History Main / HeadInTheSandManagement

* In the ''MassEffect'' series, the Council has this attitude towards the [[CosmicHorror Reapers]] despite Shepard repeatedly telling them that they're coming, especially Sparatus, and Shepard has the opportunity to not only [[WhatTheHellHero call them out on it]], but can even [[spoiler:refuse to save them in the first game, not that their replacements are any better]]. All three quickly do a 180 in ''MassEffect3'' when the Reapers finally arrive, and amusingly turian Sparatus is the most supportive of the three. Salarian Valern requires Shepard to [[spoiler:rescue him from Cerberus]], and the supposedly reasonable asari Tevos first states that, "The cruel and unfortunate truth is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup," then refuses to give Shepard a vital clue until it is already too late.

** To be fair, the various figures did have their own concerns at the time, what with the massive civil war they'd collectively managed to start. Also, the southern players in fact considered forming an alliance with the invading wildlings, and it was a perfectly valid strategy. It was only flawed because of the presence of the Others, which were reasonably, though wrongly, believed to be a myth, since nothing had been heard of them for ''eight thousand years''. This is a rare example of the head in the sand being a perfectly rational response, as opposed to some of the other examples on this page which are blatantly stupid and irrational.

** Count Dooku leaves the Jedi because of this, among other reasons. When he later turns up as the leader of an enemy movement, the Jedi and Chancellor Palpatine STILL sit on their butts until the very last second. Palpatine has an excuse (he's secretly bossing Dooku around). The Jedi don't.

* In the ''MassEffect'' series, the Council has this attitude towards the [[CosmicHorror Reapers]] despite Shepard repeatedly telling them that they're coming, especially Sparatus, and Shepard has the opportunity to not only [[WhatTheHellHero call them out on it]], but can even [[spoiler:refuse to save them in the first game, not that their replacements are any better]]. All three quickly do a 180 in ''MassEffect3'' when the Reapers finally arrive, and amusingly Sparatus is the most supportive of the three.

'''NoRealLifeExamplesPlease'''

* In the ''MassEffect'' series, the Council has this attitude towards the [[CosmicHorror Reapers]] despite Shepard repeatedly telling them that they're coming, especially Sparatus, and Shepard has the opportunity to not only [[WhatTheHellHero call them out on it]], but can even [[spoiler:refuse to save them in the first game, not that their replacements are any better]]. All three quickly do a 180 in ''MassEffect3'' when the Reapers finally arrive, and amusing Sparatus is the more supportive of the three.

* Cornelius Fudge in the ''HarryPotter'' books and films. He ended up getting the sack after the true nature of the threat became apparent, lingering, like Chamberlain, as an advisor to his successor.
** Considering that Voldemort and the Death Eaters are somewhat of a metaphor for Hitler and the Nazis, Fudge may have actually been intended to sit in for Chamberlain. Of course, we won't know until someone thinks to ask [[WordOfGod Rowling]] the question in her next interview...

** YMMV, but Padme as well. She leads a cadre of senators who want to defeat the proposed Republic bill to create a standing army. It really isn't her pacifism, but the fact that, given who the Republic is dealing with, she should know better. The Trade Federation quickly curbstomped her planet only ten years before and they're the ones bankrolling Dooku, along with a dozen other similar organizations.
*** When Anakin confesses his genocidal ways to Padmé, she consoles him, telling him he's not as bad as he thinks he is.

* Used many times in all incarnations of StarTrek. Chamberlains can be found liberally sprinkled among Starfleet's admiralty, the Federation's civilian leadership, and the councils of many alien worlds.

[[folder:{{Comics}}]]* The Guardians of the Universe in the GreenLantern mythos frequently fill this role, most recently in the "Blackest Night" event, where all save two refuse to believe in the prophecy and the coming of the War of Light until it is too late.

* ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' drops a pretty big [[{{Anvilicious}} anvil]] using one of these: in the second-season finale, as the station is gearing up for possible conflict with the newly (re-)military expansionist Centauri, a high-level diplomat comes to the station from Earth...and reveals that he's there to make a ''nonaggression treaty'' with the Centauri. ''He even says "peace in our time."'' [[http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/guide/044.html]], [[http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Frederick_Lantze]], [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozp0N8CySRg]], [[http://blip.tv/sf-debris-opinionated-reviews/b5-the-fall-of-night-review-6002048]]

* DavidWeber: The liberal and pro-peace political parties in any of his novels are written as naïve people who believe in the “peace at any cost” philosophy.

* Mr. Desjardins, the Chief Lector of the House of Life in ''TheKaneChronicles'', spends most of the first book either ignoring or seeming not to care that Set is about to destroy the world, being more concerned with killing the god-hosting heroes. He eventually graduates to DividedWeFall.
* The Star Trek book [[StarTrekTheNextGenerationRelaunch "Before Dishonor"]] features a character who negotiates with the all powerful Borg which has assimilated Janeway and has Earth by the balls. Who then ''literally'' quotes Chamberlain...and is promptly blasted to smithereens.

** SFDebris uses this trope when discussing the [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Demilitarized_Zone DMZ]], the [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Neutral_zone Neutral Zone]], or the [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Maquis Maquis]].
* SeaQuestDSV: Secretary General Arthur McGath of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SeaQuest_DSV United Earth Oceans Organization (UEO)]] refuses to consider military action regardless of the threat.

* Referenced in ''{{Civilization}} IV'', where after meeting a rival civilization for the first time and you don't immediately declare war on them, your response is "There shall be peace in our time!" It's a very rare game indeed when such optimism isn't proven to be misplaced.

*** Though he's not a completely straight example, as he ''is'' portrayed as outright evil, and he's very ruthless in enforcing his own power- he just doesn't want to jeopardize it.

* President David Palmer on ''[=~24~=]'' is accused of being this in-story by his Vice President in season two, though he turns out to be right.

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May also be an ObstructiveBureaucrat. Frequently used by the villain as part of a XanatosGambit; if he succeeds, great, but if not, he'll still slow the heroes down. Compare with TheQuisling, a leader who is literally in the employ of the villain. Opposite number to the ReasonableAuthorityFigure. See also DividedWeFall and WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong.

* The Star Trek book [[StarTrekTheNxtGenerationRelaunch "Before Dishonor"]] features a character who negotiates with the all powerful Borg which has assimilated Janeway and has Earth by the balls. Who then ''literally'' quotes Chamberlain...and is promptly blasted to smithereens.

* ExtendedUniverse Star Trek book "Before Dishonor" features a character who negotiates with the all powerful Borg which has assimilated Janeway and has Earth by the balls. Who then ''literally'' quotes Chamberlain...and is promptly blasted to smithereens.

--> '''Anidala:''' I was not elected to watch my people suffer and die while you discuss this invasion in a committee!

** YMMV, but Padme as well. She leads a cadre of senators who want to defeat the proposed Republic bill to create a standing army. It really isn't her pacifism, but the fact that, given who the Republic is dealing with, she should know better. The Trade Federation quickly curbstomped her planet only ten years before and they're the ones bankrolling Dooku, along with a dozen other similar organizations.

A new BigBad is on the march. Time for the forces of good to stand up and fight. Unfortunately for the heroes, the man in charge of their particular political organization is HeadInTheSandManagement, who sees no reason to do this. Perhaps he literally doesn't see the threat. Perhaps he doesn't think that the threat is a problem for their specific country. In any event, he's going to do his best to get in the way of doing anything productive to fight the villain. HeadInTheSandManagement is usually not portrayed as himself a bad guy, just willfully blind to the problem.

