History Main / BothSidesHaveAPoint

* ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'': Harry Osborn is suffering from a terminal disease, and wants Spider-Man's blood, believing it to be his only hope of survival; however, Spider-Man refuses, believing it might harm or kill him, or even turn Harry into a monster like the Lizard. While Spidey makes a valid point, Harry also does when he points out to Spidey that he's already dying, so he's got nothing to lose either way. Spider-Man still refuses, resulting in [[spoiler: Harry's transformation into the Green Goblin and the subsequent death of Gwen Stacy.]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* This is the reason some people prefer to think the truth is somewhere between opposing views or a combination of them when considering controversial topics. Giving all sides of an issue equal weight [[GoldenMeanFallacy can be flawed]] however, especially when such a position ignores their respective levels of support and/or factual accuracy.
* Political power can and frequently does swing back and forth between different parties in democratic countries, as voters decide they like one party's policies at one time and then decide to switch to another party's policies later on, largely due to this trope. Sometimes, parties who win elections and form governments end up plagiarizing parts of their opponents' platforms in order to broaden their own appeal in the electorate.
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** Ultimately, ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' manage to prove both sides expressed in ''Civil War'' as correct in some way. When Thanos attacks, Cap's point is validated when the government is utterly helpless to come up with a decent strategy or plan of attack against the Mad Titan, showcasing the Accords as utterly ineffective in government hands. However, Tony is also proven right in that the team needed to form a united front on the issue, regardless of whether or not they supported or opposed them, since their lack of unity [[spoiler: allows Thanos to win against the heroes, which Tony points out to Cap in a scathing TheReasonYouSuckSpeech upon his recovery from space.]]

** Meanwhile, Pete and Goofy have an argument about their respective parenting styles. Goofy claims that Max loves him, which is true. Pete fires back by stating that PJ "respects" him, which is also true. Goofy has done his best to be a loving parent to Max, and has succeeded for the most part. However, it's pretty clear that Goofy has been a negligent disciplinarian, and that Max really could have used more discipline and structure in his life growing up. Plus, considering that Max is effectively acting like he doesn't want to be there (which he isn't), and is only going so he can trick Goofy into taking him elsewhere, Pete has a point that Max clearly doesn't respect his father in the slightest. He may love him, but he doesn't have Goofy's respect. On Pete's side, while he certainly has the respect of his son, and PJ is much more unwilling to do things like lie and deceive Pete, it's also clear that PJ is also afraid of his father on some level, and vastly prefers to spend his time with the much more easygoing Goofy. It's true that Pete is a poor excuse of a parent, and PJ is clearly not very loving towards his dad, if nothing else, he at least respects his old man enough to not pull a stunt like Max is.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'': Rémy admits that he and his dad have different viewpoints on the food they take from humans and he can understand Django's perspective. Django says that taking garbage is better than risking their lives in the kitchen. His reasoning is that humans throw out garbage rather than protect it personally, and they don't have a chance to be picky what with the world wanting to kill them. He shows Rémy a ratcatcher shop where rodent bodies are mounted in the window, saying that it's why rats need to keep a low profile. Rémy believes, on the other hand, that it's stealing because humans often make things rather than take them, and he wants to earn his way to a good meal rather than stay a scrounger. He tells his dad that what they put into their bodies and minds has an impact and they have a choice to do better. What's more, the only way to move past being a body display for a ratcatcher is to fight for change, and be willing to risk your life for it. They come to a compromise at the end; Django sees Linguini standing up for Rémy and realizes that not all humans are bad, agreeing to help his son in the kitchen. Rémy in turn admits that his dad may have been right when a rat infestation gets Gusteau's closed, that sometimes having a low profile is pragmatic. The rats at the new Ratatouille restaurant are proper patrons, paying for their food, but staying hidden from the human populace. Django also admits he's proud of Rémy for sticking to his guns.

*** Ultimately, ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' manage to prove both sides expressed in ''Civil War'' as correct in some way. When Thanos attacks, Cap's proves is validated when the government is utterly helpless to come up with a decent strategy or plan of attack against the Mad Titan, showcasing the Accords as utterly ineffective in government hands. However, Tony is also proven right in that the team needed to form a united front on the issue, regardless of whether or not they supported or opposed them, since their lack of unity [[spoiler: allows Thanos to win against the heroes, which Tony points out to Cap in a scathing TheReasonYouSuckSpeech upon his recovery from space.]]

