Discussion Main / SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining

Anybody else curious as to why this trope shows up in fiction dealing with world-class assassins? It seems like a good grasp of behavioral and cultural norms should be an absolutely vital skill to an elite contract killer; someone who can at least act perfectly normal and blend in would attract a lot less suspicion and have an easier time approaching their target compared to the silent, creepy weirdo with a permanent thousand-yard stare who can't tie his own shoes.

Granted, it's not too important if you're talking about someone who's sniping targets from a long ways off with a fancy rifle, but you also probably don't need to take out a multimillion-dollar contract with Highly-Trained Creepy Dudes R' Us for that kind of hit, since a garden-variety hitman with a good eye is probably a lot cheaper to hire and just as hard to trace back to you.

Live Action TV, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy Summers spends so much time training and slaying that she misses out on many things normal girls her age do, and thus the basic experiences of a (when the show starts) 16 year old girl. Also often neglects schoolwork, though she tries to make it up — it's obvious she would know more if saving the world didn't take up all of her time.