History Main / BewareTheHonestOnes

Even in a series where the characters aren't traditionally good or evil, [[TokenGoodTeammate there will be one who is an idealist]]. Perhaps they seem to have a strange compulsion [[ChaoticGood to help others even when it isn't convinent]], or perhaps they [[LawfulNeutral live by a set of principals]]. From the point of view of the others, that character will be completely untrustworthy; everyone else can be depended upon to act in their own self interest, but [[EvilCannotComprehendGood nobody can predict the idealist]], especially when they decide to [[HonorBeforeReason uphold their ideals over their own apparent self-preservation]].

In a series where the characters aren't really good or evil, [[TokenGoodTeammate there will be one who is an idealist]]. From the point of view of the others, that character will be completely untrustworthy; everyone else can be depended upon to act in their own self interest, but [[EvilCannotComprehendGood nobody can predict the idealist]], especially when they decide to [[HonorBeforeReason uphold their ideals over their own apparent self-preservation]].

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. [[RobotBuddy Data]] doesn't lie. Supposedly ever. Which makes it all the more devastating when he ''does'' because nobody believes he can possibly be telling an untruth. An entire episode revolved around this concept with Data forced into lying by an order from his captain - who didn't [[LaserGuidedAmnesia know he'd made the order]]. It even helped him get away with attempted murder.

Compare KnightTemplar and GoodIsDumb.

* Played with a bit by Radical Honesty practitioner Eli Loker in ''LieToMe''. He's mostly harmless, just a little annoying.

* [[spoiler:Hakuryuu]] from ''Manga/MagiTheLabyrinthOfMagic'' is very honorable, started the story as very naive and his Djinn describes him as "painfully honest". He's a KnightTemplar with BlackAndWhiteInsanity who only cares for his last remaining sibling and it's unable to let his hatred behind.

* [[spoiler:Hakuryuu]] is very honorable, started the story as very naive and his Djinn describes him as "painfully honest". He's a KnightTemplar with BlackAndWhiteInsanity who only cares for his last remaining sibling and it's unable to let his hatred behind.

* In ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'', David Sarif is an idealist who believes that augmentation can uplift humanity. He's willing to do shady things to fulfill this ideal [[spoiler:like augmenting a comatose man above and beyond what was needed to save his life, circumventing the law to get information, compromise his own company's network to run secret background checks, and even frame an anti-augmentation organization for biological warfare based terrorism.]] Compare him with the other two choices at the end of the game: [[spoiler:Hugh Darrow]], a guy willing to cause global chaos and mass murder out of a bitter jealousy of augmented people which he hides behind ostensibly noble reasons, and [[spoiler:Taggart]], an Illuminati stooge who is just trying to maintain the Illuminati's power over the world. The Illuminati initially wanted to recruit Sarif, but gave up when they realized that he was too idealistic to go along with their agenda.

* [[spoiler:Hakuryuu]] is very honorable, started the story as very naive and his Djinn describes him as "painfully honest". He's a KnightTemplar with WhiteAndBlackInsanity who only cares for his last remaining sibling.

** They probably picked him because he was the commanding officer of the force that was ordered to crack down on the Bonus Army, a group of impoverished WW1 veterans who were rendered homeless and jobless by the Great Depression, camped out on the national mall in Washington DC to request that the government pay them their support bonuses a bit earlier than initially agreed to, citing the hardship of the Great Depression as the reason they needed help more immediately. The particularly ''brutal'' crackdown against the bonus army was cited as a major factor sealing the fate of Herbert Hoover's reputation, but was part of what '''endeared''' Hoover to the conspirators of the Business Plot. They probably figured since Butler led that crackdown, he would be a natural choice for their plans. Fortunately for the nation, they figured wrongly.

->''"Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid."''