** [[WordOfGod The Russos]], however, state that [[spoiler:Tony trying to kill Bucky was less about hurting Bucky himself (although it may have still been a possibility), and more about hurting Steve for lying to him.]]
*** Ultimately, ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' ultimately prove both sides as right in some way thanks to ''Civil War''. When Thanos attacks, Cap proves his point right when the government is utterly helpless to come up with a decent strategy or plan of attack against the Mad Titan, showcasing the Accords as utterly ineffective in government hands. However, Tony is proven right in that the team needed to form a united front on the issue, regardless of whether or not they supported or opposed them, since their lack of unity [[spoiler: allows Thanos to win against the heroes, which Tony points out to Cap in a scathing TheReasonYouSuckSpeech upon his recovery from space.]]
* ''Film/CaptainFantastic'': A key theme throughout the film is how neither side of the debate featured is exclusively right or wrong. On the one hand, as unconventional as the lifestyle he and his wife chose for themselves and their children is and as much as he himself is not afraid to voice his grievances, Ben is not wrong when he points out both the flaws he sees in modern American capitalist society (and which implicitly disillusioned himself and his late wife Leslie and drove them to embark on their chosen isolationist lifestyle in the first place) and how much more well read and overall high-level BookSmart his kids are in comparison to their conventionally educated cousins. But on the other hand, Ben's sister and her husband, his father in-law, and even his own sons Bodovan and Rellian also aren't wrong when they point out that Ben's keeping the kids isolated from larger American society and immense inflexibility in his refusal to allow himself, Leslie, or their kids to interact with such has stunted the kids' development of their social skills, left them utterly incapable of properly surviving in and interacting with society outside their immediate family social circle, and [[spoiler:indirectly contributed to Leslie's bipolar disorder induced suicide]]; not to mention the fact that, as much as he may not necessarily be guaranteed to like what his kids choose to do with their lives when they grow up, he still needs to be willing to step back and allow them to make their own decisions when the time comes for such. Rather fittingly, the film ultimately ends with Ben managing to implicitly strike a compromise by allowing Bodovan to travel out into the world to follow his own chosen path and also allowing the rest of the kids to go to school and get a conventional education so that they'll have the ability to properly live in the world outside their previous life of total isolation if that's what they so choose, but still has himself and the rest of the kids live on a farm relatively isolated from the rest of American society so that he won't have to completely give up the lifestyle that most suits his comfort zone.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Bob and Helen's argument about whether or not Dash should be allowed to try out for sports has shades of this. Helen is completely right that Bob doesn't care about the fact that they have to keep a low profile for pragmatic reasons; if they are busted, that means moving again, and the kids can't live with that instability forever. Dash thus far has also demonstrated great agility, but a lack of discipline on when to hold back. The fact that he plays pranks on his teachers doesn't help his case. Bob, however, says that Dash is a good kid with potential, and he has to hide the special bits about himself to fit in because society won't accept his unique gifts while finding reasons to celebrate mediocrity. The ending shows the family compromising now that Dash has shown discipline during the battles on the island and with the Omnidroid; he can try out for track, but he can't win first place for fear of getting noticed. Dash is more than fine with going for second since he enjoys the participation more than anything else.

*** While Deadpool’s [[CombatPragmatist pragmatism]] and [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight willingness to break rules]] are understandable and often justified, Colossus is completely correct when he rips into Deadpool for being a callous and reckless UngratefulBastard who frequently does more harm than good and acts like the law doesn’t apply to him (the main plot is kicked off when he [[KickTheSonOfABitch kills an orderly who abused children]]... by shooting him in cold blood, right in front of innocent civilians and with no evidence other than “you can tell”). Wade is forced to face the consequences of his behavior when he’s shown that his ruthless, uncaring attitude is threatening to turn [[EmoTeen Russell]] into a monster, apologizing to the X-Men for his ingratitude and fighting to prevent Russell from making the same mistakes Wade did when he was young.

