History Main / AndThatWouldBeWrong

** There's a variation earlier:

** V has a habit of this...
--->'''Vaarsuvius:''' Of course not. [[IHaveThisFriend None of us]] would ever tamper with the fundamental nature of reality when bored. That would be wrong.

-->'''Vaarsuvius:''' Of course not. [[IHaveThisFriend None of us]] would ever tamper with the fundamental nature of reality when bored. That would be wrong.

* [[http://www.hlcomic.com/index.php?date=2005-11-28 Comic #081]] of ''Webcomic/{{Concerned}}'' has Gordon Frohman discuss how his replica strider would make a rampage in Ravenholm if activated.

A protagonist-but-not-hero character makes a casual proposition for solving a problem that is immoral, disgusting, murderous, and/or violent. A beat goes by, in which the other protagonists look at him with perplexity, disbelief, mistrust, and/or anger in their eyes. He quickly adds, "And/But that would be wrong," or some other halfhearted attempt to save face. This is seldom mentioned again, even when the guy is [[SociopathicHero TOO given to making such propositions]].

--> "None. Because that would be murder [[CaptainObvious and then I'd be in prison]] and I wouldn't get to be on ''Series/DoctorWho''.

* A catch phrase of Hollywood, a human figure on Hanna-Barbera's ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'' show, was "Ain't that cute...'''''BUT IT'S WRONG!!!''''' whenever the Little Dog said something rather obtuse.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "The Shakespeare Code", the Doctor and Martha realize they have a chance to see one of Shakespeare's "lost plays", ''Love's Labour's Won''.

'''The Doctor:''' ...No.\\

** After Buffy and Faith undergo a FreakyFridayFlip in the fourth season, the latter assumes this to be Buffy's catchphrase (that and "you can't do that") and uses it extensively in rehearsing for her new "role". Later she taunts vampire Spike with a FetishFuel description of what a hot chick with SuperStrength could do to him, then finishes with a smirk: "But that would be ''wrong...''"

Not to be confused with AndThatsTerrible. Compare CouldSayItBut, ShuttingUpNow, or JustJokingJustification.

Not to be confused with AndThatsTerrible. Compare CouldSayItBut, ShuttingUpNow.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', when [[spoiler:Sensei Greg is forced to close his dojo]], Greg states that part of the reason is because that his training could give people random, unpredictable powers, which could easily turn into a case of BadPowersBadPeople, BadPowersGoodPeople, PowerIncontinence, etc.

** Note that there is no sign of it being a last-second addition or halfhearted. He is completely sincere on both points.

* Used almost verbatim by Creator/RogerEbert in his [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111012/REVIEWS/111019994 review of the 2011 remake]] of the 1984 movie ''Film/{{Footloose}}'', complete with Wiki word capitalization.

-->--''Series/FullHouse''

'''Danny:''' Well I could do that. But that would be wrong.
-->-- ''Series/FullHouse''

A protagonist-but-not-hero character makes a casual proposition for solving a problem that is immoral, disgusting and/or murderous and violent. A beat goes by, in which the other protagonists look at him with perplexity, disbelief, mistrust or anger in their eyes. He quickly adds, "And/But that would be wrong." or other half-hearted attempt to save face. This is seldom mentioned again, even when the guy is [[SociopathicHero TOO given to making such propositions.]]

* Played seriously and darkly in ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead.'' When faced with awful problems, the protagonists often come up with awful solutions, then say, "And That Would Be Wrong." As the series progresses, they say it more and more quietly, as "wrong" becomes more and more of a necessary option.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

'''Loo:''' We can raise the money, that's no problem. (''reaches up, pulls down a large microphone and speaks into it'') ''[[BadBadActing But that would be wrong]]''.
* In ''MuppetsMostWanted'' Fozzie's reaction to learning how The Muppets have been selling out tickets to their terrible shows is... pragmatic.

-->'''Walter:'''Huh?
-->'''Fozzie:'''I mean... th- th- th- that's terrible.

* In one episode of ''Series/HappyEndings'' Jane's boss the Car Czar pulls this, in the too emphatically denying version of this.