* The Business Plot, a reported conspiracy that intended to overthrow the American government in 1933 and install a fascist dictatorship, supposedly fell victim to this when the conspirators chose Marine Major General Smedley Butler to lead the coup. Butler instead chose to reveal the plot to the government, which fairly quickly brought an end to the conspiracy. You have to wonder how serious a plot it was [[VillainBall to choose Butler]] since he had become famous for making radio addresses where he admitted he was ashamed of serving in the military and how it was used as a pro-business tool by the government. "Al Capone operated in three city wards. My Marines operated on three continents." He also was a socialist and had campaigned for the president he was expected to overthrow.

* In ''GunnerkriggCourt'' Jones warns Antimony about Coyote, stating that "Coyote always tells the truth, therein lies the danger."

* In ''GunnerkriggCourt'' Jones warns Antimony about Coyote, stating that "Coyote always tells the truth, therein lies the danger."

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. [[RobotBuddy Data]] doesn't lie. Supposedly ever. Which makes it all the more devastating when he ''does'' because nobody believes he can possibly be telling an untruth. An entire episode revolved around this concept with Data forced into lying by an order from his captain - who didn't [[LaserGuidedAmnesia KNOW he'd made the order]]. It even helped him get away with attempted murder.

* From ''Literature/HarryPotter'', Snape doesn't really lie to Harry. He hates him, [[IdenticalGrandson his father]], his [[MessyHair untameable hair]]. Harry needs to shut up the {{Wangst}} and train more. He doesn't really lie to Dumbledore. He was a Death Eater because he wanted to be one. He doesn't dislike the cause. He detests Muggles and his lineage. It's nigh impossible to lie to Voldemort. [[spoiler: He even '''told''' him he fancied Lily Potter, Voldemort just wouldn't hear of it.]] Fans spent years debating whether his attitude yet conflicting behavior meant he was on the good side, on the bad side or on his own, but he was never that much of a MagnificentBastard and his goal was never ''that'' complex. [[spoiler:He was just a Death Eater who made a HeelFaceTurn because he '''really''' loved Lily Potter.]]

* Ned Stark from ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. He puts HonorBeforeReason and inadvertently furthers [[spoiler:Petyr Baelish]]'s XanatosGambit purely because he insists on being honest and giving his treasonous opponents a fair chance. Indeed, it is precisely the fact that he puts HonorBeforeReason [[spoiler:that leads Baelish to regard him as expendable; he is too unpredictable and incapable of being negotiated with.]]

** He's still scrupulously honest - in ''Discworld/MenAtArms'' he's trying to get some information out of a Guild leader, and tells him, with a very serious air, that if the guildmaster doesn't do what he wants, he will, unfortunately and very much against his will, be forced to "carry out the order I was given just before entering." Said order? To leave quietly if the guildmaster refused to help. However, the guildmaster assumes it to be more along the lines of "break a few arms" and, in a panic, relents. This leads to the page quote.

* Several of Literature/HonorHarrington's opponents have been left aghast at her willingness to drag some odious maneuver of theirs out into the open, when they had assumed that no one in her "position of weakness" would try something like that.

-->-- Creator/Johnny Depp, ''Pirates of the Caribbean''

* Jack Sparrow [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on this in the first ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' movie. In the third movie, he pulls it off himself: Pirates can only be counted on to be greedy bastards, which is why there hasn't been a Pirate King in a while (the position is democratically-elected, and they all vote for themselves). So when the vote comes up, [[spoiler:Jack surprises everyone by voting for Elizabeth, making her win with two votes.]]

->''"Sergeant Colon was lost in admiration. He'd seen people bluff on a bad hand, but he'd never seen anyone bluff with no cards."''
-->-- Creator/TerryPratchett, ''Discworld/MenAtArms''

** How is his speech not the page quote?

->''Sergeant Colon was lost in admiration. He'd seen people bluff on a bad hand, but he'd never seen anyone bluff with no cards.''

->''"Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the ''honest'' ones you want to look out for, because you can never predict when they're about to do something incredibly...''stupid''..."''
-->-- Captain Jack Sparrow, ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''