[[folder:RealLife]]
* Whether this is a fair characterization of the historical NevilleChamberlain, Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1937 to 1940, is up for debate. It is unquestionably his popcultural legacy but Britain was in no state to fight a war at that time and he did buy almost a year in which to prepare. However, Germany ''also'' was in no state to fight a continent-wide war in 1938. Even in 1939, Germany was really starting at least a year too soon, before they'd actually finished building up their forces. At one point, Hitler even privately admitted that he'd started too soon, but that he couldn't help it because Chamberlain had (to his great surprise) actually given him everything he asked for, which itself raises other questions, although Hitler ''also'' said that Chamberlain cheated him of his war in 1938 and if he had fought then he would have won. In short, Chamberlain might be TropeCodifier and TropeNamer. He might not. Historical assessments of him vary, with some calling him a clever diplomat, and others accusing him of "strategic blindness." '''[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment And we don't need an edit war over it.]]'''
* Contrary to AmericaWinsTheWar, the United States had aspects of this. Mussolini takes over Abyssinia? Not America's problem. Japan taking over China? Not America's problem. Japan moving into the South Pacific? Not America's problem. Hitler taking over Europe? Not America's problem. Jews and other "inferiors" coming to America because of the Nazi regime? The immigration quotas are filled, send them back. Pearl Harbor? Okay, now it's America's problem.
*** Like many other things, this was parodied in the "Lil' Hitler" sketches in one episode of ''RobotChicken'', the third (and last) of which had young Hitler all on his own in a classroom, his desk surrounded by every other one in the room - except for the fat American kid's, who declares "Psht, not my problem", until a Japanese kid comes out of nowhere and knocks over his milkshake, at which point he sighs and states "''Now'', it's my problem".
* In general (to avoid too much FlameBait), it's become standard for politicians to accuse any rivals who don't agree with them on some alleged danger of being HeadInTheSandManagement.
** UsefulNotes/NorthKorea: to avoid a FlameWar or FlameBait, let us just say that the majority of the goodwill towards North Korea has not been returned. The confirmed failure of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_Policy Sunshine Policy]] by the government of UsefulNotes/SouthKorea was a factor in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak’s]] election to president. Also, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_(Japan) Social Democratic Party (Japan)]] lost major political and public support when North Korea formally admitted to kidnapping Japanese citizens.
* Most schools in America (Yes, even some private schools) tend to do this when it comes to bullying.
** Not just America.
** The response to bullying often depends the cultural values and the local [[SocialServicesDoesNotExist social services]].
* Subverted by AlfredTheGreat: he several times paid "danegild", basically, protection money to dissuade HornyVikings from raping, pillaging, burning across your lands. He simply was prepared to back up gifts of gold with gifts of iron.
* Also subverted on the Indian Northwest Frontier. The British regularly paid Pathan tribes not to go on raids while making it obvious that tribes who broke their word would suffer [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge difficulties]]. As the Pathans usually broke their word anyway, one wonders how well paying them worked . On the other hand no other policy would have either.
* King Borris of Bulgaria used to do this by playing HeadInTheSandManagement to one faction after another in his kingdom in order to make all the other factions jealous. This made for a sort of BalanceOfPower.
[[/folder]]

A new BigBad is on the march. Time for the forces of good to stand up and fight. Unfortunately for the heroes, the man in charge of their particular political organization is TheChamberlain, who sees no reason to do this. Perhaps he literally doesn't see the threat. Perhaps he doesn't think that the threat is a problem for their specific country. In any event, he's going to do his best to get in the way of doing anything productive to fight the villain. TheChamberlain is usually not portrayed as himself a bad guy, just willfully blind to the problem.

* In general (to avoid too much FlameBait), it's become standard for politicians to accuse any rivals who don't agree with them on some alleged danger of being TheChamberlain.

* King Borris of Bulgaria used to do this by playing TheChamberlain to one faction after another in his kingdom in order to make all the other factions jealous. This made for a sort of BalanceOfPower.

-->-- '''NevilleChamberlain''', TropeNamer