-->'''Car Czar:''' Does the Car Czar have a camera in the woman's bathroom? *awkward pause* No! I do not and would not. But yeah, I want to come to dinner.
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', "Onyx", [[TheSmartGirl Chloe]] says this when she [[BlatantLies unconvincingly denies]] ever [[HollywoodHacking hacking]] into security cameras.

-->'''Dexter:''' I could make things so much easier for Rita... but that would be wrong.

-->'''Mal:''' I've given Jayne here the job of finding out.\\
'''Jayne:''' (''brandishing a big knife'') He was non-specific as to how.\\
'''Mal:''' (''whispering'') Now, you only got to scare him.\\
'''Jayne:''' (''annoyed'') Pain is scary...
** Downplayed "Shindig" near the end after Mal [[spoiler:wins the duel against Atherton]].
-->'''Mal:''' Mercy is the mark of a great man.
-->(''Mal jabs Atherton with his sword'')
-->'''Mal:''' Guess I'm just a good man.
-->(''Mal wounds him again for good measure'')
-->'''Mal:''' Well, I'm all right.
* Subverted in ''Series/{{Deadwood}}'', when MemeticBadass Al Swearengen and FauxAffablyEvil Cy Tolliver have a saloon proprietor to saloon proprietor conversation, with Al complaining about the "hoopleheads" who patronize his joint: "Sometimes I wish we could just hit them over the head, rob them, and dump their bodies in the creek." Tolliver (arguably the more evil of the two men by virtue of enjoying his sociopathy) replies dryly "But that would be wrong." The subversion is that neither man would shy away from such an act on moral grounds, only practical ones (killing your customers today means no customers tomorrow), and both have in fact done much worse things.

-->'''Lassiter:''' If I weren't a cop, I would shoot him in a darkened alley and leave evidence to suggest that his own people were behind it... and when I say I, I mean a fake, imaginary detective to be played by Creator/PowersBoothe.

* In one ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' episode, Peggy has to go back to school to complete her home-ec credit and ends up in the same class as Kelly. A girl in the class leaned over and said, "Hey, Kelly, you up for vandalizing the graveyard tonight?" very casually, as if this was a normal activity for them. Seeing Peggy's shocked look, Kelly says, "No, Susan. That would be wrong."

-->'''Bernadette:''' Oh, I take pacts very seriously. One time at my lab, a petri dish of genetically modified super-virus went missing. That day we made a {{pinky swear}} never to admit we crossed Ebola with the common cold.\\

'''Bernadette:''' We never did. (''beat'') That would be a terrible, terrible thing.
* From ''Series/{{Bones}}'', Colin Fisher, who had recently been in a mental hospital, describes a victim's injury: "The brain would have bled out, thus releasing him into sweet oblivion." (beat) "Which is death, and is sad, not happy."
* Inverted in an episode of ''Series/TheWestWing'': Burt Ganz, an old friend of Toby's, is in town, to testify on behalf of his company against a law that would force companies to pay to clean up the pollution they cause. Ganz approaches Toby to tell him that the company has been disposing of illegal amounts of cancer-causing material, that he's known this for years, and that he wants Toby to get him immunity so he can blow the whistle during the hearings. Midway through a conversation with Ganz, Josh and a White House lawyer, Toby says they should get Ganz the immunity, not just for his sake, but because announcing it during the hearings will devastate the corporations' arguments against the law.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', "The Shakespeare Code", the Doctor and Martha realize they have a chance to see one of Shakespeare's "lost plays", ''Love's Labour's Won''.

-->(''Kate catches Tony listening through the door to Jen's room as her parents yell at her'')\\
'''Kate:''' (''whispering'') What are you doing?!\\
'''Tony:''' Uh... listening.\\

(''they both nod, then put their ears to the door'')
* From an episode of ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', Nathan describes that the villain of the week sets himself up with mob ties, so if the feds ever come snooping around his real profits (a stock fraud scheme)... Parker interrupts: "he'll trade his mob records for immunity and a new identity. Swweeeet! (''beat'') I mean, evil, and... clever, but... ''bad''."

