History Main / AtLeastIAdmitIt

* This is one of the reasons why Britannia and the Decepticons have such [[TeethClenchedTeamwork a difficult time working together]] in ''Fanfic/CodePrime''. Britannia spends most of the time acting righteous in their horrific actions, while the Cons don't even bother trying to hide their evil and outright relish in the atrocities that they commit.

* This was part of Wrestling/{{Kane}}'s mindset in his recent "Embrace the Hate" angle with Wrestling/JohnCena: he would preach to the audience that hatred was a normal part of the human psyche, but Kane was the only one not pretending that it wasn't there.

-->'''Willow''': Oh, please! ''This'' is your pitch? Buffy, you hate it here as much as I do. I'm just more honest about it.\\

If presented positively, this can lead to a HardTruthAesop depending on the nature of their transgressions - someone who admits to being a jerk at least is aware of their flaws rather than simply being oblivious about their bad behavior, but embracing being AxCrazy isn't really a good thing. An alternate semi-positive presentation is that at least the Admitter is not guilty of {{Doublethink}}, HidingBehindReligion, [[StrawHypocrite or some other case of lying about their actual beliefs]], and in fact [[EvenEvilHasStandards has standards that condemn such hypocrisy]]. A common heroic example is the LovableCoward, who unlike his DirtyCoward counterpart fully admits to a lack of bravery and doesn't bully others to avoid being discovered as a coward.

* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': In Season 4, [[BigBad Dream]] pulls this card with [[WellIntentionedExtremist Sam]][[note]]who allowed Quackity to torture Dream as revenge for Dream murdering Tommy[[/note]], claiming that unlike Sam, he's at least honest about being a monster. It rings hollow, since not only does Dream try to present himself as more moral than Sam almost immediately, but he conveniently leaves out having tortured and murdered two people himself simply to test an experiment, among ''many'' other transgressions.

* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': [[BigBad Dream]] pulls this card with [[WellIntentionedExtremist Sam]][[note]]who allowed Quackity to torture Dream as revenge for Dream murdering Tommy[[/note]], claiming that unlike Sam, he's at least honest about being a monster. It rings hollow, since not only does Dream try to present himself as more moral than Sam almost immediately, but he conveniently leaves out having tortured and murdered two people himself simply to test an experiment, among ''many'' other transgressions.

** During the early portion of the series, when the Elrics are spending a lot of time in AdventureTowns on missions for the military, Ed has a lot of unscrupulous alchemists dabbling with various taboos - like many who were suckered by the homunculi into using red stones - try to tell Ed that his attempts at human transmutation make him similar. Needless to say (since Ed committed his taboo out of love, not a lust for power) he [[BerserkButton doesn't take it well]].

* ''Manga/IsItMyFaultThatIGotBullied'': Reina Himekawa is be a bitch of a bully, and is aware of it, but will not let it slide if another bully denies their own wrongdoing. Case in point, she reprimands Riho for [[NeverMyFault blaming her and the rest of the bullies]] over their attacks on Shiori going public, pointing out she wasn’t forced to join in like she claimed.

* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': [[BigBad Dream]] pulls this card with [[WellIntentionedExtremist Sam]][[note]]who allowed Quackity to torture Dream as revenge for Dream murdering Tommy[[/note]], claiming that unlike Sam he's at least honest about being a monster. It rings hollow, since not only does Dream try to present himself as more moral than Sam almost immediately, but he conveniently leaves out having tortured and murdered two people himself simply to test an experiment.

-->'''Bob French:''' "He acted like outing his own assholiness somehow made it our problem, not his. What a dick."

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfBerseria'': If there's one leg [[AntiHeroTeam the protagonists]] have to stand on in comparison to [[VillainWithGoodPublicity the Abbey]], it's that they're well-aware that they're not particularly good people, with Magilou calling them a "band of villains" and Velvet in particular being a bit ''too'' self-aware [[IAmAMonster for her own good]]. The Abbey, by contrast, are a group of [[KnightTemplar delusional zealots]] who would sooner turn a little girl into a monster than admit they're capable of any wrongdoing, with even [[TokenGoodTeammate Eleanor]] being a huge {{Hypocrite}} before her much-needed HeelRealization.

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'': While Yuri Lowell does reason that his [[VigilanteExecution Vigilante Executions]] save lives, he nevertheless makes no secret of the fact that he would much rather ''not'' be doing them, openly admitting his actions are those of a "common criminal" when Flynn says so. Notably, he takes this trope one step further than most examples by giving a decent answer to the question "If you're aware of your flaw then why don't you fix it?"- [[IveComeTooFar he thinks there's no going back for him]], since [[TheseHandsHaveKilled he can't take back what he's done]].

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'': While Yuri Lowell does reason that his [[VigilanteExecution VigilanteExecutions]] save lives, he nevertheless makes no secret of the fact that he would much rather ''not'' be doing them, openly admitting his actions are those of a "common criminal" when Flynn says so. Notably, he takes this trope one step further than most examples by giving a decent answer to the question "If you're aware of your flaw then why don't you fix it?"- [[IveComeTooFar he thinks there's no going back for him]], since [[TheseHandsHaveKilled he can't take back what he's done]].

* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'': Various templars sometimes give this. Perhaps the most obvious use of this was by Haytham Kenway in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', who said the only difference between him and the revolutionary leaders is that "I do not feign affection."
** Sort of [[InvertedTrope inverted]] in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate Syndicate]]'', which has a case of "At Least ''You'' Admit It". One Bounty Hunt has Emmet Sedgwick, who in contrast to other targets' tendencies to deny their crimes, shamelessly admits to having committed "every crime in the book" and states that it's about time the police came to arrest them given that they've been after him for years. If the mission is done as Evie, she will comment on his honesty. {{Averted|Trope}} if it's done as Jacob, who merely expresses surprise that the police took so long to catch him.

* In the ''Comicbook/TwoThousandAD Sci Fi Special'' 2022, when Dredd caputures Judge Fray, he asks why a good Judge turned bad. Fray retorts that there is no such thing as a good Judge, and he just had the awareness to realise they were the bad guys, and the nerve to ''commit'' to it.

* In the ''Comicbook/TwoThousandAD Sci Fi Special' 2022, when Dredd caputures Judge Fray, he asks why a good Judge turned bad. Fray retorts that there is no such thing as a good Judge, and he just had the awareness to realise they were the bad guys, and the nerve to ''commit'' to it.

-->'''Eddie (rapping on his theme song):''' I don't care if you don't like me...I can't be beat, comin' from the streets of the ghetto / At the end of the week, I get to keep your ''[[BilingualBonus dinero]]'' / You're fast asleep when I sneak in your ''[[BilingualBonus casa]]'' / Your life sucks cuz you're bankrupt and I'm laughin' / [[NWordPrivileges You can't trust me,]] ''[[NWordPrivileges

* Big Jack Horner from ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' is proud of being [[CardCarryingVillain a villain with no redeeming qualities]], to the point that his response to the Ethical Bug's YouMonster accusation is an annoyed "What took you so long, idiot!?"