* ''Film/CaptainFantastic'': A key theme throughout the film is how neither side of the debate featured is exclusively right or wrong. On the one hand, as unconventional as the lifestyle he and his wife chose for themselves and their children is and as much as he himself is not afraid to voice his grievances, Ben is not wrong when he points out both the flaws he sees in modern American capitalist society (and which implicitly disillusioned himself and his late wife Leslie and drove them to embark on their chosen isolationist lifestyle in the first place) and how much more well read and overall high-level BookSmart his kids are in comparison to their conventionally educated cousins. But on the other hand, Ben's sister and her husband, Leslie's parents, and eventually Ben's own sons Bodovan and Rellian, also aren't wrong when they point out that Ben's keeping the kids isolated from larger American society and immense inflexibility in his refusal to allow himself, Leslie, or their kids to interact with such has stunted the kids' development of their social skills, left them utterly incapable of properly surviving in and interacting with society outside their immediate family social circle, and [[spoiler:indirectly contributed to Leslie's bipolar disorder induced suicide]]; not to mention the fact that, as much as he may not necessarily be guaranteed to like what his kids choose to do with their lives when they grow up, he still needs to be willing to step back and allow them to make their own decisions when the time comes for such. Rather fittingly, the film ultimately ends with Ben managing to implicitly strike a compromise by allowing Bodovan to travel out into the world to follow his own chosen path and also allowing the rest of the kids to go to school and get a conventional education so that they'll have the ability to properly live in the world outside their previous life of total isolation if that's what they so choose, but still has himself and the rest of the kids live on a farm relatively isolated from the rest of American society so that he won't have to completely give up the lifestyle that most suits his comfort zone.

* ''Film/CaptainFantastic'': A key theme throughout the film is how neither side of the debate featured is exclusively right or wrong. On the one hand, as unconventional as the lifestyle he and his wife chose for themselves and their children is and as much as he himself is not afraid to voice his grievances, Ben is not wrong when he points out both the flaws he sees in modern American capitalist society (and which implicitly disillusioned himself and his late wife Leslie and drove them to embark on their chosen isolationist lifestyle in the first place) and how much more well read and overall high-level BookSmart his kids are in comparison to their conventionally educated cousins. But on the other hand, Ben's in-laws, and eventually his own sons Bodovan and Rellian, also aren't wrong when they point out that Ben's keeping the kids isolated from larger American society and immense inflexibility in his refusal to allow himself, Leslie, or their kids to interact with such has stunted the kids' development of their social skills, left them utterly incapable of properly surviving in and interacting with society outside their immediate family social circle, and [[spoiler:indirectly contributed to Leslie's bipolar disorder induced suicide]]; not to mention the fact that, as much as he may not necessarily be guaranteed to like what his kids choose to do with their lives when they grow up, he still needs to be willing to step back and allow them to make their own decisions when the time comes for such. Rather fittingly, the film ultimately ends with Ben managing to implicitly strike a compromise by allowing Bodovan to travel out into the world to follow his own chosen path and also allowing the rest of the kids to go to school and get a conventional education so that they'll have the ability to properly live in the world outside their previous life of total isolation if that's what they so choose, but still has himself and the rest of the kids live on a farm relatively isolated from the rest of American society so that he won't have to completely give up the lifestyle that most suits his comfort zone.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'': Lightning [=McQueen=], an arrogant rookie race car, gets lost in the small town of Radiator Springs on his way to the Los Angeles International Speedway for his final race of the season, and is ordered by Judge Doc Hudson to repair the damage he caused during his arrival. [=McQueen=], being a {{Narcissist}} with an ItsAllAboutMe attitude and a big {{Jerkass}} personality to the rest of the townsfolk, half-asses it and is forced to stay longer when he loses a race to Doc. While staying around, he learns that Doc used to be [[spoiler: the famous Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a three-time Piston Cup Champion racer.]] Doc, naturally, wants Lightning to put a lid on it, but as he sees the old car [[spoiler: test out his racing skills]], he confronts him on why he quit. It turns out, [[spoiler: he ''didn't'' quit. He was forced into retirement after a big wreck, and had spent the last several years living in Radiator Springs, with no one knowing of his old life.]] Doc is quick to call out Lightning on his attitude and how his LackOfEmpathy for others has made him uncaring towards the plight of the struggling townsfolk. Lightning quickly retorts that they don't know who Doc really is, but he does have a bit of a JerkassRealization and is quick to change his attitude by [[spoiler: staying in town an extra day and giving the folks some much needed business, and even fixing the neon signs for them]]. Yet Doc [[spoiler: calls the racing network to tell them where Lightning is so he can shoo him out]], at which point Sally [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out on it]]. At this point, he has a HeelRealization and [[spoiler: takes Mater, Fillmore, Luigi, and Guido to the LA Speedway to serve as Lightning's pit crew, complete with his old Hudson Hornet decor]].

