History Main / HumansAreFlawed

Compare/contrast HumansAreBastards, when humans are depicted as being inherently [[JerkAss Jerkasses]] to each other, and HobbesWasRight when people play nicely with each other only because [[AppealToForce they are forced to do so]]. These human flaws may lead to other races considering that HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

Compare/contrast HumansAreBastards, when humans are depicted as being inherently [[JerkAss Jerkasses]], and HobbesWasRight when people play nicely with each other only because [[AppealToForce they are forced to do so]]. These human flaws may lead to other races considering that HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

Compare/contrast HumansAreBastards, when humans are depicted as being inherently [[JerkAss Jerkasses]], and HobbesWasRight when human flaws necessitate [[AppealToForce tyrannical rulership to keep them playing nicely with each other]]. These human flaws may lead to other races considering that HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

Compare/contrast HumansAreTheRealMonsters, when humans are inherently [[JerkAss Jerkasses]] compared to other sentient races, and HobbesWasRight when human flaws necessitate [[AppealToForce tyrannical rulership to keep them playing nicely with each other]]. These human flaws may lead to other races considering that HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': During the Future Trunks Saga, this turns out to be the core of [[EvilTwin Goku Black's]] and [[DarkMessiah Future Zamasu's]] beliefs. They view mortals as the one failure of the gods that they refuse to correct, and they intend to [[KillAllHumans wipe them all out]] to create a "beautiful utopia." [[spoiler:It later turns out they're ''both'' [[AlternateSelf alternate versions of Present!Zamasu]] and that in their quest to eradicate mortals they [[KillTheGod killed all their fellow gods to keep them from stopping them]]]].

Compare/contrast HumansAreBastards, when humans are inherently [[JerkAss Jerkasses]], and HobbesWasRight when human flaws necessitate [[AppealToForce tyrannical rulership to keep them playing nicely with each other]]. These human flaws may lead to other races considering that HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

So what if [[RousseauWasRight Rousseau]] isn't right and [[HumansAreBastards people are fundamentally mean, nasty and brutish?]] What merit is there in being good if you [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill can't choose to do otherwise?]] Despite the inherent moral flaws of humanity, enough people are putting the effort into being [[NiceGuy nice]] and [[TheHeart kind]] that it [[EarnYourHappyEnding does make a difference]]. Even if BeingGoodSucks, humanity as a whole realizes deep down that BeingEvilSucks more.

Compare/contrast HumansAreBastards, when humanity as a whole are inherent [[JerkAss Jerkasses]], and HobbesWasRight when human flaws necessitate [[AppealToForce tyrannical rulership to keep them playing nicely with each other]].

Compare=/=contrast HumansAreBastards, when humanity as a whole are considered inherent [[JerkAss Jerkasses]], and HobbesWasRight when human flaws necessitate [[AppealToForce tyrannical rulership to keep them playing nicely with each other]].

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]

* Deconstructed in ''Film/TheWorldsEnd''. [[spoiler:It turns out that humanity is the ''least'' civilized species in the galaxy, and the Network is trying to bring humanity to a level where it could be brought into the galactic community. However, to do so they have to remove anyone who doesn't want to be part of the Network; and because humanity doesn't like being told what to do, the Network need to replace ''a lot'' of people in an attempt to make them more acceptable to the galactic community . Arguably, the point of Gary, Andrew & Steven's rebuttal is that "Humans are special ''because'' they are flawed"]].

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]

* In Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''The Damned trilogy'' humanity is discovered by an alliance of super-civilized alien species who are being forced to fight a war against their will. Compared to them we are portrayed as barely civilized, warlike, violence-crazed and brutish, and indeed our love for inflicting death and destruction makes us the perfect soldiers. However we're also capable of great things, and many humans try to control their instincts and strive for more than just being the alliance's grunts.

* ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' has this final viewpoint on humanity. While the show doesn't shy away from how vicious and cruel humanity can be, [[spoiler:the BigBad was revealed to ultimately be someone that [[ForTheHappiness desired for everyone to be happy]] until he was driven insane try to listen to the general public's sadism and bloodlust.]] In the end the shows that nearly everyone can change for the better if someone is willing to show them the way.

* In the ''[[Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona Persona]]'' series, every major divine being is an AnthropomorphicPersonification of something within the human heart (be it our good constructive parts ([[VideoGame/{{Persona}} Philemon]]) or our fear of yet subconsious longing for death ([[spoiler: [[{{Persona3}} Nyx]]]]). The {{Aesop}} of the franchise can pretty much be said to be that we humans are flawed but that we can overcome them.

* VideoGame/MassEffect has this as one of its main themes. Humans, as well as every other race in the galaxy [[spoiler:except the [[SapientShip Reapers]]]], have both good and bad individuals in them, and while there are many lawless areas in the galaxy, and the ObstructiveBureaucrat tendencies of many politicians, the Citadel species are overall doing their best. [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]] can even say this in VideoGame/MassEffect2, noticing that while sapient beings are flawed, they're almost all trying to be better.