-->'''Eddie (rapping on his theme song):''' I don't care if you don't like me...I can't be beat, comin' from the streets of the ghetto / At the end of the week, I get to keep your ''[[BilingualBonus dinero]]'' / You're fast asleep when I sneak in your ''[[BilingualBonus casa]]'' / Your life sucks cuz you're bankrupt and I'm laughin' / [[NWordPrivileges You can't trust me,]] ''[[NWordPrivileges ese,]]'' [[NWordPrivileges cuz I'M LATIN!]]
* This was part of Wrestling/{{Kane}}'s mindset in his recent "Embrace the Hate" angle with Wrestling/JohnCena: he would preach to the audience that hatred was a normal part of the human psyche, but Kane was the only one not pretending that it wasn't there.
* Wrestling/RandyOrton delivered one when he declared he was not an honorable person and would take out his own grandmother to remain WWE Champion. Even more disturbing when you realize he was treated as a Face at the time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
* Creator/GeorgeCarlin theorized that this was why Americans elected Clinton over Dole in 1996:
-->'''Dole''': I'm a plain and honest man.\\
'''Voters''': Bullshit!\\
'''Clinton''': Hi folks, I'm completely full of shit and how do you like that?\\
'''Voters''': Y'know something? At least he's honest.
** And he actually uses the words "at least I admit it" in ''Jammin' in New York'' when talking about his favorite thing on TV--bad news. He proclaims that accidents, disasters, fires, and explosions are mother's milk to him--and to most other people, he asserts, even though they would never acknowledge the feeling and instead put on a front of mock horror.
* In a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' [[https://youtu.be/_m-gO0HSCYk?si=hl28oNgSHo4zhZeS&t=509 monologue]], Creator/DaveChappelle said that Americans elected Donald Trump in 2016 because he was an "honest liar."
-->''"I've never seen a white male billionaire screaming at the top of his lungs, 'This whole system is rigged!' he said. And across the stage was a white woman, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama sitting over there looking at him like, 'No it's not.' I said, 'Now wait a minute, bro. It's what he said.' And the moderator said, 'Well, Mr. Trump, if, in fact, the system is rigged, as you suggest, what would be your evidence?' Remember what he said, bro? He said, 'I know the system is rigged, because I use it.' I said, 'God damn!' And then he pulled out an Illuminati membership card and chopped a line of cocaine up and did it right at the podium. No one had ever heard someone say something that true. And then Hillary Clinton tried to punch him in the taxes. She said, 'This man doesn't pay his taxes!' He shot right back, 'That makes me smart!' And then he said, 'If you want me to pay my taxes, then change the tax code. But I know you won't, because your friends and your donors enjoy the same tax breaks that I do.' And with that, my friends, a star was born. No one had every seen anything like that. No one had ever seen somebody come from inside of that house outside and tell all the commoners, 'We're doing everything that you think we are doing inside of that house!' Then he just went right back in the house and started playing the game again."''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' adventure ''Deathstroke'': The villain group "The Destroyers" decide to take over the United States. They think they'll be better leaders than the corrupt politicians running the country because the Destroyers admit that they're criminals.
* A ''lot'' of references to the [[LawfulStupid modrons]] and the [[TheChessmaster rilmani]] in the ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'' campaign mention that dealing with demons is often ''easier'' than dealing with them because at least with demons, you know what to expect.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'': The point of the song "Molasses to Rum", where a delegate from South Carolina protests the dithering over denouncing slavery in the Declaration of Independence by pointing out that sure, South Carolina is a slaveholding state... but the Northern states are ''also'' guilty of participating in the slave trade, and at least South Carolina isn't claiming to oppose slavery while they do it.
* In Act II of ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' the Witch calls out the "heroes" of the play in "The Last Midnight" for their questionable deeds which they justify by needing to get what they wanted. Then when they have to face the consequences they hurry to blame other people.
* OlderThanSteam: Shakespeare's ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' has Don John describing himself as "a plain-dealing villain".
* ''Theatre/NoExit'': While Garcin and Estelle insist they were sent to Hell by some mistake and are good people, Inez openly admits that she was an awful person in life and had this coming. She goads the others until they admit it, too.
* ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'': This is more or less the basis of the Pirate King's IAmSong.
-->Oh, better far to live and die\\
Under the brave black flag I fly\\
Than play a sanctimonious part\\
With a pirate head and a pirate heart\\
Away to the cheating world go you\\
Where pirates all are well-to-do\\
But I'll be true to the song I sing\\
And live and die a pirate king
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'': Various templars sometimes give this. Perhaps the most obvious use of this was by Haytham Kenway in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIII'', who said the only difference between him and the revolutionary leaders is that "I do not feign affection."
** Sort of [[InvertedTrope inverted]] in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate Syndicate]]'', which has a case of "At Least ''You'' Admit It". One Bounty Hunt has Emmet Sedgwick, who in contrast to other targets' tendencies to deny their crimes, shamelessly admits to having committed "every crime in the book" and states that it's about time the police came to arrest them given that they've been after him for years. If the mission is done as Evie, she will comment on his honesty. {{Averted|Trope}} if it's done as Jacob, who merely expresses surprise that the police took so long to catch him.
* The BigBad of ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', Lord Recluse, self-identifies as a villain; As a result villains, anti-villains, and anti-heroes that try to justify their actions, piss him right the hell off. This is most blatant as he is confronting the alternate-universe version of the BigGood (in that reality a NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist) - point blank stating the trope as he points out they're both evil, but unlike the other guy, he doesn't try to hide it, and yet the citizens are [[RootingForTheEmpire outright rooting for him]] to kick his "well-intentioned" ass.
* ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'': This is Kaido's philosophy. To him, all people are ugly, selfish, and power-grubbing underneath and try to solve all their problems with force -- he just doesn't see the point in trying to hide it. This comes to light when [[spoiler:he ends up in a fight with the resident KnightTemplar of the lockdown and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech ends up explaining how]] they're [[NotSoDifferentRemark similar]], pointing out how both of them are using their demons to bully others into doing what they want... just before ordering Pazuzu to strangle and fry his opponent to death]].
* ''Videogame/FarCry4'': This is ultimately what sets Pagan Min apart from just about every other major player. While the others all feel compelled to justify their horrible deeds regardless of how ridiculous it becomes in the face of their increasing brutality, he is the only one who admits that [[spoiler:deep down he wanted to commit his atrocities and the death of his infant daughter was just an excuse.]]