* In ''Film/TeamAmericaWorldPolice'', both 'dicks' and 'pussies' have a point, according to Gary's (plagiarized but altered) speech at the end. The 'assholes' on the other hand, just want to [[ForTheEvulz shit all over everything]].

* ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'': Upon Chancellor Palpatine's recommendation, Anakin is made a member of the Jedi Council, but not a Jedi Master. He complains about how unfair it was he wasn't getting made a master, but Mace simply tells him to take a seat and leave it at that. In this case, Anakin had proven Mace's point that he's not ready for the responsibility being a master entails, given his troubled emotional state, and this gesture was a favor to a man they really don't trust (and have no good reason to [[BigBad considering]])--they're only doing so because [[spoiler: they want Anakin to spy on the Chancellor]]. However, Anakin's outburst has his own points, including the previous two films and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' in context. The Jedi Council took him from his mother at an age where he really didn't understand everything, they've forced him to stifle his emotions when he's clearly having trouble, the Council [[spoiler: not only faked his master's death, but also threw his Padawan--the person he considered his little sister--to the wolves simply to save face and drove her away when they acted like they weren't at fault for it, are forcing him to spy on his father-figure]], he's being forced to hide the fact he has a child from a forbidden relationship with a prominent Senator, and nobody but Obi-Wan and Palpatine are giving him any support. And this is nothing compared to him actually making progress on a war the Jedi weren't going far enough on to win by killing [[TheDragon Count Dooku]] where no one else did. So, while Anakin was being petty about the gesture, his complaints weren't without merit.
** Later on in the film, Anakin and Obi-Wan's faithful duel starts with the two arguing over the former's actions. Obi-Wan is right that his friend has fallen too far in his quest to save Padme, slaughtering hundreds, destroying the Jedi Order, and enslaving the galaxy for his [[BigBad master]], but Anakin raises some good points about seeing through "the lies of the Jedi" and how their dogmatic attitude with the above issues in the film and ''The Clone Wars'' drove him to do what he did.

** Matsuri and Miyu are not only captain and vice-captain of the track team, but are also in a relationship that they have agreed to keep secret out of concern over what might happen if other people, like Miyu's parents find out. This involves not making public displays of affection, such as kissing or saying "I love you," at school or anywhere a record might be left (e.g. text messages), and Matsuri ends up having difficulty keeping her promise, much to Miyu's frustration. On the one hand, Miyu has understandable reasons to worry about what might happen if her parents find out, and it's difficult to fault her annoyance with Matsuri for not living up to her end of the agreement(something Matsuri concedes). On the other hand, Matsuri has gone without skinship or other displays of affection for months, and isn't wrong when she points out that this amounts to them hiding their relationship out of fear. At the start of September, Megumi takes Matsuri's side, while Sachi takes Miyu's, and both of them ask Yuna who she thinks is at fault. Regardless of Yuna's answer, she'll have the following thought.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 8, disagreement between Ruby and Yang on what to do splits the group as each side tries to argue their plan is more important than the other. Ruby and Nora want to focus on warning the rest of Remnant about Salem while Yang and Ren want to evacuate the people of Mantle, who need help immediately. Jaune and Oscar don't take either side and instead solve the issue by suggesting that they complete both missions, splitting into two teams to achieve both the separate goals and the shared common goal of trying to save as many lives as possible.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': In Volume 8, disagreement between Ruby and Yang on what to do splits the group as each side tries to argue their plan is more important than the other. Ruby and Nora want to focus on warning the rest of Remnant about Salem while Yang and Ren want to evacuate the people of Mantle, who need help immediately. Jaune and Oscar solve the issue by suggesting that they complete both missions, splitting into two teams to achieve both the separate goals and the shared common goal of trying to save as many lives as possible.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', Ariel and her father King Triton are at odds because of the former's obsession with the surface world. Triton thinks that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humans are nothing but savages]], and that his daughter's unhealthy obsession with them is only going to get her killed, while Ariel believes that humanity is a fascinating species and wants to be a part of them. In this instance, Triton is right that humanity can be dangerous, and his hatred of them isn't entirely irrational--the [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIIIArielsBeginning prequel]] shows that they [[spoiler: killed his wife]], and are just as destructive due to their fishing. But Ariel is right that her father isn't willing to give humanity a chance simply out of hatred, and her experiences on the surface world show that humans are far from the monsters Triton claims them to be. Ultimately, Triton acknowledges his daughter's points and lets her become human to stay with Prince Eric, but Ariel does come to admit that she was being needlessly reckless in her obsession with the human world, as her actions nearly gave Ursula control of the entire undersea kingdom (and possibly the world itself).