-->'''Beka:''' I could say that talks with the fish people are floundering... but that would be wrong.
* Alluded to in season 5 of ''Series/TheWalkingDead'': after [[spoiler: escaping captivity from a group of cannibals and finding another captive that's distracting zombies and therefore opening a way out for the core cast]], Rick proposes to leave immediately. Daryl instead talks him into [[spoiler: helping the captive]].
--> '''Daryl''': [[spoiler: We can't leave him behind.]] This is still who we are. It has to be.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''
** Vaarsuvius, in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0696.html "Still a Long Way to Go"]], points out that, "As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero." Cue other [=OOTSers=] looking at him/her funny, [[{{Familiar}} Blackwing]] whispering, and V invokes ([[TropeNamer and names]]) the trope.

-->'''Haley:''' I mean, there's probably some ubermagic that would bind his soul or something... but that's kinda on the Evil side of the street if you ask me.\\

(''{{beat panel}}'')\\

** Also, in [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0171.html "The Prisoner Dilemma"]], Haley decides slavery is wrong after all. Seems she has since decided that [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0750.html it was wrong indeed.]] [[CharacterDevelopment Progress is progress]].

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', [[spoiler:when Sensei Greg is forced to close his dojo,]] Greg states that part of the reason is because that his training could give people random, unpredictable powers, which could easily turn into a case of BadPowersBadPeople, BadPowersGoodPeople, PowerIncontinence, etc.

::Note that there is no sign of it a last-second addition or half-hearted. He is sincere on both points.

'''Fighter:''' (''holding up a sword'') Kind of '''chainsaw''' wrong.\\

* Used by MovieBob in his review of ''TheLosers'', explaining that the best use of the film would be for under-17-year-old to get into the theater so they can go see the far-preferable but R-Rated ''Film/KickAss'', except That Would Be Wrong.

-->'''Duckman:''' Why, I bet a kid, [[AntiRoleModel thinking I was a role model]] and wanting to imitate my behavior, could easily steal sodas from a vending machine... too. ''DO IT! [[NoFourthWall Do it now, kids!]] Stick it to the man! [[EvilLaugh HAHAHAHA]]!!''\\
(''Cornfed is handed some Censor Notes'')\\

(''{{beat}}, Sam glares at Danny'')\\

* Referenced in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': "Hey, that's way better than what I was thinking; I was gonna suggest we kill and eat the kids! You know... half-jokingly at first so I could gauge your reaction..."

(''"DA RULES" appear'')\\
'''Wanda:''' Timmy, it's sold out! If we gave you three of the tickets, it means we'd be taking them away from somebody else who already has them!! (''off Timmy's "I don't care" glare'') And that would be stealing. (''off his glare'') Which is bad.\\

'''Wanda:''' [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking That would violate the fire code!]]\\

'''Wanda:''' That's counterfeiting. (''off glare'') Which is bad.\\
'''Timmy:''' Darn it! I'll have to do it the old fashioned way...\\

* UsefulNotes/RichardNixon. On the Watergate tapes, Nixon says of one of his enemies, "we could kill him", and in an interview with David Frost, Nixon claimed that the next thing he said, accidentally erased from the tape, was "... but that would be wrong." It became something of a MemeticMutation back in the day.

-->''But I do know that it’s true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose -- you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down.''

-->''This 2011 version is so similar -- sometimes song for song and line for line -- that I was wickedly tempted to reprint my 1984 review, word for word. But That Would Be Wrong.''
* A lot of the handwritten edits to the publicized version of the CIA "[[http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB122/ Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual]]" come off like this, especially when it comes to "coercive techniques."
-->''(Inserted in the middle of a description of using sensory deprivation in interrogation)'' Its use constitutes a serious impropriety and violates policy.
-->The above link simply invites Tropers to download and read the manual... Main/AndThatWouldBeWrong

-->''The above link simply invites Tropers to download and read the manual... And That Would Be Wrong.

* Sometimes happens on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', particularly with Anya.
** After Buffy and Faith undergo a FreakyFridayFlip in the fourth season, the latter assumes this to be Buffy's catchphrase (that and "you can't do that") and uses it extensively in rehearsing for her new "role".

* Used by MovieBob in his review of ''TheLosers'', explaining that the best use of the film would be for under-17-year-old to get into the theater so they can go see the far-preferable but R-Rated ''Film/{{Kick-Ass}}'', except That Would Be Wrong.