* Harley Quinn in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' [[HeelFaceTurn works for the good guys]], although she isn't without her share of blood and sins from the previous games. Wonder Woman calls Harley out for trying to do good while having blood on her hands, to which Harley casually admits it while calling Wonder Woman out.
-->'''Harley''': "Oh, bucketfulls, honey. Trying too hard to impress [[ComicBook/TheJoker the wrong guy]]. Like you and Superman.
* ''VideoGame/JurassicParkTheGame'' has a case of "At Least ''He'' Admits It" when Billy's true nature is revealed and Nima confronts him about it. Though Oscar was one of the mercenaries who took part in killing some of her people to eject them from their island, she at least had some respect for him never pretending he was anything other than a killer to fool himself or others, and for at least being willing to do selfless and brave things when he wasn't [[JustFollowingOrders under orders to do terrible things]]. Billy, as far as she's concerned, is just rotten to the core and only ''pretends'' to be otherwise.
-->'''Nima:''' Oscar may have been a devil, but he wore his sins on his arm for everyone to see! You... you are just a mask with nothing behind it!
* ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords'' has Atton Rand calling out the Jedi for their hypocrisy and states that, for as bad as the Sith may be, at least they're honest about what they're killing for.
** The sequel ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', has this line of thought showing up ''everywhere''. Republic-aligned characters will usually have it thrown at them. If you're playing a Sith, especially a light-aligned Sith, you hand it out like Halloween candy.
* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'': In ''VideoGame/{{Blood Omen 2|LegacyOfKain}}'', Kain was at a point where learning that his own plan drove away his followers struck a nerve. By ''[[VideoGame/LegacyOfKainSoulReaver Soul Reaver]]'', he won't deny that his motives are selfish and looks down on hiding selfish motives behind supposedly altruistic ones. Even as early as ''VideoGame/{{Blood Omen|LegacyOfKain}}'', Kain shows this side of himself; he's disgusted by the {{Vampire Hunter}}s Moebius rallies for being {{hypocrite}}s that "cloak their bloodlust [[KnightTemplar beneath a veil of righteousness]]", whereas he makes no pretense to justify his killing.
-->'''Kain:''' There's no ''shame'' in it, Raziel – revenge is motivation enough. At least it's honest. ''Hate'' me, but do it ''honestly.''
* ''VideoGame/MarioParty3'': Baby Bowser (along with Toad) will occasionally hand out items to players who land on the item space. He asks you a personal question about your habits (like "Do you keep your room clean?"), and he rewards someone who admits to being rather undisciplined and childish ("You're honest, I like that.") If the player answers that he keeps his room clean, Baby Bowser will accuse the player of just saying whatever sounds good in order to get a prize, and the reward is more stingy than what he gives to someone who admits to letting his room get messy.
* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'''s Bishop holds much the same view. He doesn't bother to hide his inherent beastliness and says as much if you try to dig out his FreudianExcuse through conversation.
* ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'':
** ''Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising'': This is Lash's attitude towards Sonja. She feels that they're similar: they both [[WarHasNeverBeenSoMuchFun treat war like a game]], but at least she admits that [[CardCarryingVillain she's a sociopath who doesn't care about her soldiers' lives]].
** ''Advance Wars: Days of Ruin'': Waylon says that Will only does his heroism to feel self-important; at least ''he'' doesn't hide the fact that he's a selfish bastard. Will counteracts that he might indeed be [[spoiler:leading Brenner's Wolves]] and helping people just so he can feel like a hero, but believes if it helps even one person, then it's absolutely worth it. [[VillainousBreakdown Waylon does not take it well]].
* ''VideoGame/NoOneHasToDie'': Christina criticizes Steve's willingness to actually sacrifice himself. When he rebuts to whether she can do it, she replies she can't, but at least doesn't pretend that she can.
* ''VideoGame/Persona5'': [[ChivalrousPervert Ryuji Sakamoto]] makes no secret of the fact that he's a big pervert. When Ann Takamaki calls him out for staring at her sweating state when they were in the Mona Car on the way to [[spoiler: Futaba's Palace]], he doesn't even try to deny it, saying that "it was a great view."
* ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'': A consistent trait of [[VillainProtagonist Kazuya Mishima]]'s is his conscious refusal to hide the fact that he is a cold-blooded bastard driven by ruthless ambition. Half because he possesses the power to crush almost anyone who would dare oppose him for it (and therefore has no need to endear himself to them), and half out of spite for his ArchnemesisDad, Heihachi, being a VillainWithGoodPublicity whose good deeds are done [[PragmaticVillainy primarily for his own benefit]]. The closest to exceptions to this are him keeping his Devil form a DarkSecret and utilizing the good PR received by G Corporation opposing the Mishima Zaibatsu during WorldWarIII in ''6''.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tyranny}}'': Verse, one of your companions, is a self-admitted murderer and cut-throat who likes killing things. One of the quicker ways to get on her nerves is to insist that killing things is justified by things like 'higher ideals' or 'glory'; as far as she is concerned, just admitting you like killing is much more honest. This is one of the reasons she can't stand [[JustFollowingOrders Barik]] and gets along well with [[SocialDarwinist Kills-in-Shadow]].
* ''VideoGame/Vampyr2018'': Even when [[KarmaMeter played]] as a FullyEmbracedFiend, Jonathan Reid is utterly disgusted at Dr. Swansea upon discovering that he [[spoiler:betrayed not one, but two of his patients by feeding vampire blood to Harriet Jones, triggering the Skal epidemic in London]]. When Swansea states that Jonathan has no room to judge him due to his own victims, Jonathan retorts that while they're both deceivers, he at least admits [[IAmAMonster he's a monster]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Leonardo "Leo" Lionheart is distraught over selling his oldest friend Ozpin out. When he and [[spoiler:Raven Branwen]] discuss having been forced to work for Salem, Leo rightfully suggests they're both [[DirtyCoward doing it out of fear]]. While he goes on admit feeling guilty about it, stating that Ozpin would be right to not forgive him for the betrayal, [[spoiler:Raven]] argues that all their actions were justified as they only did what was necessary to survive. Leo asks them [[YouKeepTellingYourselfThat who are they trying to convince]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' this reasoning leads the Light Warriors to buy an airship from "[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/08/05/episode-315-the-lesser-of-two-cons/ Jeff's Discount Deathtraps]]" instead of "[[HonestJohnsDealership Akbar's Airships (not deathtraps)]]".
* Tom's excuse for being a ManipulativeBastard in ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' is that everyone says what they think will get the right reaction from others, and at least he admits it... to ''himself''. Susan shuts him down by acknowledging that, while the JerkassHasAPoint, the majority of people at least do it with good intentions, which Tom very much does not.