* The pacifist or least violent neutral run in ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' has the trope shown to the monsters, most which are trying to kill the human player character for various reasons (some truly hate humans due to a war that occurred years ago while others only want the player character's soul to break free of their eternal prison). By sparing monsters, they see that not all humans are bad and some, despite their flaws, are actually pretty ok and can be good friends in spite of their flaws. [[spoiler: The pacifist ending shows the humans making peace with the monsters, despite the bloody history they had, as the two races live side by side once more, flaws be damned.]]

'''Gabriel:''' Damn right, they're flawed! But a lot of them try... to be good... to forgive.

* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': During the Future Trunks Saga, this turns out to be the core of [[EvilTwin Goku Black's]] and [[DarkMessiah Zamasu's]] beliefs. They view mortals as the one failure of the gods that they refuse to correct, and they intend to [[KillAllHumans wipe them all out]] to create a "beautiful utopia." [[spoiler:It later turns out they're ''both'' [[AlternateSelf alternate versions of Zamasu]] and that in their quest to eradicate mortals they [[KillTheGod killed all their fellow gods to keep them from stopping them]]]].

* ''FanFic/ABrighterDark'': In this AlternateUniverse retelling of VideoGame/FireEmblemFates, the majority of the cast has pretty good intentions. Even characters who were previously CompleteMonster in the canon series are altered to have more believable ideals: the fighters on both sides of the war between Nohr and Hoshido are just trying to do what's right for their people. However their personal flaws and inability to communicate make finding peaceful resolutions impossible and is the primary cause of all the bloodshed that happens, despite both sides being made up of primarily decent individuals.

* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': During the Future Trunks Saga, this turns out to be the core of [[EvilTwin Goku Black's]] beliefs. He views humanity as the one failure of the gods that they refuse to correct, and he intends to [[KillAllHumans wipe them all out]] to create a "beautiful utopia."

->'''Lucifer:''' They are broken, flawed abortions!
->'''Gabriel:''' Damn right, they're flawed! But a lot of them try...to be good...to forgive.
-->-- '''Lucifer argues with Gabriel over humanity's worth''', ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''

[[folder:Anime]]

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''

* ''{{Literature/Vampirocracy}}'': The laundry list of human flaws (being [[HumansAreMorons moronic]] [[HumansAreDivided divided]] [[HumansAreBastards bastards]], mostly) drives vampires to take over the world for their own safety.

-->'''Lister:''' I thought you said he was a great guy!
-->'''Kryten:''' He was.
-->'''Rimmer:''' He was also an inveterate womanizer. His affairs were legendary. They never came out while he was alive.
-->'''Kryten:''' All great men have a weakness, an AchillesHeel.
-->'''Rimmer:''' His was just... [[ReallyGetsAround further up]].

-->'''Mal''': Mercy is the mark of a great man. ''(Pokes [[spoiler:Atherton Wing]] with sword.)'' Guess I'm just a good man. ''(Pokes him again.)'' Well, I'm all right.

[[folder:Religion]]
* This is the basis for the Jewish tradition of the Lamed Vavniks, or "Thirty Six": it's believed that there have never been fewer than thirty six righteous men and women, and they're the ones who justify the whole of humanity before the eyes of God. That's it: Yahweh tolerates His flawed children because there are always at least 36 of them who are "good enough"; the implication being that, if the righteous were ever to fall below this number, He would give up on humanity and destroy everyone (Yay)

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' takes an interesting stance on this - when Roy dies, he's told that since he's mortal, it's not really reasonable to expect him to stay perfectly straight-and-narrow all the time, and making the effort is what's really important. This is repeated when he's allowed into the afterlife even though he didn't fulfill his father's Blood Oath; because he ''kept trying'', he gets a pass, where his father consciously abandoned the quest, and is thus stuck in limbo until a member of his family defeats Xykon. Thus it's less "Humans suck because they are flawed" and more "Humans are flawed, but that's okay, because it doesn't have to define them."

* This is the general feeling of ''NewHorizon''. Humans did some [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters terrible things]] and had to leave Earth, but now that they're on a new planet they have a grand future!

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/quotation_ellen_degeneres_flaws_human_meetville_quotes_1232.jpg]]

-->"We will change. Because we can change, I know it. We may be weak, but we just have to be; if not, then we wouldn’t have any reason to grow, to get strong. I know that it may seem futile to you, but it’s not, because we are getting stronger with every step we take. You see I’m sure we can change! Because we’re weak, and because we die. We have to fight in order to live, and that’s what will make us strong."

-->'''Rio:'''Yeah...even if [[spoiler: the world is going to end someday]], until then, all that we have here with us is our future.
* This is discussed in ''{{Black Butler}}'', by Ciel and Sebastian [[spoiler: shortly after Ciel has ordered the murder of a large number of children.]] Ciel degrades humans for being weak and fundamentally evil and curses himself for being one, but Sebastian notes that it is this constant struggle and their lofty goals that makes them interesting.
* A central theme in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', and what inspires the villains to pursue their [[spoiler: AssimilationPlot]].