]. It works.

* Found in ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' as Chloe's classmates are around Year 5 (age 10 to 11) and decided that it would be such a ''smart'' idea to bully the girl who is associated with their goal to be Pokémon trainers instead of just ''asking'' her father what it would take to be one. So they bully her, mock her, and do all that is possible to break her self-confidence into nothing, resulting in one dare to fight Alola League Chamiopn Ash to cause her to run off onto the Infinity Train and to ''them'' getting exposed for their cruelty and then expelled from school. Even worse, tehy were ''warned'' earlier by Chloe to never do it again after she pummeled their ringleader with a paint can and got suspended, believing that if they just used ''words'' instead of ''actions'' then the stupid teachers wouldn't notice. Needless to say, they learned why you shouldn't bully anyone the very hard way.

* Bruce Banner became [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] because Rick Jones accepted a dare to drive onto a ''[[TooDumbToLive nuclear testing site.]]'' To his credit, Rick has spent a good chunk of the rest of his life trying to make it up to Bruce as best he can.

Contrast DeadlyPrank, where someone else is imperiled. If whatever they do ends up backfiring and yet they get out of it without a scratch, then it's NoOneShouldSurviveThat.

* The ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "The Inconveniencing" involves Wendy and her friends breaking into an abandoned convenience store, which turns out to be haunted by a [[RealityWarper reality warping]] elderly couple with a homicidal grudge against teenagers. They only survived because the ghosts were willing to negotiate with 12-year-old Dipper ([[LoopholeAbuse technically not a teen]]).

* ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'' averts this with [[WiseBeyondTheirYears Little Rock]], but later subverted somewhat when it's revealed that she hasn't heard of Music/WillieNelson, Creator/BillMurray, ''or [[UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi Gandhi]]''.

* This is basically what got [[FanFic/ABriefHistoryOfEquestria Chancellor Puddinghead]] into power: A younger generation reaching voting age that figured CrazyAwesome would be a better criterion for governing one's nation than say, competence. [[TheCaligula Or Sanity.]]

Characters (adolescent or young adults, usually) get together to do something [[FearlessFool manifestly dumb]] and often [[ForbiddenFruit prohibited]], but hey, they're young and so immortal, aren't they? The hold-outs are often persuaded because they don't want to look like a DirtyCoward, and often one of the bolder characters urges it's NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught. Visiting an abandoned house or performing a ritual are common. BullyingADragon can be a form of it; you're not afraid of him just because he can warp space and time with his thoughts! The CallReceivalArea and the ForbiddenZone are popular destinations. A particularly idiotic WildTeenParty may feature one, especially if the participants [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy got very, very drunk]].

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'', a group of college students performs a ritual that revives Solomon Grundy as a mindless rage monster. The resulting rampage begins with Grundy attacking one of them.

Characters (adolescent or young adults, usually) get together to do something [[FearlessFool manifestly dumb]] and often [[ForbiddenFruit prohibited]], but hey, they're young and so immortal, aren't they? The hold-outs are often persuaded because they don't want to look like a DirtyCoward, and often one of the bolder characters urges it's NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught. Visiting an abandoned house or performing a ritual are common. BullyingADragon can be a form of it; you're not afraid of him just because he can warp space-and-time with his thoughts! The CallReceivalArea and the ForbiddenZone are popular destinations. A particularly idiotic WildTeenParty may feature one, especially if the participients [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy got very, very drunk]].

Popular [[HorrorTropes Horror Trope]]. Often makes them TooDumbToLive. "Hey everyone, we should ''so'' go to the abandoned camp ground where dozens have been slaughtered in the last year and have a party with bad music and alcohol! Afterwards, [[LetsSplitUpGang we'll all split up]] and [[DeathBySex have sex]]!!"

* ''Literature/SkippyDies'': In a flashback to Howard's teen years, Guido LaManche rigs up his own custom-made bungee-jumping setup, and talks a bunch of friends into jumping off a cliff with it in the middle of the night. Everyone is initially gung-ho about it, but all back out out of fear, so they choose lots to see how it goes. Howard is chosen, but backs out of it out of fear, leading to his nickname "The Coward". [[spoiler: Tom]] goes in his place, and is permanently disabled after the device unsurprisingly fails and he hits the bottom.

%% * In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum'', the old Count even named his castle "Dontgonearthe Castle" to invoke this trope. It worked.

-->-- '''WebVideo/YourMovieSucksDOTOrg''' [[https://youtu.be/FSKvQBKADJU?t=223 reviewing]] ''Film/AQuietPlace''

[[folder: Advertising]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKpZ_6BSDhU This 2011 Hyundai Sonata ad.]]
-->"This year, 3 million young adults out there will get their drivers' license. Better get yourself a safe car."

[[folder: Comics]]
* Bruce Banner became [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk The Hulk]] because Rick Jones accepted a dare to drive onto a ''[[TooDumbToLive nuclear testing site.]]'' To his credit, Rick has spent a good chunk of the rest of his life trying to make it up to Bruce as best he can.
[[/folder]]

* The game of chicken in ''Film/RebelWithoutACause''.
* The game of ship's mast in ''Film/DeathProof''.
* All of the Spring Break festivities in ''Film/SpringBreakers''.

* In ''Film/{{Heathers}}'', the cow-tipping.
** In ''WesternAnimation/{{Barnyard}}'', the boy-tipping.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum'', the old Count even named his castle "Dontgonearthe Castle" to invoke this trope. It worked.

* In a ''Literature/WarriorCats'' ExpandedUniverse story, a bunch of [=RiverClan=] apprentices and young warriors repeatedly do stupid stunts, such as deciding to jump off a cliff for fun, or having a "who can fall out of a tree the hardest" contest. Eventually, a [=RiverClan=] cat convinces them to grow up, [[ItMakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext by having them sit a vigil]].

* In Creator/JulieKagawa's ''Literature/TheIronDaughter'', the nurse describes Ash's attempt to get up as this, owing to the severity of the wounds.

* ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'' and its spinoffs sometimes have to deal with the aftermath of a hazing gone wrong; ditto ''Series/{{CSI}}''.
* Alex and Max Russo in ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' define this trope to a T - so very much so that the trope could also be called 'The Alex/Max Russo Rule'.
* Sam Puckett in ''Series/ICarly''.
* Half the population of Sunnydale in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. The rest? [[ExtraStrengthMasquerade In serious denial]].