* In ''Webcomic/LeastICouldDo'', Rayne gets word that a lesbian is gonna be working in his company, and he puts out a company-wide hunt for her. One of his aides calls him out on his actions but wrongly accuses it of being a WitchHunt. Rayne would then [[GirlOnGirlIsHot clarify his stance]].
-->'''Rayne''': I'm not a monster, Nancy; I'm a sexual deviant.
* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''
** Redcloak attempts to [[BreakThemByTalking break Miko by talking]] in this fashion. He accuses paladins of being unnatural thanks to their divine immunity to fear, arguing that Xykon the Lich "is an unnatural abomination, but at least he ''cops'' to it". However, Redcloak himself gets an enhanced lifespan from the Crimson Mantle he wears, yet he remains very private about that matter.
** Xykon does this to Redcloak in ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]''. Redcloak has just [[spoiler:murdered his own brother to save Xykon and further his plans]], and Xykon is well aware of it. He tells Redcloak that all he succeeded in doing is prove that he is just as evil as Xykon, but hides it under his [[WellIntentionedExtremist good intentions]], and will now serve loyally because he's too chickenshit to accept all the horrible things he's "had to" do [[SunkCostFallacy becoming meaningless if he quits]]. [[spoiler:Redcloak has since convinced himself he's still in charge, just secretly, but he's ''very'' bad at being honest with himself and Xykon has repeatedly proved he's smarter than people assume.]]
* ''{{Webcomic/Precocious}}'''s Dionne used this in her [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2010/03/12 campaign for class president]].
* Brain from ''Webcomic/SamAndFuzzy'' subverts this trope. He's seemingly completely open and honest about being a selfish person who trusts nobody, but also uses this 'honesty' [[HiddenAgendaVillain to cloak his real objectives]] and drove his protege Hazel into becoming an asocial nutcase by {{Gaslighting}} her into thinking everyone is as selfish and untrustworthy as he is over the course of decades.
* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' has [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2002-01-22 this]] as a [[ComplimentBackfire botched compliment]]:
-->'''Thrummb''': At least you are honest enough not to pretend to morality, sir.\\
'''Gamm''': You need to work on the internal consistency of your flattery, Thrummb.
* ''Webcomic/YetAnotherFantasyGamerComic'':
** [[http://yafgc.net/comic/0045-blurring-aligns/ A dark elf captive sharing her expectations with a goblin:]]
--->'''Gren:''' That's what ''our'' people would do! But we're evil. These people are good! They wouldn't do that sort of thing!\\
'''Arachne:''' Sweetheart... In ''this'' world the difference between good and evil is that good pretends not to enjoy this sort of thing.
** Broch has [[http://yafgc.net/comic/0180-the-evilness-of-good/ a disagreement]] with his colleague on this matter, though: if the "good guys" have all the same ''despite'' their priests preaching the opposite, this means [[EvilerThanThou what]]?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': [[BigBad Dream]] pulls this card with [[WellIntentionedExtremist Sam]][[note]]who allowed Quackity to torture Dream as revenge for Dream murdering Tommy[[/note]], claiming that unlike Sam he's at least honest about being a monster. It rings hollow, since not only does Dream try to present himself as more moral than Sam almost immediately, but he conveniently leaves out having tortured and murdered two people himself simply to test an experiment.
* Cao Cao has this attitude towards Liu Bei in ''Fanfic/FarceOfTheThreeKingdoms.'' He's not ''pretending'' to be a Han loyalist, and Liu Bei's self-serving pretense is... flimsy.
* Commentary [=YouTuber=] Jordan Theresa thinks there's nothing wrong with models and influencers having plastic surgery and Botox, or editing their photos. However, she's highly critical of those who don't disclose it and claim their looks are all-natural, feeling that this is dishonest and can lead to their young fans developing self-esteem issues because they're comparing themselves to an image that literally isn't real. Jordan herself has had some work done and sometimes edits her photos, but fully admits it, along with the time she spends on makeup, specifically because she doesn't want to misrepresent things for her younger viewers. As she puts it, "It cost me money to look like this!"
* Defied in the ''Website/TheOnion'' article "[[https://www.theonion.com/asshole-admits-to-being-asshole-in-supreme-asshole-move-1819567374 Asshole Admits To Being Asshole In Supreme Asshole Move]]".
-->'''Bob French:''' "He acted like outing his own assholiness somehow made it our problem, not his. What a dick."
* In ''Literature/{{Twig}}'', Sylvester has an example of this trope after several of his hostages (wealthy young members of the aristocracy) see him have Mary poison a socialite, and call him a monster.
-->''I’m a monster that knows exactly what he is. You’re three monsters who pretend not to see. When and if things get ugly, I want you to remember, the ugliness you’re seeing has been ongoing, affecting the poor, the people who you and your families stepped on to get here.''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* This forms the solution in the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Shallow Vows", where Stan and Francine discover they only love each other for extremely shallow reasons - Stan is only interested in Francine's beauty, Francine only married Stan so she wouldn't have to work - and at the end of the day they decide that their marriage works anyway because they're honest about how shallow they are, going so far as to renew their vows by stating as much.
-->'''Stan:''' I promise, when you start to sag, to subject you to risky elective surgery.\\
'''Francine:''' And I promise to be with you only if you make money and stay healthy.\\
'''Stan:''' Alzheimer's runs in my family.\\
'''Francine:''' You'll be dealing with that solo.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'', Jon turns on an infomercial for a weight-loss product with a disclaimer at the beginning that says, "The following show is a half-hour commercial that we've disguised as a real program because we figure you're all too stupid to tell the difference." To which Garfield replies, "At least they're honest." (Seeing as the product being sold is a complete scam and the episode ends with the perky female host being exposed as a ConArtist, the episode is likely meant as a TakeThat towards such programs.)
* WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck admits that he's a coward in "Ducking the Devil"; however, he is willing to stand up to the Tasmanian Devil when he hears that there's a $5,000 reward offered by the zoo because he also admits he's a ''greedy'' coward.
* ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'': Dick Dastardly not only acknowledges his evilness, but he also embellishes it:
-->'''Narrator:''' As Yankee Doodle Pigeon breaks the morning stillness while flying another dangerous mission, he keeps a wary eye out for the vicious Vulture Squadron...skippered by the deadly, diabolical, despicable demon of the skyways, Dick Dastardly!\\
'''Dastardly:''' You left out dashing and debonair!
** On ''WesternAnimation/WackyRaces'' after the narrator calls him "the Dracula of the drag strip":
--->'''Dastardly:''' I resent that remark!\\
'''Narrator:''' But do you deny it?\\
'''Dastardly:''' No, I just resent it.
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
** From "FOX-y Lady":
--->'''Brian:''' They're hypocrites. They wanted you to do the story when they thought it would embarrass Creator/MichaelMoore, but they don't want you to do it if it's going to embarrass Creator/RushLimbaugh.\\