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie2TheSecondPart'', Finn and Bianca (the kids who own the titular LEGO characters) find their relationship at odds when Bianca keeps stealing her brother's sets and figures for her own adventures, which Finn has no intention of sharing, which ends up affecting the LEGO universe on a fundamental level by having all of the residents of the newly-christened "Apocalypseburg" (sans Emmett) become hardened and "tough", while those who live in the "Sis-Star System" are overly sweet and cheery to the point that the Apocalypseburgians think their brethren have been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashed]]. However, both children are at fault in some ways, since Bianca just wants her brother to play with her, and he's being a BigBrotherBully rather than trying to work things out with her, but he's got just as much reason to be upset since she's stealing his things and modifying them (as in putting glitter and stickers all over them) without his permission, and has doing this for ''years'' (albeit innocently). This causes their mom to give them an ultimatum: either play nice, or everything gets binned. Naturally, things go horribly wrong and Finn breaks his sister's display out of rage, causing their mom to force them to bin everything, (otherwise known as "Ourmomageddon" in the LEGO world). [[spoiler: This turns out to have been the main ploy of the villain, Rex Dangervest, who reveals himself to be a future version of Emmett who became bitter and hardened at being abandoned, and sought to cause Ourmomageddon to force Emmett to see things from his point of view and become just like him.]] Nevertheless, Finn has a JerkassRealization and is able to fix things with his sister, who is implied to have stopped stealing her brother's things now that the two have reconciled.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', Batman and newly appointed police commissioner Barbara Gordon are at odds over how to effectively stop crime in Gotham, with the former using his traditional methods, while the latter wants Batman to work with the police. She argues that Batman being an IneffectualLoner is hurting Gotham more than helping it, since he's never managed to keep the criminals locked up for long, and the film shoes that Batman's IWorkAlone tendencies are preventing him from truly being happy, especially since he gets roped into a BatmanGambit by the Joker in part thanks to this. However, Batman's methods, though flawed, have kept Gotham safe for years; it's just the corrupt justice system and the CardboardPrison that is Arkham Asylum have not helped matters, and nothing Barbara does is going to change that. By the end of the film, Batman accepts Barbara is right that he's letting his past get in the way of being happy, and works with her to solve the crisis, while Barbara admits that Batman's methods are just as necessary by working with him as Batgirl.

* In ''Film/{{Traffic}}'' there are more than just two sides and most of them have a point. The most surprising one coming from the arrested drug dealer who points out that [[spoiler:the DEA agents are also technically working for the drug mafia as they are being used by one of the drug cartels to destroy its opposition]].

Alice is faced with two different opinions: Bob strongly believes in one thing, and Charlie in another. The easiest choice would be to simply pick a side--decide that Bob is right or that Charlie is right. But Alice won't do that. The second easiest choice would be to simply remain neutral and urge them to AgreeToDisagree. But Alice won't do that either. And she will neither [[DistinctionWithoutADifference pretend that the two opposing views are actually the same thing]], nor [[MetaphoricallyTrue conclude that it's merely a matter of perspective]]. Finally, she will not engage in some extreme mental acrobatics, [[{{Doublethink}} simultaneously but separately agreeing with both opposing views]].

All that is left for her, then, is something much harder: to try her best to see both sides fairly, and value the merits of each side's arguments. In fiction, it can serve to enrich the morality of the setting and avert BlackAndWhiteMorality. In RealLife, this process is the founding idea behind democratic and consensus systems, and also the principle behind most journalism.

* In ''Webcomic/TheSeer'', [[AxeCrazy Jeff the Killer]] is fully prepared to destroy [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds the Scarecrow]] even after she claims she can explain herself. When [[TheHero Korbyn]] tries to stop him, he tells her that they can't rule out the possibility that Scarecrow is lying. While Korbyn [[LampshadeHanging concedes that he has a point there]], she goes on to tell him that they can't just jump to that conclusion without hearing her side of the story first.