History Main / AnalogyBackfire

* WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} tries to illustrate how ogres have hidden depths by telling Donkey that [[MemeticMutation "ogres are like onions,"]] only for Donkey to latch onto various aspects of onions that, while valid, aren't what Shrek was going for, [[SidetrackedByTheAnalogy as well as several foods with layers that otherwise have very little in common with either onions or ogres.]] Shrek also completely misses the point in that onions don't have hidden depths at all - every layer is the same right down to the core, which is also just more onion--making it work better as a metaphor for JerkWithAHeartOfJerk than JerkWithAHeartOfGold. The onion metaphor originated in the play ''Theatre/PeerGynt'', where it stood for the irredeemable VillainProtagonist's soul. In-universe he used the analogy because he just happened to have an onion in his hand at the time; when Donkey grasps his meaning he suggests cake and parfait as better analogies.
** Later in the film, when Shrek is rescuing [[DamselInDistress Fiona]], she learns that he diddn't slay the dragon yet. She starts [[WhatTheHellHero chastising hime for it]] and stated that the previous knights had attempted to do it, in which [[JerkassHasAPoint Shrek points out that they all got killed]], and even pass by their charred remains.

'''Mr. Burns:''' Nonsense, [[DogsAreDumb dogs are idiots.]] Think about it Smithers, if I came into your room and started sniffing at your crotch and slobbering all over your face, what would you say?\\

* Fender ends up doing this to himself in ''WesternAnimation/{{Robots}}''. When the two arrive at Robot City, Fender reassures Rodney by telling him he knows the city like the back of his hand, then immediately afterwards suddenly notices something new about the back of his hand, which distracts him from the giant swinging hammer that hits him in the back. All this to show that Fender knows neither Robot City nor the back of his hand very well.

* While at an island's flea market in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10909485/1/ And Nothing But The Truth]]'', [[Manga/OnePiece Usopp]] takes interest in a gold ball which the woman selling it, Martel, explains that there's a legend of it making people speak the truth while testifying in court, though describes it as a story to get people to speak the truth like the Liar Noland Story in the North Blue. Unlike Martel, the Straw Hats not only know that Noland was a real person, but that he did find a city of gold only for part of Jaya with the city to be shot up into the Sky Sea, leading the greedy king to execute Noland [[MaliciousSlander and frame him as a liar for generations to come]]. Luffy wants to correct her, but Usopp stops him, figuring it's best not to get started on that crazy and long story of [[Recap/OnePieceSkypieaArc Skypiea]]. Much later, it turns out that while Noland was real but actually honest, the stories of the gold sphere are as real as they were told.

** When Archer lets Caster escape instead of finishing her off, Shirou calls him Franchise/{{Batman}} and asks him why he let ComicBook/{{Zatanna}} get away. Archer points out Batman doesn't kill and Zatanna is a good guy.

* Another joke involves a young man from a Christian family (some versions have him being a preacher's son) with long hair who has recently gotten his driver's license. The father dislikes his son's hair, so he tells the kid he won't buy him a car until he cuts his hair. The kid protests, "Come on, Dad, Jesus had long hair!" The father replies, "Well, son, Jesus walked everywhere he went too."

* ''Webcomic/{{Life}}'' has [[http://www.cha0sden.com/Life.php?comic=145 the conversation between Felicia and Madison]] following Felicia's complaint that [[ShowWithinAShow her webcomic]] hasn't had any hits.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': In "Dungeon Train", Finn remarks that "Dating girls is like riding a bicycle. [[LoveHurts If you mess up, you could really get hurt forever, or hurt someone you care about]]."

--->'''Chief Wiggum:''' Fat Tony is a cancer on our city! He is the cancer, and I am the... what cures cancer?

** Subverted in "[[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/blind Blind]]", as paraphrased below, this time by the analogy working after all:

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}''; "[[Recap/RugratsS3E9Reptar2010StuGetsAJob Stu gets a Job]]":

** In [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/extra-sausage "Extra Sausage"]], an educated pizza boy refuses to be seduced by a lady who ordered ''extra sausage'' because the kind of sausage they use on pizza isn't remotely phallic.[[note]]You could say he's missing the point that it's about the expression "extra sausage" being used with different meanings rather than the physical sausage being a metaphor, but that would reveal that it's a {{pun}} instead, and what intellectual snob is going to value a pun? (Unless it's in Latin, of course.)[[/note]]

** In [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/extra-sausage "Extra Sausage"]], an educated pizza boy refuses to be seduced by a lady who ordered ''extra sausage'' because the kind of sausage they use on pizza isn't remotely phallic.[[note]]You could say he's missing the point that it's about the expression "extra sausage" being used with different meanings rather than the physical sausage being a metaphor, but that would reveal that it's a {{pun}} instead, and what intellectual snob is going to value a pun (unless it's in Latin)?[[/note]]

** In [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/extra-sausage "Extra Sausage"]], an educated pizza boy refuses to be seduced by a lady who ordered ''extra sausage'' because the kind of sausage they use on pizza isn't remotely phallic.[[note]]You could say he's missing the point that it's about the expression "extra sausage" being used with different meanings rather than the physical sausage being a metaphor, but that would reveal that it's a {{pun}} instead, and what intellectual snob is going to value a pun that's not in Latin?[[/note]]

** In [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/extra-sausage "Extra Sausage"]], an educated pizza boy refuses to be seduced by a lady who ordered ''extra sausage'' because the kind of sausage they use on pizza isn't remotely phallic.[[note]]You could say he's missing the point that it's about the expression "extra sausage" being used with different meanings rather than the physical sausage being a metaphor, but that would reveal that it's a {{pun}} instead, and what intellectual snob is going to value a pun?[[/note]]

** In [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/extra-sausage "Extra Sausage"]], an educated pizza boy refuses to be seduced by a lady who ordered extra sausage because the kind of sausage they use on pizza isn't remotely phallic.[[note]]You could say he's missing the point that it's about the expression "extra sausage" being used with different meanings rather than the physical sausage being a metaphor, but that would reveal that it's a {{pun}} instead, and what intellectual snob is going to value a pun?[[/note]]

* Subverted in "[[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/blind Blind]]", as paraphrased below, this time by the analogy working after all:

-->'''Culprit''' [[note]][[spoiler:Celes]][[/note]]: If I am to be reborn, I would surely be UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette.
-->'''Other Juror''' [[note]][[spoiler:Hagakure]][[/note]]: ... You'll still get executed in the end, though...

* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', when Eiko Takao meets StudentCouncilPresident Makoto Niijima, she's so shocked by seeing that Makoto has a Buchimaru-kun pencil case that she says her impression of Makoto as an overly serious "robot" did "a complete 360 today." Makoto then points out that it's a full circle, the opposite of the usual expression, a 180(or in other words, turning to the opposite direction).