'''Lois:''' [[{{Hypocrite}} But you didn't want me to do the story when it was gonna embarrass Michael Moore. But you want me to do the story if it's gonna embarrass Rush Limbaugh?]]\\
'''Brian:''' OK. You're right. I'm a little biased myself but at least I'm willing to admit it.
** When [[TheSociopath Quagmire]], of all people, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech chews out Brian]], he calls Brian out for being a pervert like this (though it's undermined by the fact that Quagmire downplays his own crimes, admitting to "dating women for their bodies" but neglecting to mention that he is also a literal rapist):
--->'''Quagmire:''' You pretend you're this deep guy who loves women for their souls when all you do is date bimbos. Yeah. ''I'' date women for their bodies but at least I'm honest about it!
** A later episode had Brian take perverse pleasure in pointing out Quagmire ''wasn't'' really honest about it. He blamed all his perverted issues on his mother's upbringing, which Brian outright labels cowardly. When Quagmire retorts that Brian himself is a hypocrite because he's an atheist defending his purist Christian mother's virtues, Brian nonchalantly admits to it (and that he'll greatly enjoy the thought of Quagmire pondering over it as he rots in a cell).
** One episode where Peter is running a bakery, a woman comes in several times to get a sample of a cookie but not buy anything, and Peter starts to get annoyed with the routine:
--->'''Woman:''' Ooh, I'm so bad...\\
'''Peter:''' You gonna buy a cookie this time?\\
'''Woman:''' Ooh, I'd better just stick with a sample. I'm so bad... but at least I know I'm bad, which makes me a little better. Or ''worse''.\\
''(Cut off as Peter clocks her with a cookie tray.)''
* In the ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeARealAmericanHero'' episode "The Gamesmaster", Flint, Lady Jay, Cobra Commander, and the Baroness were all kidnapped by a third-party villain called the Gamesmaster and forced into a DeadlyGame scenario. It was clear from the start that the Commander's promises to cooperate with ''any'' of them (the Baroness included) were nothing but BlatantLies. The Baroness, however?
-->'''Cobra Commander:''' Whose side are you on?\\
'''Baroness:''' Why, the same side you are, Commander. [[NoHonorAmongThieves My own.]]
* One first-season episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'', "The Sensitive Male", parodies ''WesternAnimation/SchoolhouseRock'' by having a short, plain-looking man (voiced by ''Schoolhouse Rock'' creator Jack Sheldon) offer Johnny lessons on how to be, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a sensitive male]], with lessons on manners, listening to others, and being in touch with one's feminine side. At the end of the episode, the man admits that he [[BitchInSheepsClothing doesn't believe a word of what he preaches]] and simply ''acts'' nice to get women to do what he wants. Johnny is thoroughly disgusted by his attitude--he may be a CasanovaWannabe, but he's 100% honest about it--and so creates an EngineeredPublicConfession to expose the guy in front of all the girls he's been trying to woo, who promptly carry him off for some well-deserved punishment.
* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'':
** [[Characters/RickAndMortyRickSanchez Rick Sanchez]] is a sociopath who kills without remorse and abuses his family with manipulation and lies. However, unlike his daughter Beth, he is fully aware of how bad of a person he is and doesn't deny his misdeeds or what a terrible dad he was to her years ago. In "The [=ABCs=] of Beth" he finally calls out Beth, stating that he might be a bad father to her, but she's no better, listing down a large number of misdeeds she committed without the need of him screwing her up first.
--->'''Beth''': You would rather believe I'm evil than admit that you were a bad father?\\
'''Rick''': Oh, dude, no. No, bad father all the way to the max over here. I'm a fuckin' nutcase. And the acorn plopped straight down, baby.
*** This also gets called out in "Pickle Rick" by the episode's therapist, to ''Rick''. She points out that his (and Beth)'s honesty about their flaws and problems but choosing not to do anything about it because they don't feel therapy work is an understandable position, but in their cases, they're excusing themselves from truly trying to change by justifying their [[AllergicToRoutine inability to commit to healthier habits]] with their intelligent minds.
** While [[Characters/RickAndMortyEvilMorty Evil Morty]] scoffs at Rick's self righteousness and being deemed "evil" for simply wanting rid of him, whenever the duo call out his equally selfish and ruthless measures in doing so, he concedes with utter nonchalance, making no pretence that he remotely cares if anyone else gets harmed in his attempts to escape Rick in any form.
-->'''Evil Morty:''' None of them have to be responsible, they're all victims of themselves. "Oh, it's so hard to be a Genius!" [[DeadpanSnarker Couldn't you just die?]]\\
'''Morty:''' Well, what are ''you'' doing about it?\\
'''Evil Morty:''' ''(deadpan)'' Jack shit. I'm leaving.
* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'':
** Scooby and Shaggy are card-carrying cowards. And they're not afraid to admit it. When Fred tells them to enter a doorway for investigation:
--->'''Shaggy:''' I take the fifth.\\
'''Fred:''' The fifth?\\
'''Shaggy:''' Yes! I refuse to enter that door on the grounds that it might intimidate me!
** Moe does the exact same thing in the episode where Film/TheThreeStooges show up as {{Special Guest}}s, going so far as to cluck like a chicken after calling everyone else chickens for being afraid of the Ghost of the Red Baron. And a minute later:
--->'''Moe:''' On second thought, there's no way this chicken is staying here with that hopping red rabbit around!
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** The Grand Pumpkin in a "Treehouse of Horror" episode - who, after expressing apathy over the fate of a ''yellow'' pumpkin (the Grand Pumpkin is your standard orange type of pumpkin), is called out for his racism by, of all people, [[EvenEvilHasStandards Nelson Muntz]]. The Grand Pumpkin claims all pumpkins are racist and that he's different from others because he admits it. And while it's not a saving grace for the Grand Pumpkin, Nelson is being hypocritical here because ''he'' doesn't care about the fate of the little yellow pumpkin, either; in fact, he was precisely the one who had been perfectly willing to smash that little pumpkin [[DirtyCoward in order to save his own life]]!
** In "A Fish Called Selma", when Selma confronts Troy [=McClure=] and demands to know if he married her simply to boost his career, he admits it quickly, and actually convinces her, at least for a while, that being a sham wife isn't so bad. (What actually makes her have second thoughts at the end is the idea of having a child; getting a child involved in a sham marriage [[EveryoneHasStandards is something she can't do]].)
* In ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Total Drama Island]]'', after [[AlphaBitch Heather]] gets her lackey [[DumbBlonde Lindsay]] eliminated from the competition, and [[KickTheDog goes on to insult Lindsay]] and admit she was only using her to get further in the contest, Duncan calls it "[[EvenEvilHasStandards cold]]." After Heather tells him that he's in [[NotSoDifferentRemark no position to criticize her]] since he uses his {{delinquent}} behavior to scare everyone, Duncan replies, "At least I'm straight with people."
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* In ''Film/TheLastJedi'', Rey calls Kylo Ren [[YouMonster a monster]] [[CallBack once]] [[Film/TheForceAwakens again]]. This time, however, Kylo [[IAmAMonster agrees with her]], leaving her visibly stunned. Notably, it's after this admission that she stops being so antagonistic to him.

