History Main / DrinkingTheKoolaid

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': In ''Literature/{{Changes}}'', Harry uses the phrase in front of the Merlin, leader of the White Council, about the Senior Council [[spoiler:not directly meeting with a dangerous vampire as they don't trust her]]. He looks confused until Captain Luccio says "the mass suicide in Jonestown last century," at which point he understands the term.

* The ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "Covenant" has [[SmugSnake Dukat]], who has set up a cult of the [[TheAntiGod Pah-Wraiths]] on Empok Nor with himself as "Emissary", eventually directing his followers to a mass suicide using special pills. This is thwarted in the end when Kira revealed that Dukat did not plan to kill himself along with them, but escape scot-free afterward.

* In ''{{FanFic/Glass}}'', Joey accuses Kaiba of this when he tries to get him to give in so he can get out of the dungeon, seeing it as giving up entirely or taking Pegasus's side.

The phrase originated with Creator/KenKesey's use of LSD-spiked Kool-Aid to entice people into the counterculture. It took on new meaning and popularity upon the [[UsefulNotes/JimJones Jonestown]] massacre, where many members of the cult committed mass suicide or were murdered by means of poison distributed via a similar beverage called '''Flavor''' Aid, which thanks to this phrase is often [[BrandNameTakeover misattributed to being Kool-Aid]]. As a result, both brands, but especially Kool-Aid, [[NeverLiveItDown have to endure this fact even today]] [[note]]In the U.S. at least, as that fact was rarely informed abroad and so, the brand didn't suffer about this as hard compared with the States.[[/note]]. It should also be noted that in the Jonestown incident, the victims knew the drink would kill them, and some were forced at gunpoint; today, Jonestown survivors consider the incident to be a mass murder, and [[DudeNotFunny really don't like it when this trope is invoked]].

The phrase originated with Creator/KenKesey's use of LSD-spiked Kool-Aid to entice people into the counterculture. It took on new meaning and popularity upon the [[UsefulNotes/JimJones Jonestown]] massacre, where many members of the cult committed mass suicide or were murdered by means of poison distributed via a similar beverage called '''Flavor''' Aid, which thanks to this phrase is often [[BrandNameTakeover misattributed to being Kool-Aid]]. As a result, both brands, but especially Kool-Aid, [[NeverLiveItDown have to endure this fact even today]][[note]]In the U.S. at least, as that fact was rarely informed abroad and so, the brand didn't suffer about this as hard compared with the States.[[/note]]. It should also be noted that in the Jonestown incident, the victims knew the drink would kill them, and some were forced at gunpoint; today, Jonestown survivors consider the incident to be a mass murder, and [[DudeNotFunny really don't like it when this trope is invoked]].

* [[UsefulNotes/JimJones Jonestown]], as described above, is often invoked as an example of the manipulative techniques used by religious or political {{cult}}s. In the case of Jonestown, the ''literal'' Kool-Aid (well, [[BrandNameTakeover FlavorAid]]) had [[EverybodysDeadDave truly tragic results]].

[[/control]]

-->I'm not ready to leave, it's too scary to die.
They'll have to carry me inside the cemetery and bury me alive.
Am I comin' or goin'? I can barely decide.

->''I think a good idea for a new Broadway musical would be ''Jonestown!'', featuring the toe-tapping finale, 'Don't Drink the Kool-Aid!'''
-->--'''R.M. Weiner'''

* ''Webcomic/SomethingHappens'': [[http://www.somethinghappens.net/d/20080521.html "Oh NO!"]].
* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://sinfest.net/view.php?date=2008-12-05 Monique is offered some.]]

* ''Webcomic/ExterminatusNow'' has an arc named after this that starts [[http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2012-11-11/comic/drink-the-cool-ade/the-smell-of-soda-in-the-morning/ here]] involving the investigation of a seemingly abandoned town. At one point, Eastwood jokes that some cult of crazies committed mass murder-suicide at the behest of their nutty leader and that the team should look for records of mass import of Cool-Ade. [[spoiler: As it turns out, that's exactly what happened. The cult that spanned the entire town believed that if they were killed, freeze-dried, powdered, and mixed into the drink powder, the resulting liquid drunk by the last member would create 'some kind of gestalt psychic entity'. [[EpicFail It failed before the team even got there]]: [[RealityEnsues the drinker drank some of the drink, slipped into a diabetic coma, fell in the vat and drowned.]]]]

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-->'''Mr. [=DeMartino=]:''' "And on that fateful day, his followers obediently drank the poison brew. Jonestown: one charismatic leader exerting his demonic will over scores of followers. What lesson can we take from this tragic example of herd-like behavior? Kevin?"\\
'''[[TheDitz Kevin]]:''' "[[ComicallyMissingThePoint Uh... BYOB?]]"

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For obvious reasons, this trope is mostly exclusive to the American and English-speaking culture, despite Kool-Aid BEING sold almost worldwide. In other languages, the closest, idiomless, analogy would be "drinking poison" instead (or whatever toxic liquid applied in context).

* Literature/SisterhoodSeries by Creator/FernMichaels: The entire Sisterhood and their allies have this sort of mentality. They believe that {{Revenge}}, inflicting the FateWorseThanDeath on their targets, and acting like all-around {{Jerk Sue}}s are great ideas. Fortunately, Maggie Spritzer came to realize that this trope was going on, and essentially left them by the final book ''Home Free''.

'''[[TheDitz Kevin]]:''' "[[CompletelyMissingThePoint Uh... BYOB?]]"