* ''Fanfic/{{Apotheosis|MHA}}'': After [[InternalReveal learning about One for All]], Aizawa lambasts All Might for being a {{Hypocrite}} who looked down upon Izuku for being Quirkless. He declares that while his work at U.A. involves critiquing and judging whether or not his students are worthy of being heroes, he's brutally honest in doing so, and at least offers them a ''chance'' to prove themselves.

* ''Fanfic/{{BURN THE WITCH|MiraculousLadybug}}'': Thanks to PsychologicalProjection, Lila arrogantly assumes that ''everyone'' is just as SecretlySelfish, and that Marinette and Ladybug are just {{Hypocrite}}s who are ''pretending'' to be nice.
* PlayedWith ''Fanfic/{{Cheshire|MiraculousLadybug}}'': Hawkmoth [[WrongAssumption mistakenly assumes]] that Cheshire is a VillainWithGoodPublicity, as he's aware that the Black Cat Ring has a history of evil users. At least he ''admits'' that he's a supervillain!

* Harry in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13701065/14/Metagaming Metagaming?]]'' remarks that the Kirin Tor are a bunch of self-important assholes, just like him. The only difference is he knows he is and doesn't care.

* ''Fanfic/TellingLiesNoMama'': Chloé stands up for Marinette against Lila, shedding light on her methods and motives for falsely accusing Marinette. She acknowledges that she hasn’t been the nicest person to Marinette in the past, but also reminds the class that [[EvenEvilHasStandards she hasn’t tried to pit her friends against her]], unlike [[BitchInSheepsClothing Lila]].

* ''Fanfic/{{The Wolves in the Woods|MiraculousLadybug}}'': {{Invoked}} by Marinette when she [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech calls Alya out]] on her [[EntitledBastard entitled behavior]]. While Lila and most of the class have admitted the role they played in bullying Marinette until she transferred to another school, and are trying to [[CharacterDevelopment change for the better]], Alya [[NeverMyFault refuses to admit]] she did anything wrong, and has been trying to ''force'' Marinette to forgive her and take her back without addressing any of the horrible things she did.

* ''Series/BadToTheBone'': Francesca Wells is a [[EvilIsSexy beautiful]] {{teen|sAreMonsters}}ager whose sole goal in life is to [[GoldDigger screw (and screw over) as many wealthy men as possible]], and [[BlackWidow she doesn't balk at resorting to murder to get what she wants, either]]. Through it all, her one virtue is that at least she is aware of her depraved and degraded nature and will own up to it on occasion.

** Rick is a sociopath who kills without remorse and abuses his family with manipulation and lies. However, unlike his daughter Beth, he is fully aware of how bad of a person he is and doesn't deny his misdeeds or what a terrible dad he was to her years ago. In "The [=ABCs=] of Beth" he finally calls out Beth, stating that he might be a bad father to her, but she's no better, listing down a large number of misdeeds she committed without the need of him screwing her up first.

** This also gets called out in "Pickle Rick" by the episode's therapist, to ''Rick''. She points out that his (and Beth)'s honesty about their flaws and problems but choosing not to do anything about it because they don't feel therapy work is an understandable position, but in their cases, they're excusing themselves from truly trying to change by justifying their [[AllergicToRoutine inability to commit to healthier habits]] with their intelligent minds.

'''Rick''': Oh, dude, no. No, bad father all the way to the max over here. I'm a [bleep] nutcase. And the acorn plopped straight down, baby.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'': A consistent trait of [[VillainProtagonist Kazuya Mishima]]'s is his conscious refusal to hide the fact that he is a cold-blooded bastard driven by ruthless ambition. Half because he possesses the power to crush almost anyone who would dare oppose him for it (and therefore has no need to endear himself to them), and half out of spite for his ArchnemesisDad, Heihachi, being a VillainWithGoodPublicity whose good deeds are done [[PragmaticVillainy primarily for his own benefit]]. The closest to exceptions to this are him keeping his Devil form a DarkSecret and utilizing the good PR received by G Corporation opposing the Mishima Zaibatsu during WorldWarIII in ''6''.

** Sort of [[InvertedTrope inverted]] in ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedSyndicate Syndicate]]'', which has a case of "At Least ''You'' Admit It". One Bounty Hunt has Emmet Sedgwick, who in contrast to other targets' tendencies to deny their crimes, shamelessly admits to having committed "every crime in the book" and states that it's about time the police came to arrest them given that they've been after him for years. If the mission is done as Evie, she will comment on his honesty. {{Averted|Trope}} if it's done as Jacob, who merely expresses surprise that the police took so long to kidnap him.

* Harley Quinn in ''VideoGame/Injustice2'' [[HeelFaceTurn works for the good guys]], although she isn't without her share of blood and sins from the previous games. Wonder Woman calls Harley out for trying to do good while having blood on her hands, to which Harley casually admits it while calling Wonder Woman out for pushing Superman into his dictator personality.

* [[Recap/BlackMirrorTheWaldoMoment One episode]] of ''Series/BlackMirror'' has an animation team put a cartoon bear named Waldo in the running for Parliament. He racks up votes by the sheer ridiculousness of the concept and putting out statements saying how he's honest about not standing for anything, but it's subverted when his increasingly pissed voice actor points out that it doesn't change the fact that ''he still doesn't stand for anything'' and voting for a character that has no policies whatsoever just because he admits to it makes a mockery of the whole voting process. [[spoiler:The episode ends with his voice actor becoming homeless and alcoholic while Waldo is used as a figurehead for a ''global'' totalitarian political movement. If you noticed the similarities between the Waldo movement and the real-life alt-right and Pepe the frog, well done.]]